Hands on: TCL Moveband review

TCL – the mothership behind the Alcatel brand and now BlackBerry handsets too – announced a new, low cost fitness tracker at CES 2017 in Las Vegas which will appeal to those looking to get into wearables for the first time. 

The simple black plastic block isn’t exactly the height of style, but it’s small and light enough to sit unassumingly on your wrist and with a choice of 10 different one-size-fits-all straps (five aimed at men, and five geared toward women) means you can add a splash of color to the Moveband. 

The plastic unit slides onto the straps, and it’s easy to swap it between different bands if you like to match your accessories with your outfits. 

It’s also IP67 rated, which means it will survive a quick trip in the shower or a heavy downpour on your morning run. 

Give the front of the Moveband a double tap and there are three small LEDs which will quickly flash up to show you your progress and battery level. 

And we mean quickly – it was a struggle to capture a shot of the LEDs lit as they come on and go off in a flash. We’d have liked to seem them stay illuminated a little longer.

There’s also a vibration motor in the band, allowing the Moveband to buzz your wrist to alert you that you’ve achievable your workout goals – but it will also buzz when you receive a notification (calls, messages etc) on your smartphone, which is handy.

It can track your steps, sleep and calories and you can view your progress via an app on your smartphone, and from the app you can also manually track your caffeine and water intake too. 

There’s good news in the battery department too, as the Moveband is quoted as having an impressive 30 day battery life. 

When it comes to recharging the tracker there is a small cradle that clips onto the rear of the band allowing you to connect it to a power source.

TCL Moveband release date and price

We were told by representatives on the TCL booth that the Moveband will be available globally, but a release date has not yet been revealed. 

In terms of price you’re looking at €39 (around $40, £35, AU$55) which makes the TCL Moveband rather affordable – which is no surprise considering its limited feature set.

Early verdict

The TCL Moveband isn’t going to blow you away with stunning design or standout features, but for not a lot of money you can nab yourself a long-lasting fitness tracker that can also let you know when you get a phone call.

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