Lava's Prowatch X review: Capable smartwatch for health tracking on budget

The Lava's Prowatch X offers a comprehensive set of health and fitness features, and a design that balances comfort with style

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Lava’s sub brand Prowatch has launched its Prowatch X smartwatch, offering some advanced health and fitness tracking features that are generally not associated with budget watches. This includes Heart Rate Variability (HRV) measurement, Body Energy score, built-in GPS for tracking outdoor activities and more. In addition to this the company claims the Prowatch X to be very accurate in collecting data. So how is the Prowatch X different from its competitors, and can it actually give more premium watches a run for their money? Let us find out:

 

Design

 

Lava’s Prowatch X sports a sleek aluminum alloy casing with a flat display that subtly curves near the bezels. The sensors on the underside are tucked-in well enough to ensure a comfortable fit. While the bottom panel is made of plastic, it does not give off a low-quality feel. Lava offers three strap choices—Silicone, Nylon, and Metal. Though I was unable to test the Metal strap, both the Silicone and Nylon options feel sturdy. The watch remains lightweight with these straps, and the Nylon band, in particular, is highly breathable, making it comfortable for all-day wear.

 

That said, there are a few drawbacks. The pin mechanism for attaching straps is not the most user-friendly and might take a few minutes to secure. Additionally, users with smaller wrists may find the dial slightly large.  Also Read: Apple delays advanced Siri features due to intelligence setback: Know more

 

Display

 

The display is one of the standout features of the Prowatch X. Its 1.43-inch AMOLED panel delivers sharp and clear visuals. While the bezels are on the thicker side, it offers ample real estate to play with. Additionally, the display can be cranked up to impressive brightness levels, ensuring visibility outdoors from nearly all angles. The 60Hz refresh rate is also enough to ensure a smooth scrolling experience on the watch. The watch supports always-on display (AOD) functionality as well, though the selection of standby watch faces for this feature is limited.

 

Additionally, the display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3, which helps resist scratches and scuffs.

 

Health and fitness tracking

 

The Prowatch X offers a comprehensive set of health monitoring features, including heart rate monitoring, SpO2 tracking, and VO2 Max measurement. Additionally, continuous heart rate tracking enables Heart Rate Variability (HRV) measurement, while SpO2 can also be monitored continuously during activity tracking. In terms of accuracy, I found minimal discrepancies between the Prowatch X and some premium smartwatches when counting steps or measuring heart rate and SpO2 levels—an impressive performance.

 

Beyond these capabilities, the watch includes stress monitoring, sleep tracking, and a “Body Energy” metric. While its sleep tracking provides fairly accurate insights, it does not activate automatically and must be enabled manually. The Body Energy feature evaluates HRV, stress, sleep, and activity levels to generate an energy score. If the watch detects movement when energy levels are low, it sends a prompt suggesting rest.

 

For activity tracking, the Prowatch X offers multiple modes that cover most common sports and exercises. While it does not provide highly detailed analytics, the continuous heart rate tracking directly on the watch is a useful addition. It also features built-in GPS for tracking outdoor running and walking. However, automatic activity detection sometimes takes time to activate.

 

Companion app and features

 

The watch syncs with smartphones via the Prospot app, which presents metrics in a widget-based layout for easy navigation and quick access to data. The Exercise Record section provides a reasonable amount of data per session. Despite its strengths, some drawbacks exist. Occasional pairing issues arise where the watch remains connected to the phone, yet fails to sync data, requiring re-pairing. Additionally, while updating the watch, the app sometimes displays a failed update message due to insufficient charge, even when the battery level is well above the required threshold.

 

The watch also includes practical tools such as an Ambient Sound Monitor, which displays environmental noise levels in decibels. Additionally, it features a built-in barometer and compass, useful for hikers. These are in addition to standard functions like notifications, call answering, an integrated dialer, and more.The microphone effectively captures voice during calls in quieter environments, while the speakers are sufficiently loud for clear conversations.

 

Battery and charging

 

Battery life is another key highlight of the Prowatch X. The company claims a backup of up to 10 days, which largely holds true in real-world use. During my testing, the watch required charging only once a week, even with notifications, Bluetooth calling, heart rate monitoring, and regular activity tracking enabled. However, using GPS tracking for outdoor walks and running sessions causes the battery to drain more quickly.

 

For charging, the watch includes a USB-A to two-pin magnetic connector cable in the box, but there are some drawbacks. The cable feels somewhat flimsy and is relatively short. Additionally, the magnets lack strength, making it difficult to keep the watch in place while charging, especially since it cannot lay flat on a surface for added stability.

 

Verdict

 

At Rs 4,499, the Lava’s Prowatch X is a strong contender in the budget smartwatch segment. It delivers accurate data tracking, a comprehensive set of health and fitness features, and a design that balances comfort with style. While some software aspects could benefit from further refinement, these can likely be improved through future software updates. Overall, the Prowatch X ranks among the best affordable smartwatches currently available.