Smartwatches Recalled for Catching Fire, Burning Hands

Gizmodo

a day ago

The Altafit af28 smartwatches have been recalled, according to a press release Thursday from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. The problem? The watches can overheat on their chargers and even ignite into flames.
The smartwatches were sold on the Home Shopping Network from March 2025 to May 2025 for $50, marked down from $100. There have been 39 reports of the watches melting, burning, and catching fire with at least six reports of consumers' hands being burned along with property damage. And it's all attributed to the smartwatch's wireless charging pad.
The watches were manufactured in China and imported into the U.S. by Deale International LLC, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The Altafit af28 was sold on HSN.com as a smartwatch that looked like a piece of jewelry while having all the latest smartwatch features.
'Consumers should immediately unplug the smartwatch's charging pad and stop charging the recalled smartwatch,' the CPSC said in a statement posted online. 'Consumers can contact Deale International for instructions on how to receive a free replacement. Consumers will be asked to cut the unplugged charging pad's power cable and email a photo of the charging pad with the cut cable to [email protected].'
The screen measures 1.68 inches and the watch came with two bands, bejeweled and mesh. The versatility of having something that wasn't 'too sporty' for 'an evening out' was a major part of the marketing pitch, according to promotional videos posted to YouTube.
'This is one that's going to do all the things we want a smart watch to do,' the HSN host says in a video. 'Even reads your oxygen levels, your sleep, your heart rate, all the different sports modes that we love from running to yoga to cycling, and you can get credit for them all.
The host went on to explain the watch is 'IP67 water resistant rated, and you can even receive your phone calls, your texts, you get app notifications, and that's kind of just the beginning of it.' The watch was billed as being able to measure blood pressure, though smartwatches are notoriously bad at that.
The watch wasn't really on Gizmodo's radar until we saw the recall notice, and it looks like the company only sold about 2,900 of them. But now we're curious how it performed. Did you have an Altafit af28? How did it work? Here's hoping that if you do own one it didn't catch on fire and you can get your refund.