Smartron is one of those Technology brands that have grown steadily in the Indian market. They have recently launched a new health band called the Smartron tband priced at Rs. 4,999. It is the first fitness band selling in India to have features like Blood Pressure (BP) monitoring and Electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring and it also measures fatigue and stress levels.
With the help of its ‘thealth’ app Smartron t-band gives us our overall Health Index score which is a combination of activity tracking, calorie count, sleeping patterns, stress & fatigue levels as well as Blood Pressure and Heart Health.
Smartron tband review
Design and Build Quality – Smartron tband review
The design of the t-band is very impressive as it looks sleek and stylish. The t-band comes with silicone/leather strap with stainless steel buckle and we can customize the watch with 18mm watch straps which we can buy from any of the watch outlets.
The Smartron tband is also dust and water resistant and has IP67 rating. It is compatible with both Android and iOS devices. The silicone strap is good for daily wear where as the leather strap goes well with formal wear.
The smartron tband is sturdy and well built and on its rear side, has metallic contact points alongside the HR sensor to help with the ECG readings.
Display – Smartron tband review
The display of the smartron t-band consists of (128×64) 0.96″ PM OLED screen and the display is quite sharp and crisp.
Unlike some other health bands, Smartron t-band is also visible on a bright sunlight, albeit the display is monochrome and some of the data one sees makes them squint due to the small size of the font. There is no support as of now to change the size of the font or to change the watch faces. But we hope Smartron can push the same with a simple OTA update.
Hardware – Smartron tband review
The Smartron tband consists of 3-Axis Accelerometer, ECG, Optical heart rate monitor (PPG) among other sensors to fulfill all the parameters it could help you out with respect to your health. The Smartron tband has a battery of 100mAH which can juice up the band for a day and a half during extensive use or for around 4-5 days for conservative use where the ECG, BP etc were measured only once a day.
The Smartron tband is powered by MTK2523/MTK2511 and has 4MB of RAM and connects to android/iOS smartphones using bluetooth. It comes with its proprietary charging dock, so be careful not to lose it.
Features – Smartron tband review
The Smartron tband comes with features like Call, Text and Application Notifications with DnD, Alarms, Sedentary Reminders, and Wrist Detection. Calls can be made using the itself which also has 10 different customizable alarms. The device connects with a smartphone using its T-health app which is available on Playstore and Appstore. The app gives further control over the band. The app is also required to input your health data so as to come out with an ECG graph. T-health app is also able to give out alot more data such as steps taken, exercises done, sleep quality rating etc.
All in all the app is mighty useful though we did face connectivity issues with the Smartron tband quite often and had to re-pair the device. We should however disclose that our device is a review unit/pre-production model and most likely smartron will cater to such issues in retail units with simple software updates.
When we are idle over a period of time, the health band reminds us to walk around a little by vibrating. We can also read SMS from the tband. These options can be enabled or disabled according to our choice. We can also keep up to 10 customizable alarms in the t-band.
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One feature we would like the Smartron tband to have is SOS. If the band detects that your vitals are critical it could send an SOS call/message to a designated emergency number. This feature would further enhance the utility of the device.
How to connect tband with your smartphone? – Smartron tband review
- To pair the band, open the T-health app and follow instructions to deploy the pairing mode.
- Wake the tband by touching the metal sensor below the screen and quickly double tap it again to enter pair mode. A code shall be displayed on the screen
- Verify the code on your t-health app and voila! You are done.
- Now you can periodically sync the band with the app and see all your data.
How can a fitness band measure ECG and BP? – Smartron tband review
The Smartron tband uses Pulse Wave Transit Time (PWTT) method to calculate the Blood pressure. It captures the PWTT using Bio Sensor (ECG) and PPG sensor, and calculates Blood pressure based on PWTT value. PWTT, pulse wave transit time, is a new non-invasive parameter which can indicate change in blood pressure.
PWTT is time taken for the pulse wave to travel from heart to peripheral artery. First we have to calibrate t-band to get precise and more accurate BP measurement. Calibration is a comparison between a known measurement (the standard) and the measurement using your t-band. During calibration, t-band adjusts the parameters of algorithm to increase the precision and accuracy of the measurement.
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Verdict – Smartron tband review
Smartron tband is a great device, unlike most health bands in the market, it comes with a plethora of important features. Not only is it the perfect device for the modern health conscious youth but also for older folks who might need to keep a check on their BP and heart condition throughout the day. Though the company makes a disclaimer about how the data should not be considered for medical purposes, testing it side by side with a BP monitor we found the data to be quite accurate. In our humble opinion the Smartron tband is a disruptive device for bringing in extremely useful features at a nominal and competitive price, a fitness band everyone can have, a fitness band everyone should use.
Detailed specs of Smartron tband:
| Compatibility | Works with Android phone and iOS phone Android 5.0+ and iOS 8.3+ (Few features may vary between Android and iOS platforms) |
| Display | (128×64) 0.96″ PM OLED |
| Touch Keypad | Single Touch |
| Battery Type | 100mAH Lithium-polymer |
| Battery Life (ADT/Standby) | Upto 2 days on standard use |
| Sensors | 3-Axis Accelerometer, ECG, Optical heart rate monitor (PPG) |
| Processor | MTK2523/MTK2511 |
| In the box | tband, USB charging dock, User Guide |
| Colour | Black |
| Memory | 4MB |
| Connectivity | BLE |
| Band strap | Silicone/Leather strap with Stainless steel tang buckle |
| Application | Works with Smartron *thealth app*Download thealth app in your mobile phone from PLAY or APP store |
| System Update | OTA (air upgrade) |
| Water and Dust resistant | IP67- dust and water resistant**Not designed to work while submerged underwater. Do not use while swimming, or subject it to pressurized streams of water and can damage the band. |
| Smart Features | Call, Text and Application Notifications with DnD, Upto 10 Customizable Alarms, Sedentary Reminders, and Wrist Detection |
| Tracking Features | Activity tracking, Sleep Monitoring, 24/7 HRM, Resting Heart Rate, HRV, ECG, BP, Stress, Fatigue, Weather, Steps, Calorie Burn, Distance, Exercise BPM and Pace |
