No.1 G2 Smartwatch Review

You may have seen the No.1 G2 smartwatch branded under a different name, but the devices are the same and we have put it through its paces to see if it sis worth buying.

Take one look at the No.1 G2 Smartwatch and is is clear that this is a clone of the Samsung Galaxy Gear 2. It is one of the better made Gear clones, featuring a metal body, which might explain why so many Chinese brands are selling the wearable under their own name.

No.1 G2 Smartwatch Review: Specifications

The N0.1 G2 smartwatch isn’t as advanced as an Android Wear device, but it still has processes to be ran and data to be handled. Processing is handled by a Mediatek MT2502A chipset with 32MB RAM and 4MB of internal memory. That’s not a lot of power, but then again the watch isn’t really needed to do much heavy thinking and the 1.54 display has a resolution of only 240 x 240.

No.1 say that the 36.9 x 58.4 x 10mm metal watch has a 350mAh battery and is IP67 certified, however we were then advised to keep it away from water during our review! The final details of the watch include a built-in 0.2 mega-pixel camera, Bluetooth 4.0 and compatibility with iOS and Android devices.

No.1 G2 Smartwatch Review: Design

It is evident that No.1 took a lot of care over their choice of materials and the design of the No.1 G2 watch. If you were to hold it side by side with the real Samsung Gear 2 it would be hard to tell them apart (with the screen off).

The use of metal, good quality plastic and the overall shape really help make the look of the watch, if only the construction of the watch met the standard of the materials then we might have a wearable worth a second look.

No.1 G2 Smartwatch Review: Hardware

Unlike some Android Wear phones that have removed all the buttons from the phone, the G2 has a single physical home button, but still much of the control is handled by the 240 x 240 touch screen.

The display is a TFT panel which is very low tech for this day and age and not surprisingly has terrible viewing angles due to the lack of IPS.

As mentioned above the specs say that the watch boasts an IP67 certification, and there are tests online which show the No.1 G2 surviving a plunge in to water. It is very likely that No.1 did make the G2 to withstand water and dust, but whoever is building the devices obviously doesn’t care. There is an overall lack of attention to detail to the build of an otherwise good-looking smartwatch.

The small 350mAh battery means you can fully charge the watch in only 30 minutes with the inlcuded 1A charger. With the watch connected to your smartphone via Bluetooth 4.0 and heavy usage it is enough to get you through a full day. You can greatly extend the battery life by switching Bluetooth off and relying on the basic built-in functions such as the calculator or calendar. This can get you closer to 5 days of use, but you are left with what is basically a simple watch, and not a very well made one at that.

Unlike many Chinese smartwatches the No.1 G2 has it’s own built in camera, but with such a low resolution and low-end optics it’s not a camera you would ever think of using. Images are blurred, exposure if off etc. You would have better luck smearing your phone camera with butter. As well as stills, the watch will also record video, but with only 4mb of memory you will only be able to save a few seconds worth.

No.1 G2 Smartwatch Review: Connectivity

Even with only 1 day of battery life, there really is no point turning off the Bluetooth sync of the No.1 G2 Smartwatch. Thankfully pairing your watch to your phone is as simple as downloading the APK (via QR code) and simply following the onscreen prompts.

Connecting your watch and phone means you can view notifications, accept calls and even make use of the “find my phone” feature. There are also features for counting steps and a remote shutter control for operating the camera shutter of your phone, although I fail to see where this may come in handy.

No.1 G2 Smartwatch Review: Conclusion

Costing around $100, the No.1 G2 smartwatch is a good-looking wearable, and features good quality materials. Battery life is on par with similar devices as are the functions, but what let’s it down is it’s low quality screen and the hit and miss construction of the watch.

If you are the kind of person who likes to tinker modify your gadgets then the No.1 G2 would give you a solid base to build off, but if you are after an affordable alternative to an Android Wear device that’s reliable and functional enough for daily use you would be better off looking at a 2nd LG G watch.

[ GizChina.it ]