Titan Smart Talk Smartwatch Review: Unexpectedly Good Call Quality

Titan Smart Talk Review: A Feature-Rich Smartwatch for Casual Users

Titan, one of the biggest watch manufacturers in India, ventured into the smartwatch segment a few years back owing to the growing demand for features-loaded smartwatches and fitness trackers. In due course, Titan launched several models, and logically I reviewed two of them - Titan Smart and Titan Smart Pro. Recently, I got the opportunity to review Titan's first smartwatch featuring Bluetooth calling, called Titan Smart Talk.

This smartwatch features a large OLED display, health and fitness tracking, and upwards of a week-long battery life. The Titan Smart Talk is priced at ₹9,995. Therefore, this smartwatch will compete logically with other trending smartwatches in the market, such as the Amazfit GTR 2, the Amazfit T Rex Pro, and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4, all of which fall in similar price ranges. Let's explore how Titan Smart Talk fares in comparison.

Design and Build Quality

The general design of the Titan Smart Talk smartwatch is quite modern and functional, oozing with the signature style of this house. Its round watch face lends a classic yet suave look to it, which can be worn in both routine and formal settings.

The metal construction is durable for added longevity and lends a touch of premium feel. On the right side, there are two buttons, positioned just right for easy access and intuitively designed. It has an IP68 rating when it comes to dust and water resistance and is designed for daily use, in which one need not be concerned with untoward splashes and dust exposure.

With the addition of standard 20mm straps, the wearer can easily switch bands according to their taste. The silicon strap coming in the box is designed to be comfortable, with a push-release mechanism detailed for easy detachments and attachments.

So far, this watch has been comfortable for physical activities and during long wear throughout extended use. The top-right button is designed like a rotating crown but does nothing, which is frustrating if one's usual smartwatch relies on such a thing for navigation. Saving this minor quirk, the overall build quality of the Titan Smart Talk feels robust enough to take the regular wear and tear with ease.

Display Quality

The Titan Smart Talk is also blessed with an OLED display for vividness, adding more life to the visuals with bright colors. Large enough to easily show notifications and watch faces, it also conveys excellent visibility in a wide range of lighting conditions, from low light to direct sunlight.

This is a huge advantage for users who are outside a lot, for example, because that would mean readability is never compromised. Now, the display is shielded with mineral glass; however, Titan has not specified anything about the strength of the glass. That skepticism stays with the users about scratches or drops.

The refresh makes it at 60Hz, which means smoother animations and smoother transitions compared with the previous models, such as Titan Smart Pro. It makes the watch really feel polished.

Even at that, the competition still has a slight edge in display performance, offering more responsive touch inputs and lesser glare among others. The second minor negative is laggy screen activation upon raising the wrist to show the time. The absence of a screen timeout setting or any touch-to-wake function adds to the misery of having to press a physical button to turn the display on.

While good, the screen on the Titan Smart Talk should be more responsive and user-friendly in some areas.

Bluetooth Call Quality

This makes the Titan Smart Talk one of the impressive smartwatches in the segment and probably one of the few featuring Bluetooth calling in its price. Containing an integrated loudspeaker and microphone, the watch allows users to make and receive phone calls directly from their wrists. Adding in a layer of convenience for such users, they can work hands-free. Call quality in my testing was rather clear and loud, with very minimal distortion even on slightly noisier environments.

The onboard speaker provided audio that was clear enough for casual conversations, and the person on the other side of the call clearly was able to hear me with no noticeable problems.

The Bluetooth connection remained stable during calls with no significant lag or a fall in the audio quality. For users who want to make quick calls on-the-go, this feature is bound to be of great practicality.

Especially useful during workouts, driving, or when your phone is out of immediate reach, the only possible drawback could be if the audio quality is worsened in ultra-noisy environments. But for general use, it's great. All in all, Bluetooth calling on the Titan Smart Talk is pretty good and reliable, which adds more value to an already practical, multi-functional smartwatch.

Software Experience

The sad part, though, is that this is where the software experience makes the Titan Smart Talk fall behind the competition. Instead of using Wear OS or Zepp OS, Titan uses their proprietary software, and it does not feel fresh. There are very minimal apps; no support for installing third-party ones. The UI does not feel well-rounded since it's peppered with different colors concerning various quick settings, which can be cluttered.

Also, the functionalities of the watch faces are so limited. Also, for example, tapping on complications such as step count does not redirect users to the fitness app, unlike in other smartwatches. Changing watch faces is also very tedious and takes more than a minute to transfer from the app to the watch, and the watch can accommodate at any given time only one face.

Moreover, notifications mirrored from a connected smartphone are, themselves, not interactive to the user, nor can the user dismiss each of them.

And there needs to be unification of the smartwatch app ecosystem. Each Titan smartwatch has a companion app, and that's just confusing. Thankfully, Titan has said to be soon releasing a single app for all its smartwatches.

Health, Sleep, & Workout Tracking

For health tracking, Titan Smart Talk allows for heart rate monitoring, SpO2 measurement, or basic workout tracking. At the time of testing, accuracy was much similar to what is obtainable with similarly priced smartwatches.

No integrated GPS on the watch means users will need to carry their phones if they want to track certain outdoor activities, like running or cycling, with any degree of precision. However, the sleep tracking could be better: it missed some mid-day naps and didn't correctly track how much I slept during any given night. One day, for instance, I slept 6.5 hours, but it said only 4.5 hours. Hopefully, in the future, this will get better with a software update.

For the fitness-conscious user, the Titan Smart Talk does a good job of tracking exercise, though the exacting detail is left to higher-end trackers.

Battery Life

One of the strong points of the Titan Smart Talk is indeed its battery life. On one charge, the watch lasted almost a week - with even the heart rate monitoring set to a five-minute interval. That places its battery performance on par with more budget-friendly smartwatches from brands like Amazfit, Dizo, Realme, and OnePlus. The charging puck provided uses pogo pins, but a magnetic charger would have been far more convenient.

Who Should Buy the Titan Smart Talk?

The Titan Smart Talk is ideal for those users whose needs include a bright OLED screen, basic fitness tracking, and clear audio quality for Bluetooth calls. Its long battery life is an added advantage. However, it seriously lacks software functionality, GPS tracking, and sleep track accuracy. If these are the features one would look ahead for, then maybe one should opt for the Amazfit GTS 2, Realme Watch 3 Pro, or the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4.

Conclusion

The Titan Smart Talk is a decent option for the casual smartwatch user looking for an affordable yet functional wearable with some compelling features in the form of Bluetooth calling and basic fitness tracking. Suppose now, with a lightweight design and an easy-to-use UI, it seems perfect for daily wear. Add to that its convenience due to long battery life that can easily last a week on single charge.

However, it also includes a bit of limitation that keeps it from competing on the higher-end smartwatches. For one, it does not feature inbuilt GPS, where the users are forced to keep their phone nearby to track outdoor activities accurately.

Lack of such a feature could turn out to be a deal-breaking point with customers who are conscious about their fitness and require independent GPS. The software experience of the Titan Smart Talk is smooth, for basic tasks at least, but it doesn't support third-party apps, making this smartwatch further limited to customization and functionality.

There's a limited count of watch faces available, and hence one loses further optioning on personalization. In spite of all shortcomings, the watch does work well in its price range, though other smartwatches offer better performance in terms of software and screen. If you are looking for added features like GPS, third-party application support, or a high-resolution screen, then there is a better option available in the market. However, if essential features and a strong battery life is your main priority, then the Titan Smart Talk isn't a bad choice.

FAQs

1. Does the Titan Smart Talk come with inbuilt GPS?

No, the Titan Smart Talk does not have built-in GPS that may be a disadvantage to all those who wish to track their activities outdoors precisely without relying on their smartphones. For running, walking, or cycling outdoors, Titan Smart Talk depends on the GPS feature of a paired smartphone, if any.

This may lower its appeal to those fitness-conscious users who like their wearables with standalone GPS systems. The Watch does, however, have some of the more general features of a fitness tracker, such as counting steps and monitoring sleep and heart rate. Without an inbuilt GPS unit in the gizmo, it is not exactly ideal for frequent performers of outdoor activities-some of whom do love tracking their extra circular actions with a bit more accuracy.

2. How long does the battery last in the Titan Smart Talk?

Probably one of the most exciting things with the Titan Smart Talk is its phenomenal battery life. Even with active heart rate monitoring on a five-minute interval, this smartwatch will last up to one week on a single charge, which is arguably great for people who do not like having to charge their wearables each day.

Features such as Bluetooth calling and fitness tracking can be less power-hungry, but some features, such as continuous heart rate monitoring, may reduce battery life. The fact that it can go that long without charging is one of the key selling points, especially for those people who are outdoors a lot and would not want to be inconvenienced by too much recharging.

3. Does this Titan Smart Talk allow me to take calls?

Yeah, the Titan Smart Talk supports Bluetooth calling, and one would be able to make direct calls and receive calls on the watch itself while it's connected with a smartphone. That can be quite convenient for users who often find themselves in situations where pulling out their phones may just be not practical, like when driving or at the gym.

It has an integrated microphone and speaker that will make for a seamless calling experience. You will also be able to see caller information on the watch and choose to either answer or reject calls without touching your phone. Though not as good as a dedicated smartphone, this is really a great way to have short, casual conversations, thus making the watch even more desirable.

4. Will the Titan Smart Talk support as well third-party applications?

No, it does not support third-party applications, hence limiting its functionality against other smartwatches running on more versatile platforms such as Android Wear or Apple's watchOS. It runs proprietary software developed by Titan, which, though smooth and efficient in basic operations, doesn't allow app downloads from external sources.

This means the user cannot extend the watch's capabilities with popular fitness, productivity, or entertainment apps. The watch does its functions well, but the lack of extensive app integration and customization-at least compared to other smartwatches-might be a deal-breaker for users looking for more in a smartwatch.

5. Does the Titan Smart Talk display have protection?

Yes, the display of Titan Smart Talk is protected with mineral glass, which acts like a layer to save it from minor scratches and damage. However, Titan has not specified any brand or type of mineral glass it has used, which may be questionable as to the all-over durability against more advanced materials like Gorilla Glass, commonly used in high-end smartwatches.

While the mineral glass does provide protection, there are still ways in which users feel they should handle the watch with care, especially for more rugged activities. Other users may go for added protection by putting screen protectors for further protection from damage to the display.