Hands on review: YUFIT

If there’s one word that gadget marketers have over used in the recent past it’s ‘disruption’. If you’ve been sitting on the side lines and watching one wearable after the other pass by, you are not alone. Xiaomi and now Micromax’s very own YU have lined up products that are bound to shake up all the fence sitters (Most of us have been playing wait and watch) who can’t decide if they need a wearable device or not. At a price of Rs 999 (that’s little more than the cost of a licensed silicon band of your favourite football team) its impossible to ignore the YUFIT’s value proposition.   

The one major advantage the YUFIT has over the Xiaomi Mi Band is its ‘mounted’ OLED display. It does not do heck of a lot but eliminates the need for you to wear a watch in one hand and your fitness band in the other. Just like the Mi Band, you won’t really feel the band clinging to your wrist – it’s feather light. The detachable OLED display fits into the wrist band and comes on and off without a fuss. The Same OLED panel slips into a slim cradle with a Micro USB slot that you can plug in for charging. The wrist band (our review unit came in Black) looks rather plain and comes with an adjustable strap. It’s certainly not going to grab a lot of eyeballs but hey this is a Rs 999 wearable not an 18K gold smartwatch.

The OLED screen unfortunately needs a physical tap to come alive. We wish a simple shake of the wrist could do the trick. What’s more you need to hit the sweet spot on the OLED screen every time you need to activate it. YU calls this the pair button and it takes some getting used to. The device requires the YUFIT App (available on the Google Play store) to get started; pairing is a breeze via Bluetooth. The OLED display does more than just keep time. You can get a quick summary of the number of steps (Through the Pedometer function) walked and calories burnt. The display also gives you a summary of missed calls and unopened texts. You can program the band for a vibrate alert (On the companion app) for text messages, incoming calls and also every time your phone drops out of network coverage. You won’t get caller or message details on the display though; you will need to grab your phone to identify the caller. It’s still quite handy when you are in a meeting or in the middle of a workout.

The companion App also allows you to click images by double tapping on the pair button. It’s not a major value-add except if you are looking at clicking some images on the sly. You will need the HealthifyMe App to exploit the device’s fitness capabilities. You get quite a lot of basic information free on this App including details about calorie burns. The App also has an extensive database of Indian food to help you track calorie details on every snack and meal. It’s too much work though requiring you to input details after every single meal. Besides a lot of the calorie charts are too subjective making it impossible to track your calorie consumptions accurately. It’s an area most fitness trackers have struggled with, the YUFIT is no exception. There’s also a ‘Pro version’ with your personal trainer to give you help and tips to reach your fitness goals. Right now this might well be a ‘Good to know’ function that very few users might be willing to pay (Currently Rs 499/month) for.

During our test run, the YUFIT managed about 5 days on a single charge. The ‘always-connected’ Bluetooth function on your smartphone results in faster battery drains on your phone. The YUFIT is certainly not a device you can’t live without but at Rs 999 it packs enough value and novelty. If you’re looking for a tiny peek into the world of smart bands and wearable’s, the YUFIT has enough going for a brief fling.  

What we liked: OLED Display at a bargain price, decent battery life, call and text alerts 

What we didn’t like:  No shake/motion sensor (OLED display requires a tap to be activated), Pro version of the companion app very pricey