There are two ways to look at the OnePlus Band. First, it’s a good addition to the portfolio if you are already using a smartphone from the company but don’t want to use a smartwatch. Second, it’s a better option among the many good options already available. To say that fitness bands are dead is like listening to Bob Dylan sing: And I’ll watch while you’re lowered/ Down to your deathbed/ And I’ll stand o’er your grave/ ’Til I’m sure that you’re dead. There is a sizeable crowd that continues to ditch or stay away from smartwatches but, at the same time, want some kind of fitness device. What the OnePlus Band does is win over users by offering a good deal of fitness details as well as gives us a chance to experience something like SpO2 and sleep tracking at a reasonable price.

The many things that rock

There are several features that really impress. It’s an extremely light fitness band with a comfortable wrist band which can be worn to sleep. Personally, I didn’t feel uncomfortable at all wearing it to bed.

In way of features there are all the things one can expect from a fitness band, plus a few more to make 2021 special, like SpO2 monitoring and heart rate monitoring. All the data shows up very well on the beautiful 1.1-inch AMOLED screen with (manually) adjustable brightness and it gets bright enough to beat the sun. One really can’t complain about the intuitiveness of the screen.

For those using fitness bands or smartwatches from other companies, may take a couple of hours getting used to the swipe functions because there are no touch buttons here.

Unlike on smartwatches, there are fewer exercise modes but these are things that we usually use, like cricket, badminton, yoga, outdoor run and so on. The step counter is on point and one will see very little deviation from the reading on, say, the Apple Watch. The heart rate monitoring is also up to scratch, going toe-to-toe with most of the best fitness bands out there.

The feature that wins more points than the others is sleep monitoring, with all the details getting recorded. There have been a couple of reports suggesting that sleep monitoring is lacking but we didn’t find anything amiss. Of course, what do you do with these readings matter? I mean, are we qualified to understand the data? SpO2 monitoring is another feature that should be used with a pinch of salt. Right, I have a reading. What does it mean? If you are feeling unwell, visit the doctor.

There is also a notification corner but obviously there is no scope to reply.

It could have been better had it…

I don’t like the way it charges. You literally have to push the tracker out of the band and attached it a pogo-pin charger, which is very 2019. Mi Smart Band 5 does it better, magnetically. The company says 14 days can be enjoyed on a single charge but let’s be realistic — 10-11 days. If you have the brightness level amped up, heartbeat reading on constantly and SpO2 tracking during sleep, then it takes a toll on the battery but still 10 days is great because those using smartwatches hardly get two days out of a single charge.

The Band is a move towards something bigger for OnePlus, perhaps a smartwatch? Meanwhile, the OnePlus Band (Rs 2,499) is a good-looking fitness band offering some solid tech chops.

High notes

• Looks good
• SpO2 monitoring
• P68 and 5ATM
• Decent battery life

Muffled notes

• Charging technique is old-fashioned

The OnePlus connect

OnePlus continues to expand its offline presence. Actress Mimi Chakraborty was present at the recent opening of its second OnePlus Experience store — spread over 2,200sqft — at RDB Mall, Salt Lake. The store includes a TV zone where customers can experience the performance of the OnePlus Q series and the recently launched Y and U series range of TVs. The company has invested Rs 100 crore towards better market penetration across omni-channel retail business. The brand currently has over 8,000 offline stores and 100-plus service centres in the country.