Razer Nabu Smartband Review

Final Thoughts

Price

The Razer Nabu is available directly from the Razer store for £89.99, which isn’t exactly loose change, but looking at the current crop of smart wearables on the market, it’s certainly competitive given the quality, features and general specification.

Overview

I was certainly unsure about the Nabu when I first tried it out, I thought it would be a little unfocused coming from a gaming brand, or that it would be uncomfortable due to its semi-rigid design, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. It may come from a gaming brand, but this is every bit the smart sports tech you would find from more established wearable brands such as FitBit. The only thing missing from this model is a heart rate monitor, although I’ve personally never needed a watch to tell me I’m out of breath and my heart is going like a drum, so I don’t care that the feature isn’t present here; your opinion on that may vary, of course.

The build quality on the Nabu is fantastic, the hard-wearing rubber and the durable magnetic clip haven’t failed once. It’s been soaked in the rain, splashed with water when I’m cleaning my hands, no problems so far. I’ve whacked it on my desk, dropped it on the floor, banged it on a door a couple of times, albeit none of those were on purpose, but there’s not a mark to be seen on it. It’s even managed to withstand constant tinkering from my two-year-old daughter, a few long-haul flights to the US and back, a week in Las Vegas, and so far so good.

The display is lovely, and while at first I thought it looks a little small in terms of vertical resolution, it’s perfectly clear to read in broad daylight, the refresh rate is perfect, with no ghosting on messages as they smoothly scroll past. I do like that you can just give your arm a little shake to make it come on too, perfect for a quick glance at the time on that OLED screen.

There are so many features here that I didn’t think I would find all that fun, but I do. The sleep tracker is interesting, as are the general calories and steps meter, but it’s the notifications from my Android devices that really keep me wearing the Nabu. Emails, phone calls, text messages are there at a glance, now I only go looking for my phone if the Nabu shows me it’s worth the hassle; sounds lazy, but it’s really a huge time saver for my daily workload.

Pros

• Excellent build quality
• Easy to fit/remove but stays secure when in use
• Splash proof
• Bright and clear display
• 7-day battery life
• Fitness tracking
• Mobile notifications
• Great aesthetics
• Competitive price

Cons

• Fairly rigid design, a soft strap option would be a nice alternative

Neutral

• No heart rate monitor

“The Razer Nabu is one of the best bits of wearable tech I’ve ever tested. It looks great, offers fantastic features and performance, and best of all, it manages to do it at a competitive price.”

Thank you Razer for providing us with this sample.