Can this $30 smartwatch really offer reliable fitness tracking?

BlitzWolf BW-HL5 Ultra
(Image credit: BlitzWolf)

Hong Kong-based tech company BlitzWolf has 'value for money' as part of its credo: “We keep costs down and avoid wastage by carefully selecting what to develop,” its website explains.

It's certainly done some epic waste avoidance and careful product selection if its claims about its latest smartwatch, the BlitzWolf BW-HL5, are to be believed. With a price tag of just  $30 / £24, it features monitor to measure blood oxygen saturation, heart rate, temperature, blood pressure and blood sugar levels, along with over 100 sports activity fitness tracking modes, including skiing, diving, and climbing. The only thing it seems to be lacking is on-board GPS.

It has a large 2.1in touchscreen with a resolution of 320x386 pixels. There’s also an Apple Watch-style rotating crown for scrolling through menus.

The BlitzWolf BW-HL5’s battery life is specified as up to four days with intensive use. The watch can also be used as a Bluetooth hands-free system thanks to the microphone and speaker.

All this for $30? Really? Next you’ll be telling us you can check the time on it too.

The promo video (which you can see above) also has bold claims about its heat, dust and water resistance. This thing is a miracle on a budget.

As you’d expect, there’s been some scepticisms among industry pundits about the claims, especially the effectiveness of the blood sugar measurement and blood pressure measurement. It certainly does seem too good to be true. 

But we’ll all be able to test out the claims in February when the watch shipping into Europe and the US. Expect some very interesting reviews. On the other hand, for $30 it’s pretty much worth the money if it turns out all it can do is tell the time.