This Smartwatch Is a Literal Hand Grenade-Avoid the Altafit af28 at All Costs
Hello everyone. Today we’re diving headfirst into yet another example of the tech industry’s seemingly endless obsession with making shiny baubles that do everything-except work safely. This time it’s the Altafit af28 smartwatch, a device whose most remarkable “feature” isn’t tracking your heart rate or counting your steps-it’s catching on fire. Yes, really. This $50 wonder sold on the Home Shopping Network from March to May 2025 has joined the illustrious ranks of small consumer electronics that treat spontaneous combustion as an optional extra.
A Hot Deal… in All the Wrong Ways
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) isn’t exactly in the business of making hysterical proclamations, but when they issue a press release telling you to unplug the charging pad immediately, you might want to listen. Apparently, this trinket could overheat, melt, or burst into flames while charging. And because human misery loves company, there were at least 39 reports of such barbeque-in-a-box incidents-including burns to consumers’ hands and property damage. Six unfortunate folks got more than just a notification buzz-they got a trip to their medicine cabinet and possibly an awkward ER explanation.
As your friendly medical-themed reviewer, let me just say-no, your smartwatch is not supposed to double as cauterization equipment. We usually reserve that for controlled hospital environments, not your bedside table.
The Marketing Spin vs. Harsh Reality
Sold and imported by Deale International, based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the Altafit af28 was manufactured in China and pitched as the lovechild of high-tech and evening wear. Sporting a 1.68-inch screen and two interchangeable bands (bejeweled and mesh), the idea was to avoid the overly sporty look while still cramming in “all the features we love.” You know, the typical checkbox exercise: blood oxygen readings, sleep tracking, heart rate monitoring, and sports modes so you can get “credit” for everything from running to “I took one yoga pose and called it a day.”
IP67 water resistance? Check. Receive calls and texts? Check. Notifications from twenty-four different apps you’ll mute after a week? Check. Accurate blood pressure monitoring? Oh, I’m sorry-did you think consumer-grade wearables nailed that science yet? That’s adorable. The reality is, these things are about as accurate as estimating your cholesterol by leaning out the window and sniffing the wind.
Limited Run, Unlimited Headaches
The good news? Only about 2,900 units were sold. The bad news? Any of those units could have performed an impromptu “burn” move out of a fighting game straight onto your nightstand. The recall involves taking the unplugged charging pad, snipping the cable, and emailing a photo to Deale International for a replacement. Because nothing says “customer experience” quite like arts-and-crafts hostage photography of your dead tech.
To their credit, at least the CPSC didn’t opt for the “We’ll mail you a return label” nonsense. But still, if your product requires consumers to use scissors and photographic evidence in the replacement process, something went fundamentally wrong in your product life cycle. And my conspiracy-oriented brain can’t overlook how suspiciously short the sales window was-March to May. Almost like they knew this thing was a ticking time bomb and needed to unload inventory faster than a scammer cashing out stolen gift cards.
Here’s the Final Boss Fight
The Altafit af28 represents a textbook case of why cheap consumer tech often belongs in the same category as loot box cosmetics-you buy it thinking you’re getting value, and you end up with regret and mild psychological damage. The features sounded good on paper, but paper doesn’t burn as fast as lithium-ion batteries under poor thermal design. And let’s not ignore the irony-this was marketed as a useful health device, yet is more likely to affect your health by giving you literal burns than by improving your fitness.
My verdict? Hard pass. There are plenty of other wearables that won’t double as a medieval torture device. And if you still own one-cut that cord, get your replacement, and maybe use the new one as a decorative paperweight. At least it’ll be less likely to set your desk on fire.
Gadgets should enhance your life, not set it ablaze-unless you paid extra for the flamethrower DLC.
Final verdict: Bad. Very bad. In fact, if we were rating this in gaming terms, it’s the kind of item drop you’d immediately dismantle for scraps.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is entirely my opinion.
Article Source: Smartwatches Recalled for Catching Fire, Burning Hands, https://gizmodo.com/smartwatches-recalled-for-catching-fire-burning-hands-2000640267.
