Back in its Google-owned days, Motorola shocked the world with the Moto 360 – a Wear OS smartwatch that did almost everything right. A versatile OS backed by a healthy collection of third-party apps and a design so desirable that almost every technology enthusiast wanted to own it. This newly launched Moto Watch isn’t a connected smartwatch like its decorated predecessor.
Launched in India along with the Motorola Signature, the Moto Watch costs Rs 5,999 for silicone strap variants, and goes up to Rs 6,999 for the ones with leather and metal options. While this marks Motorola’s renewed push into the affordable smartwatch segment, it hints at the device’s intentions to be a basic fitness tracker that is shaped like a watch. That’s not bad, considering Motorola’s partnership with the Finnish fitness experts Polar, which hints at good efforts being made by the brand to woo fitness enthusiasts.
For less than Rs 10,000, the Moto Watch makes a lot of promises, but we need to ask the usual question: should you consider it?
Design and build
The Moto Watch features a 47mm circular dial with an aluminum casing and Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection. Despite the budget constraints, the Moto Watch looks elegant with its analog-inspired appearance rather than the typical “tech gadget” look. The stainless steel crown with a coloured accent adds a subtle funky touch, while the chain-style metal or silicone straps (interchangeable 22mm) enhance its aesthetics.
With the silicone straps, it feels comfortable on the wrist. The metal belt seems more ideal for users who want a smartwatch that doubles as everyday jewelry. Water resistance is rated IP68 and 1ATM, thus making it suitable for daily wear and light water exposure.
Display and usability
The large 47mm OLED display offers sharp visuals with well-produced colours and good legibility. While not the brightest in direct sunlight (typical for budget OLEDs), it remains legible indoors and during most outdoor activities. The interface runs on RTOS with Motorola’s custom tweaks and has been tuned nicely to keep the animations swift. As with RTOS, you don’t get to install any third-party apps on this watch and hence, you are stuck with whatever Motorola preloads on this. You get all the basic utility services like a times, alarm, a phone call app with contacts and more.
Health and fitness tracking
Polar’s science-backed tech is the highlight here. The watch tracks heart rate, SpO2, stress/mood, steps, calories, and provides advanced sleep analysis — including sleep score, stages (deep, light, REM), interruptions, and a timeline view. Polar’s algorithms deliver reliable wellness insights, though sleep data visualisation is basic (clubbed in hourly intervals with no zoom). Step counting works decently indoors but lags and can be inaccurate at times. The Outdoor mode with dual-band GPS improves accuracy for footsteps but struggles with reliable path tracking. You also miss out on navigation support, which means you’ll still need your phone for directions. The Moto Watch app offers a preview of all your health metrics with colourful illustrations and charts.
Hence, the Moto Watch is suitable for those who are starting with their fitness journey and want a basic device to keep track of their health metrics.
Smart features, Battery life
Fitness trackers are meant to offer minimal complexities, and the Moto Watch does that well. As part of the digital perks, you get Bluetooth calling, which features a clear mic output, though the voice from the other end could be louder in noisy settings. You also get Moto AI for notification summaries, which presently work only with WhatsApp messages (you can’t open or respond to WhatsApp texts). There’s support for music playback and audio alarms, too.
Since there’s RTOS at the helm, battery life on the Moto Watch is a strong point. Motorola claims up to 13 days on a full charge with no Always On Display. In our real-world usage, the Moto Watch was able to last a week before conking off, with Always-on display enabled. Quick charging is impressive here, adding significant power in 10 minutes and a full charge in about 1.5 hours.
Moto Watch review: Verdict
In a world flooded with Chinese-imported offerings from Indian brands, the Moto Watch is a breath of fresh air. While it doesn’t offer anything groundbreaking as far as budget fitness trackers are concerned, the Moto Watch offers a polished take on the concept. It looks great, offers a long battery life, offers decent fitness workout tracking and health monitoring, and a decent second notifications screen for your phone. The Moto AI summary for notifications is a nice touch, although we wish Motorola had applied it for all other social media apps.
While the desire to see the rebirth of the Moto 360 remains, the Moto Watch at Rs 5,999 remains a superb value-for-money proposition.
