Smart and fitness are two buzzwords that have brought a lot of companies into the business of time-keeping, even some popular watch brands also started jumping in this pool. One such brand, Helix – which is backed by Timex Group – promises to do something that will turn heads and the MetalFit 2.0 is an example of Helix’s commitment to bringing great value for money products to the masses at jaw-dropping prices (Rs. 3,999).
The price of the Helix MetalFit 2.0 is not the only thing that will make you want to buy it. At this price, it comes with features that other budget smartwatch brands dare not try to fill their hands with. Meaningful features like Bluetooth calling, inbuilt speaker, spo2, blood pressure, temperature sensor, and waterproof design. After spending significant time with it, we have a lot to talk about MetalFit. So, let’s start.
Box Content
Let’s start with the in-box content, and the company has just provided you with the basic items, including the Metalfit 2.0 smartwatch and a charging dock. The charging dock is magnetic, which makes it easier to use in day-to-day life. Additionally, you also get some basic paperwork that you can read in your free time. That’s all for the in-box content.
Design & Build
Helix is a well-known watchmaker, and its name speaks for itself, and the way it has designed the Metalfit 2.0 smartwatch clearly shows why it is so popular. The first thing you would notice about the Helix Metalfit 2.0 is its compact and lightweight design, making it a very practical and easy-to-use smartwatch that you can wear for extended durations of time without any discomfort. What surprised us was that the smartwatch features metal straps, yet it manages to feel so lightweight. The overall weight of the smartwatch with the metal strap comes at about 45 grams which is light enough. So we gotta give some credit to Helix for the same.
However, we cannot precisely give the Helix Metalfit 2.0 full marks when it comes to design because the metal straps do not feel that good, and the color scheme seems to be a bit off. To be honest, we were disappointed with the color scheme, and we guess it would have been a turn-off for many users. However, the plus point here is that you can also opt for the regular Silicon straps, and you can choose between multiple color options like black, blue, and Silver.
The smartwatch features the IP67 rating that makes it waterproof in certain aspects. This means that you need not even take the watch off even when you are in the shower. The smartwatch is also resistant against dust and accidental scratches because of which you can even carry it with you when you do outdoor activities, especially when playing outdoor games. The smartwatch also features up to 3 meters water-resistant rating, which means that you can also wear the watch while your swimming activities.
The magnetic locks are included in the straps itself, that adds to the usability of the device, and it is a good thing. We would just like to add one more thing here, most of the smartwatches that are launched in the Indian markets carry a significant weight to them, as they are not designed by keeping the women prospective in mind. However, this is not the case with the Metalfit 2.0, and because of its compact and lightweight design, even women can wear it on a regular basis without any major issues.
Display & Watch Faces
Coming to the display, the Helix Metalfit 2.0 smartwatch features a 1.52-inch full capacitive IPS LCD touchscreen display with a resolution of 360×400 pixels. The display is quite responsive, and it supports both taps and swipes that offer a smooth operating experience. Even though it is a budget smartwatch, the display quality is quite good, and there are not a lot of smartwatches in this segment that can challenge the Metalfit 2.0 when it comes to sheer display quality.
Yes, the bezels surrounding the screen are a bit on the bigger side, but it would not be an issue, as it does not hamper the look of the smartwatch in any way. The screen appears to be completely black when not in use, and the all-black UI makes things easier when using Metalfit 2.0. Overall, the display quality is quite good, and the viewing angles are decent enough for regular use.
The smartwatch offers +50 different watch faces to choose from, out of which four are present in the watch itself, whereas the remaining watch faces can be availed via the smartphone application. The application has a lot to offer, and you might expect new features to be added to the application in the near future. However, you do not currently get the option of customizing watch faces.
UI Interface
When talking about the UI Interface, it is clean, without a lot of junk, and simple to use. If you are familiar with Helix MetalFit 1.0, you would know that the UI on the first version was not that appealing. However, Helix has improved significantly when it comes to UI, and it now feels much better. A major reason behind the same might be a better display and better-looking icons on the smartwatch. Overall, the UI is quite interactive, and you would not have any complaints with the same in regular usage.
The Metalfit 2.0 does not feature a lot of animations which might prove to be a good thing precisely because there would be minimal animation lag, which is a common problem in budget smartwatches. However, you would still notice some delays and lags when you’re swiping or pressing icons, and the lack of powerful processing power is clearly evident. Although the operations are not buttery smooth, you would not face any major difficulties in regular day-to-day use, and you will have to live with the same in the budget smartwatch segment.
The touch response is decent enough, and the applications do not take forever to get started. The Metalfit 2.0 houses a single button that serves as the button for the main menu and doubles as the back button.
Helix Metalfit 2.0: Features
Let’s now talk about the features that the Helix Metalfit 2.0 smartwatch has to offer. As we have already mentioned, the Metalfit 2.0 smartwatch offers a long list of features, some of which are not offered by any other smartwatch in this price segment.
If you are looking for a smartwatch that not only notifies you about incoming calls but also lets you answer those incoming calls, then the Metalfit 2.0 would be a good choice for you. It is so because the smartwatch arrives with a single speaker setup and an in-built microphone. This combination would allow you to answer calls easily. However, you cannot expect your calls to be as smooth when compared to earphones or headphones, and expecting a great call quality would be a bit too much to ask for. However, this does not mean that the call quality is unbearable, and the setup would just do the job if the need arises for the same. The quality of the speakers is just good, and it would help you mainly when you need to use the voice assistant. Other than that, the speaker might also prove to be of good use when you want to listen to your favourite tracks during your workouts, or when you are in the shower.
One of the main reasons why many people opt for smartwatches is to help them track their physical activities, and the smartwatch offers plenty in that regard. The Metalfit 2.0 has ten dedicated sports modes that help you track physical activities like Running, Walking, Cycling, and others with great accuracy and precision. These sport modes would allow you to keep track of distance covered, time taken, and calories burned during those activities. Although these sport modes work well, we found the step tracking feature to be a bit unsynchronised. It was displaying the step count to be a bit more than it needed to be, and some software customization and upgrades can easily fix this. Other than that, there are no other major problems.
In addition to sport modes, the following are some of the other health monitoring features offered by the Metalfit 2.0 smartwatch:Â Body Temperature Measurement, Heart Rate Monitor, Sleep Tracking, SpO2 tracking, and Blood Pressure Monitor.
Other than that, the Metalfit 2.0 smartwatch also offers stress tracking and women’s wellness tracking. You can also take advantage of a breathing timer that would greatly help you while you are meditating. The Helix Metalfit 2.0 smartwatch also provides you with several control options, including controls for camera and music. You can also get weather information, timer, alarm, stopwatch, and find my phone option that might come of great help to you if such a crisis occurs.
The data from these sensors can be accessed via the Helix Smart Application that is available for both Android and iOS smartphones. All the information is displayed separately, and you would not find any issues in operating the application. While we were using the application, we did not find any bugs or any issues with it, and it was working just fine. You also have the option of connecting the smartwatch with third-party applications Google Fit, which is a welcome feature.
Accuracy
As you can see, the Helix Metalfit 2.0 offers plenty of features when it comes to health and fitness. But the question that arises is that how accurate are these tracking features? Overall, the accuracy that the smartwatch offers is decent enough, and tracking features like SpO2, Blood Pressure Monitor, Sleep Monitor work well, and the data presented by them is fairly accurate.
The only thing that we felt to be a bit off was the step monitor, and we found it to be displaying the number of steps walked to be a bit more than the actual data. However, this is not a major issue and can be fixed by a software update, as almost every smartwatch in this segment uses the same sensor for monitoring your footsteps. They just customize the software a bit to make it more accurate.
However, it is important to note that all these fitness and health tracking features are only for your personal use. It does not mean that you can use them for any medical purposes, and we strictly advise you against doing so. It is simply because the data predicted by the smartwatch is not as accurate as you would want for medical purposes, and this applies to almost every smartwatch, irrespective of its price tag.
Battery Life
As per the information provided by the company, the smartwatch should last for about seven days on continuous use. However, we found that the smartwatch lasted for about 4 to 5 days on continuous use during our testing, and you can expect to get similar battery life. Although the battery life is not that great, it is not bad in any way either. If you are a regular user, you will not find the battery life to be an issue. As far as charging goes, the smartwatch would take about 2 hours to charge completely.
Final Verdict
Overall, we found the Helix Metalfit 2.0 smartwatch to be a good product, especially at the price point at which it is offered. The smartwatch offers a host of features, some of which are not offered by any other smartwatch in this segment, and this is what makes this smartwatch stand out from its competitors. The smartwatch has a few flaws as far as connectivity and software go, but they are not major issues, and they can easily be solved with the next software update.
Now whether you should buy this smartwatch or not? If you have a budget of around Rs. 4,000, and you want a feature-loaded smartwatch; then you can definitely opt for the Helix Metalfit 2.0, provided you like the color combination and the design of this smartwatch. The smartwatch is a good value for money product, and we would definitely recommend you to buy this one. Also check, Helix Metalfit 2.0 Hindi Review on our youtube channel Geekman.
