Intex iRist Review - A smartphone on your wrist

With the release of Spectre just a week away, we can’t help being bitten by the James Bond bug. Dick Tracy might have been the first to speak into a watch but James Bond has worn some badass watches over the years. While all of that looks cool on screen imagine being James Bond for a day and straddling all those gadgets, remembering what button to hit and when. Smartwatches are yet to answer that burning question – complementary device to the smartphone or a replacement. Logic might point towards a second screen or complementary device but quite a few brands like Intex have chosen standalone devices. The iRist is virtually a smartphone on your wrist but does it have enough to be your ‘go to’ wearable?

It’s never easy being an early adopter; you will vouch for that if you tried using a Windows Phone in the aughts and tried poking your way around a word document with a stylus. That’s the first thought that struck me when I tried typing a text on the iRist. While Android wearables have switched to Android Wear, the iRist attempts to cram the smartphone version into a 1.56-inch screen. Yes, no kidding. We’ll say this though; the iRist is a good-looking device. The build quality is premium and there’s a choice of three colours including a lively orange. Unfortunately the straps are not replaceable; this is because a GPS sensor and speaker are embedded in the strap. At 83g its certainly not feather light but should work if you’re used to wearing large-faced fashion watches.

There are two buttons on the right spine of the device – power and a back key, with the camera in the centre. A micro SIM slot is located on the left spine. The 1.56-inch display (240x240 at 218 ppi) is quite vibrant and offers decent visibility under direct sunlight. The device is powered by a Mediatek (MT 6572) dual-core 1.2 GHz processor coupled with 512 MB of RAM. It’s enough firepower for a device this size. We put the iRist through our routine benchmark tests – the device clocked 11283 on the AnTuTu benchmark test and an equally modest 1115 on PCMark. 

With a micro-SIM slot, the iRist can double up as your phone just like the Samsung Gear S. The slot is conveniently located but the low speaker volume makes it tough for you to play Dick Tracy. Intex bundles a cool Bluetooth stereo headset in the box, allowing you to use it for calls or to plug into to your music playlist at the gym or during a run. While calls are ‘doable’, trying to type texts on the tiny screen is near impossible and frustrating especially if you have stubby fingers. The screen is too tiny for videos, as for low-intense gaming it’s tough to read small text or spot control buttons on the screen. I managed some success with Temple Run though! 

There’s 4GB of onboard memory (of which about 1.3GB is usable). There’s a micro SD slot that can accommodate cards up to 32GB but it involves unscrewing the back of the watch – quite an arduous task. The 5MP camera is the kind of stuff that James Bond might approve of – better suited for sneaky pictures than serious photography (no, we're not giving you any ideas here). 



The iRist runs on Android 4.4 (KitKat), Intex has modified the home screen with larger icons making it a tad easier to navigate. Intex has also added a few custom elements like a step counter and a Voice Assistant. We were not overly impressed with the Voice Assistant, you’re better off with Google Now (also available on the iRist). The iRist is not fully kitted on the wellness front – no heart rate monitor or sleep tracking. There’s one small workaround though; you can install the Google Fit app to track calorie burns and map your runs or rides using the inbuilt GPS.

Battery life has been one of the big gripes about smartwatches. The 600mAh battery on the iRist is a study in contrast. It lasted just a day with the SIM card but it kept going for almost three days when was used without it. While the device is programmed as a standalone device, you can sync up with your smartphone through Intex’s proprietary iConnect app, that mirrors some of your smartphone’s functions; it’s not that intuitive though. We also like how the device offers Wi-Fi Connectivity allowing you to stay connected without depending on a 3G SIM Card.  

It’s easy to pick holes in an emerging category and smartwatches have become the favourite whipping boy for tech geeks the world over. The iRist has more than its share of chinks. The big issue with iRist is not its performance or its features set but how a user interface designed for screens above 4 inches has been super imposed into a 1.56-inch screen. Whether that works or not might boil down to personal choice or how slim your fingers are. At Rs 11,999 there’s no dearth of options if you’re looking for your first wearable.