In the last couple of months, Boult has been on a bit of a release spree. We previously reviewed the tech outfit’s Crown R Pro smartwatch and were pretty impressed by what it had to offer. Audio products being the company’s bread and butter, we also tried their recently released Curve Max Neckband. You can read our in-depth review here. Now, we turn our attention to the ultra-affordable Boult Mirage. This smartwatch is priced at just Rs 1,749 and features a stainless steel strap. At this price range, a steel frame is unheard of. We’ve been using the smartwatch for the last week, testing its durability along with the range of features it offers. So, should you go for this smartwatch over other pricier options? Find out in our Boult Mirage review.
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In This Article
Boult Mirage review: Design and Display
Inside the Boult Mirage retail box, you get the smartwatch, a strap adjustment tool, a magnetic pin charger, a user manual, a warranty card, and some discount offers. The smartwatch is available in three colour options – Coal Black, Inox Steel, and Amber blue. We used the black colour variant for this review.
Let’s talk about the stainless steel strap for a moment. As we mentioned earlier, there is a strap adjustment tool that comes inside the retail box along with a user manual that walks you through the adjustment process. You can remove up to 4 metal links from either side of the strap. We found the tool quite flimsy to work with, and even when you get the connecting pin out of the link, pulling it out can be a real struggle. We had to visit a watchmaker to get the strap adjusted to our size.
While the steel strap is aesthetically pleasing and carries an aura of its own, it is not the best to wear around your wrist while you’re working out. To address this issue, Boult also sells two additional straps that are compatible with this smartwatch. The black leather strap is priced at Rs 279 while the magnetic silicone strap fetches Rs 399. We’d suggest going for the silicone strap if you plan on wearing this smartwatch during workouts.
The 1.39-inch HD display on the Boult Mirage smartwatch is encased in a metallic shell. This display offers a decent touch response but isn’t as smooth as the Crown R Pro. With a peak brightness of 500 nits, you won’t face any significant trouble reading what’s on the display of the Boult Mirage. The bezel around this display contains the readings for a nautical compass, which is a pretty cool addition.
There are three buttons on the right side of the shell. Pressing the top button takes you to the home screen no matter where you are. It also wakes up the watch when it is on standby. The bottom button can be used to access the Sport modes on the watch. The middle button is also a rotating crown that can be used to scroll through the menu or switch among the different watch faces. Long pressing this button activates the voice assistant. The left side of the shell has been left buttonless. Flipping the shell around, you will find the different health monitors in the centre of the panel along with a speaker and microphone on either end.
One of the more incredible features of this smartwatch is the IP67 rating for dust and water resistance. This means the smartwatch is water resistant up to 1m. There is a swimming mode on the watch if you want to take a few laps in the pool. While we didn’t take the watch to the pool, it did not present any problems during sweaty workouts.
Boult Mirage review: Performance
Let’s move on to another vital part of the review and see how the Boult Mirage performed when we put 
it up to a variety of tasks. To start off, you will need to pair the watch with the BoultFit app on your smartphone. You can find this app on the Play Store or simply scan the QR code on the watch to redirect you to the page. The smartwatch supports Bluetooth 5.3 and has a functional range of 10m.
Like most health trackers on the market, the Boult Mirage can track your blood oxygen level, heart rate, and even your blood pressure. While the SpO2 and heart rate measurements were close to accurate, the blood pressure readings seemed way off. We would strongly suggest relying only on medical-grade equipment to calculate your blood pressure. The Boult Mirage can also track your sleeping pattern, but it isn’t tuned as well as the more premium smartwatches in this regard.
Basic step counting and hike tracking tasks were handled really well by this smartwatch. The step and distance data gathered by the smartwatch are very reliable. It can also track more than 120 sports and exercises including Football, Tennis, Yoga, and more. The only problem is that the stainless steel strap isn’t exactly suited to be worn during workouts. You will have to shell out some extra money for a silicone strap.
Even though Boult is relatively new to the smart wearable game and primarily operates in the budget category, its app support is very impressive. Most entry-level smartwatches often struggle in this aspect. The BoultFit app makes everything very accessible to the average user. The homepage caters to the health and fitness data gathered by the smartwatch. You can view your progress reports in the form of simple graphs. The app also lets you choose from over 300 watch faces. However, loading the faces on the watch takes way more time than it should.
Despite the Mirage being a budget smartwatch, the lack of features like Always on Display and Adaptable Brightness feel like a sore miss. While these aren’t dealbreakers for a lot of people, some may find their absence off-putting. While, the Raise to Wake feature works just fine on the smartwatch, an Always On Display is perfect if you want to add to the watch’s aesthetic value.
The software experience offered by Boult Mirage is also very satisfactory. It is the only smartwatch we have seen in this segment that has integrated games. While they aren’t anything out of the blue, they are good enough to kill some time. The back button and rotating crown make it very easy to navigate the interface. Features like Bluetooth calling and notification access work perfectly fine on the watch. The only downside is that you can store only 8 contacts on the watch itself. If you need to call someone whose contact isn’t saved on the watch, you would have to rely on the dialer. The call quality is satisfactory in indoor conditions but depreciates significantly when calling amidst a lot of noise.
It takes up to 2 hours to fully charge the smartwatch. We operated the Boult Mirage smartwatch at the highest possible brightness and kept it connected to the phone for Bluetooth calling throughout the review. We also used the watch to track hikes/runs for a couple of hours every day. With such heavy use, the Boult Mirage lasted us 6 days. Its battery life can easily be pushed beyond 7 days if you are more conservative with the usage.
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Verdict
With a price tag of Rs 1,749, the Boult Mirage is one of the better smartwatches in its category. If you are dead set on buying a metallic smartwatch with a steel band, there aren’t many products that can match up to the Mirage. While it gets the basics just right, the lack of features like Always on Display and Adaptive Brightness is rather disappointing. Adjusting the strap size can prove to be a real hassle as well. With that being said, Boult has done a great job on the software front. The Mirage is a very accessible smartwatch that is easy to work with, making it a decent choice for those buying their first smart wearable.
Boult Mirage: Pros
- Attractive design
- Stainless steel strap
- Accurate step counter and health tracking
- Good OS
Boult Mirage: Cons
- Adjusting the strap size is a real hassle
- No AOD or Adaptive Brightness
