Wyze Watch looks a lot like the Apple Watch but costs 10 times less
Budget device maker Wyze has released its first-ever smartwatch. The device looks a lot like the Apple Watch but costs more than 10 times less.
The Seattle-based company has made its entry into the wearables space earlier this year with the Wyze Band. That one was a fairly basic affair.
The $25 fitness band comes with a 0.95 inch AMOLED Color display, basic sensors for tracking activity and Alexa integration. This last allows users to toggle lights and interact with other smart home products. Such functionality was perhaps to be expected from a company that specializes in smart home devices. Amongst its portfolio are an intelligent lightbulb, lock and plug, along with a range of wireless cameras.
The other health product launched this year by Wyze is a $19.99 smart scale. It spits out 12 metrics the bluetooth scale supports 8 different users and auto-recognises which of them is using it.
Wyze Watch – technical specs
We saw a number of clones of the Cupertino-outfit’s wearable. And now we have one more.
Wyze Watch comes in a 47mm and 44mm variant. The first sports a large 1.75 TFT LCD, 16-bit colour, 320×385 pixel touchscreen. The second has a 1.4 TFT LCD, 16-bit color, 320×320 pixel touchscreen. You can customize this with a choice of background images, clock styles, and colors.
Both iterations of the watch are rated IP68 which means they can be dunked to depths of 2 meters. Not a good idea to go swimming with them but they will be fine in the rain and you can probably keep them on when taking a shower or a bath.
The watches are made of light-weight aluminium so come in at only around 40 grams. This is made sturdy thanks to a 6061 grade Aluminum Alloy Frame. So no plastics to be found here.
As far as internal specs, the watches have a PPG Heart Rate Sensor, Blood Oxygen Sensor, Accelerometer and vibration motor. Quite a nice list for a $20 device. This allows you to keep an eye on your heart rate, steps sleep and activity. Women are also be able to monitor the stage of their cycle, and keep track on their menstrual health.
Wyze says the timepiece plays nice with many apps including messaging (Facebook, Instagram, Gmail, Twitter, WhatsApp and more), weather, music and video. As you’d expect, the watch is also tightly integrated with the Wyze ecosystem of smart products. You can’t reply to notifications, though, play music and there’s no microphone.
Battery life totals 9 days on a single charge, which is pretty good. The average charging time is 2.5 hours. The 44mm iteration has a 260mAh battery, the 47mm a 300mAh.
Wyze Watch – availability and shipping
All in all, this is an interesting little device. Some are even touting is at a possible Pebble Watch replacement. It might be a good option for those after a no frills device.
Essential reading: Top fitness trackers and health gadgets
Wyze Watch is available for pre-order now. It costs only $20 and this includes shipping. No doubt, some people will drop a spare $20 just to try this watch out. For that price, it’s an easy gamble! The company is probably out for user share rather than profit margins.
By default you get a silicone strap, but for an extra $10 you can switch to a leather strap in a choice of colors. The watch ships in early 2021 and is only available in the US currently.
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