New boAt Wave Call review: Bluetooth calling at an affordable price & more

Indian consumer wearable company boAt has launched yet another affordable smartwatch in the country. It is called boAt Wave Call and it is available on Amazon for Rs. 1,999. The smartwatch comes with a large display, supports fitness tracking features and features Bluetooth calling as well. But how does it actually feel like to wear the smartwatch? it is better than the competitors in its segment? Let's find out.  

Built Quality

The boAt Wave Call might have a large display, but it is very compact and handy. The textured-metal casing around the screen feels sturdy and makes the smartwatch durable. On top of the display, users get a layer of curved glass which adds a premium touch to the device. The back panel of the smartwatch is made of textured plastic and has the optical sensors (protected by a plastic sticker) located in the centre.

Since the smartwatch weighs 46g, it feels comfortable to wear for long hours, which is suitable for college-going users or professionals who may purchase the device. The strap quality is decent - users get one free loop to push the additional strap after wearing the watch. Users can even take the smartwatch to workouts in the gym or on a run outdoors, as it has an IP68 rating. Moreover, the built quality of the smartwatch justifies its price.

Display                                             

The boAt Wave Call has a rectangular 1.69-inch HD LCD with equal bezels on three sides and a chin at the bottom. The display quality of the smartwatch is above average as the colours produced are vibrant. Thanks to the peak brightness of 550 nits, the display is visible in most outdoor situations. In indoor conditions, the display is legible even on minimum brightness.
The smartwatch's display does not shy away from bright sunny days. Although users might have to turn up the brightness, the display is legible even in direct sunlight. To adjust the brightness, users have to swipe down from the home screen, tap on the sun-shaped icon and adjust the slider.

User Interface

To wake up the smartwatch, users have to press the button given on the side. Just like on smartphones, users can access quick controls such as starting a workout, brightness, sleep mode and call connection by swiping down on the home screen. Swiping up on the home screen, users can browse through several menus, such as the Sports menu that displays the number of steps taken and the calories burnt, the heart rate, sleep and weather widgets and the dedicated dialer.

By swiping right on the home screen, users can access all their smartphone notifications. The notifications appear as tiles with an app icon at the left and a title at the right. To expand the notifications, users can tap on it. For instance, tapping on the 'missed call' tile will show the contact number. Similarly, tapping on a WhatsApp tile or message tile will display the entire message. However, users do not get the feature of quick responses or cannot reply to the messages. Nevertheless, most smartwatches in this price segment do not come with the feature.

Swiping left on the home screen opens a list menu that contains shortcuts to measure heart rate, SpO2, view sleep stats, turn on the sports mode and enable camera control. In this menu, users also get features like stopwatch, timer, screen timeout, watch face settings and raise to wake. To return to the last menu, swipe from the display's left corner or press the crown button to go back.

Fitness-related features

The boAt Wave Call comes with multiple fitness-related features such as heart rate and SpO2 tracking, and sleep monitoring. Let's start with the better aspects of the device. Upon comparing the heart rate and blood oxygen levels measured by the smartwatch to an oximeter, the results were acceptable, with a deflection of three to five points in the heart rate and an occasional difference of one point in the blood oxygen levels, which is good.

When it comes to tracking steps, the smartwatch is reasonably accurate, but the results could be more consistent. Compared with other smartwatches in the segment, like the Maxima Max Pro Turbo and a mid-range smartwatch called the Galaxy Watch Active 2, the results could be better. Upon testing the smartwatch multiple times, it showed about 20 to 30% fewer steps than others. Apart from this, the smartwatch has multiple sports modes that can track activity-specific data. The sports mode include walking, running, cycling and more. 

Call quality

The boAt Wave Call supports Bluetooth calling and comes with a separate menu that allows users to dial a number, make a call to a saved number or check the call log. Accepting a call on the boAt smartwatch is very easy. All users need to do is press the green answer button when the smartwatch rings. During the call, users can control the volume and cut the call. The speakers of Wave Call are loud enough that users can hear what the other person is saying in outdoor conditions.

Further, the microphone quality is also good; even though the receivers could hear background noise, the speaker's voice was loud and clear and could be heard over the noise. To accept or reject calls, the smartwatch must be connected with the phone's Bluetooth and via the boAt Wearables app. The only downside here is the process of adding favourite contacts to the watch is very tedious as there is no search bar in the app. For instance, if someone wants to add a contact whose name begins with 'S', they would have to scroll to the bottom of their contact list and add it manually.

Battery Life & Charging

The boAt Wave Call comes with a 220 mAh battery that should last up to seven days on regular to moderate usage and up to two days with Bluetooth calling. Further, it comes with a proprietary magnetic charger in the box that sticks to the back panel of the watch and charges it within two to three hours. The smartwatch lasted for about a day and a half while using Bluetooth calling, along with measuring heart rate and SpO2 levels manually.

boAt Wearables app

Those who purchase the smartwatch must download the boAt Wearables app from the Google Play Store (Android 6.0 and above) or Apple App Store (iOS 12.0 and above). The easy-to-use application helps users check all their health-related metrics in one place. On the home screen, the app showcases steps and the goal set by the user. Then there is a tab titled 'Analysis' that displays all the metrics such as step count, calories, heart rate, blood oxygen and sleep. Users should head to the 'My Activities' section if they want to watch their activities or workouts. Overall, the application is well built and does the job decently.

Price

The boAt Wave Call will be available for Rs. 1,999, which is a reasonable price considering the features and the use cases of the smartwatch. It is available in three different colours, including Active Black, Mauve and the Deep Blue colour that is shown here. Conducting a quick search on Amazon or Flipkart, customers will realise that there are very few smartwatches under the Rs. 2,000 price mark that comes with Bluetooth calling. The competition does have Bluetooth calling models, but they are slightly more expensive, such as the Fire-Boltt Ring or Ninja Calling, which are priced at Rs. 2,999 and Rs. 2,499 respectively. 

Conclusion

For those who want a Bluetooth calling smartwatch on a budget, the boAt Wave Call is the go-to option. At Rs. 1,999, it is an excellent combination of style and functionality. Since the heart rate and SpO2 trackings of the device are reasonably accurate, those who want to monitor the stats can go for the device as well. The smartwatch has been launched during Amazon Prime Day 2022 and is available to purchase on the platform.