HIGHLIGHTS (details below):
– GOOD UX/UI DESIGN AND INTUITIVE INTERFACE FOR KIDS
– GOOD FOR OLDER KIDS (8-12 range maybe?)
– WATERPROOF
– GOOD BATTERY LIFE
The main reason why I love this watch: it fills a niche for my 9-yo daughter who was too old for her VTech kids’ watch, and too young to have an iPhone+Apple watch or any other serious (and expensive!) smartwatch or fitness tracker. There never seemed to be a compromise between juvenile/not-really-functional kids’ watches and an adult multi-$100 product. I am also excluding the kids’ GPS trackers from this niche because they require a monthly service commitment.
This has similar the functionality of the many adult alternatives to FitBit – including steps, heart rate, SpO2, sleep, and several modes of exercise. BUT unlike a similar $40 FitBit knockoff that I own, there was actually some deliberate graphic design and UX/UI thinking put into this product with kids in mind. The package, while not an “unboxing hall of fame” is well-designed and pretty. The watch OS has been very intuitive to my 9-year-old (who also has experience with Android on a “burner smartphone” and a Nintendo Switch).
She has been envious of my Apple Watch, knowing full well that I don’t play games on it, but can tell time and track steps. So, the VTech of the same price point was not really a suitable kids’ substitute, but this one actually LOOKS like an Apple Watch and meets most of her expectations of what an Apple Watch would do. Plus it does have a few simple puzzle games built in, which she has already spent long car rides silently entertaining herself with.
MOTIVATES YOUR KID TO EARN STEPS / BURN CALORIES
Those stats are right on the watch homescreen, and the watch/app let you set “goals” that, so far, my daughter is excited about hitting.
YES, IT *IS* WATERPROOF!!
We spent an entire day at a waterpark, and another day swimming/snorkeling in a river. She wore it the entire time, pressed buttons while it was wet, etc. It survived many underwater submersions undamaged.
GOOD BATTERY LIFE
Without even charging it upon opening, it used only about 70% battery life in a 24 hour period, and this is WITH her being at peak obsession with the watch, so, higher-than-average screen-on time. It has a proprietary magnetic charger, so on one hand it adds to the coolness factor but on the other hand: don’t lose it!
MOBILE APP TRACKS STATS OVER TIME
The mobile app is *okay,* not great. There are some remnants of unfinished UX/UI. It’s not the most versatile dashboard, and you need to manually refresh while the watch is connected to get the data onto your phone.
VIBRATION ALARM / TIMERS
– She’s really excited that the alarm just buzzes her wrist, and doesn’t make noise (just like I was when I first got my Apple Watch!)
LACKING FEATURES
For the price, and for a child, you really get a good value compared to any adult equivalent product, so, not really a complaint, more of an FYI:
– There does not seem to be any way to get notifications from your phone sent to your watch. She’s aware that this is something adult watches do, which resulted in a slight disappointment to both of us.
– You can’t install additional apps onto the watch, it has the features that it has and that’s it. (You CAN customize the watch faces with your own pictures, but that’s about it).
I would highly, highly recommend this to any child who wants the smartwatch experience but isn’t quite ready to be trusted with high-priced brand-name watches and/or doesn’t actually have a fully-functioning cell phone that they use all the time.
Genie - Research Bot
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