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Hi guys,
I've recently received my Galaxy S5 and I'm currently looking for a smartwatch to act as a compagnon.
First of all, I am not looking for a smartwatch that acts as "second" phone (stand-alone-phone), I'd like to connect my smartphone to the watch and keep it on the same line, if you know what I mean.
If it happens to be the best smartwatch that does have a simslot, I wouldn't mind, as long as it doesn't have disadvantages.
Now I have the following question: I am looking for a smart watch that offers as much functionality as possible for the lowest price, but with a good price-quality ratio.
I've seen the Following smart watches:
IKWEAR IK8
ZGPAX S5 & S6
K2 W100 (Samsung Gear imitation)
Sony SmartWatch 2
After reading and watching a lot of reviews, I have become increasingly uncertain about my choice. As one reviewer hates the watch, the other has something good to say.
To give you a good impression of what I'll expect of the smartwatch:
Prize: very important. I am willing to pay €125 max. ($160 - £100)
[*]Bluetooth: very important. Since I want to connect my SW to my smartphone.
[*]Quality: important. I do not prefer that the SW will fall apart after some days of usage.
[*]Functionality: important. A device that works well does have my preference. E.g. the touchscreen that works well etc.
[*]GPS: preferred. As I would like to use this watch as my navigator from time to time.
[*]Microphone & speakers: convenient. Handy to have for calls, listening to music, watching videos, etc.
[*](Google) PlayStore: convenient. This would be a good thing to have, but I can root afterall.
[*]Camera: optional. If I can buy a smartwatch doesn't have a camera, but seems to be the best overall, I don't mind not having a camera build in.
[*]Sim Lock & mobile network functionality: not important. Since I want a smartwatch that I will not use as a "second" phone, I do not see this as a necessity.
I might have forgotten to include the other features.
I hope I gave you an impression of what I'm looking for. If you have anymore questions, please let me know!
I wanted to thank you by taking time and reading this!
Cheers,
Jay.
I am in the same shoes, went with K2 W100
First off, your requirements constitute a full fledged sim based SmartWatch. Your not going to get GPS, cams and G-play in most companions.... Unless your comfortable with rooting/flashing ROMs.
After owning, using, testing and writing reviews for the Pebble, Gear, Gear 2, SW1, SW2, Z-Watch, Omate TS, Neptune Pine, and Meta I've seen the best and worst these have to offer.
Overall, each watch has their pluses and minuses. However, one thing sticks out among the myriad of watches I've had... The Samsung devices work best inside their own ecosystem (of course).
From your requirements above, i would go with a Gear. Lately, I've been seeing those go for ~$100-125 on eBay barely used and in like new condition. Since you have an S5, these will be the most headache-free choices
Not sure if you're going to miss things like the GPS and camera... Hard to get and work with these features on a watch.
I agree with the others, go the the Gear Clone or even the Sony SW2 (assuming it works with your Galaxy S5).
The Omate Clones would give you lots of features too, but slightly less battery life and maybe more bugs, the the Z15 comes with Play store, but not sure about the notifications app.
Alright guys, thanks for the replies.
I just got an offer to buy the Gear 2 (used) for only €150. (which is more than my limit, I know)
But I've decided to pick it up this eve. Any reasons not to?
Jay.
Hello!
1. Why nobody says that round smart watches -lack the ability to show everything that needed on the round screen.
2. there is a problem of showing whatsapp notifications?
3. A way to integrate between the smart watch heart rate sensor and sport tracker apps?
With such problems-there is a question about buying such watches.
Waiting for your opinions.
Thank
alfi07 said:
Hello!
1. Why nobody says that round smart watches -lack the ability to show everything that needed on the round screen.
2. there is a problem of showing whatsapp notifications?
3. A way to integrate between the smart watch heart rate sensor and sport tracker apps?
With such problems-there is a question about buying such watches.
Waiting for your opinions.
Thank
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see your points. I prefer the round design because it more like the traditional watches I wear. Also, there are so many great custom watch faces that look awesome and I don't see as many square faces that are as great. While you can put a round watchface on a square watch, to me it just doesn't look right. As to apps, there has been some great work done on making apps work for the round face. I know there are some problems with some, but I don't find it too bad. The two things that cause me pause with smartwatches in general is: 1) the lack of 3G US bands (1900) and 2) if you have an iPhone like me, there is still a lack of connectivity versus an Android phone. I know that has a lot to do with Apple locking down their operating system and not giving true access because they want you to buy an Apple watch. But knowing this does not change the fact that since I have an iPhone, my connectivity issues or just simple lack of connectivity, it going to make the smartwatch experience less than stellar.
Hey guys and girls,
I want to buy a full android watch and spent the afternoon reading through the forum and watching the YouTube videos where all the watches are presented...
Now I narrowed it down to the Lemfo Lem5, the Finow X5 Plus and the No.1 D5+...
As far as I understand the Lemfo and the Finow are pretty much the same, right??
The main reason for this thread is, that I landed on a big smartwatch selling page and there it said that both the Limfo and the Finow DONT have WIFI... But everywhere else it says that both models have WiFi on board... So to be 100% sure I wanted to ask you guys who own the watches...
Thanks in advance for your help...
Greet Ric
About Finow X5 Plus
Smartwatch mit Android OS h__ps://___.techreviewer.de/finow-x5-plus/
Überblick
Hersteller
Finow
Produktbezeichnung
Finow X5 Plus
Spezifikationen
Displaytyp: AMOLED
Displaydiagonale: 1.39 Zoll
Displayauflösung: 400 x 400 Pixel
CPU: MTK6580
RAM: 1GB
Interner Speicher: 8GB
Speichererweiterung: Nein
Bluetooth: 4.0
WiFi: 802.11 b/g/n
GPS: Ja
Pedometer: Ja
Herzfrequenzmesser: Ja
Netz:
*GSM: 850/900/1800/1900MHz
*WCDMA: 850/1900/2100MHz
OS: Android 5.1
Akku: 450mAh
I am the same, I do not know which of these three models to choose, which one has the best after-sales service and best community? What is the best of the three?
Enviado desde mi SM-G935F mediante Tapatalk
Three of them are very similar, so you have to take the visual aspect into consideration, I am most in favor of LEM5 it looks the best for me.
I have one question regarding FINOW X5 Plus.
Is it waterproof? Or just IP55/54?
I can`t find this info...
Lemfo has IP55.
1- LEM5 and X5+ are the same watch under different brands
2- All three are supported by a +8000 member community specifically geared towards these round full android watches. This includes a large number of custom faces, firmware, custom apps, tech support and so on.
3- The D5+ is part of a larger family of watches spread across multiple brands as well.
4- All three of them have wifi. Most of those selling sites couldn't get the specs right if their life depended on it.
So what it comes down to really picking is 1 button vs 3, LCD vs OLED, smaller watch vs larger watch.
EDIT
About that IPx4 or x5 rating, don't trust it. IPx5 is 12L/minute water jets from any direction with no issue. Basically this;
Lokifish Marz said:
1- LEM5 and X5+ are the same watch under different brands
2- All three are supported by a +8000 member community specifically geared towards these round full android watches. This includes a large number of custom faces, firmware, custom apps, tech support and so on.
3- The D5+ is part of a larger family of watches spread across multiple brands as well.
4- All three of them have wifi. Most of those selling sites couldn't get the specs right if their life depended on it.
So what it comes down to really picking is 1 button vs 3, LCD vs OLED, smaller watch vs larger watch.
EDIT
About that IPx4 or x5 rating, don't trust it. IPx5 is 12L/minute water jets from any direction with no issue. Basically this;
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks Lokifish for the very comprehensive answer! To be honest I am not sure anymore if I really should buy a full android watch atm. The reason why I wanted this is that I am using windows phone and the app situation is not really awesome... I thought a full android watch could fill that gap in some situations. But now I figured that NFC is necessary for some apps (e.g. mobile payment at my local grocery shop). Do you know a full android watch with NFC?
Thanks a lot!
Lokifish Marz said:
1- LEM5 and X5+ are the same watch under different brands
2- All three are supported by a +8000 member community specifically geared towards these round full android watches. This includes a large number of custom faces, firmware, custom apps, tech support and so on.
3- The D5+ is part of a larger family of watches spread across multiple brands as well.
4- All three of them have wifi. Most of those selling sites couldn't get the specs right if their life depended on it.
So what it comes down to really picking is 1 button vs 3, LCD vs OLED, smaller watch vs larger watch.
EDIT
About that IPx4 or x5 rating, don't trust it. IPx5 is 12L/minute water jets from any direction with no issue. Basically this;
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I`m only curious about waterproof during heave rain or washing my hands, not more.
On LEM5 spec it`s mentioned about it, but not as it comes to X5+. But for me, X5+ looks better and I`m keen on it more. I only need some proof I can use it during washing hands or heavy rain.
ricola7 said:
Thanks Lokifish for the very comprehensive answer! To be honest I am not sure anymore if I really should buy a full android watch atm. The reason why I wanted this is that I am using windows phone and the app situation is not really awesome... I thought a full android watch could fill that gap in some situations. But now I figured that NFC is necessary for some apps (e.g. mobile payment at my local grocery shop). Do you know a full android watch with NFC?
Thanks a lot!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you want contactless payment you don't need NFC. Hexxa Atenea has chip & PIN support via an insert in the band. If you live in the U.S. though, forget it. The U.S. only recently started using the decade old older chip & signature system, which is incompatible with chip & PIN.
If you want NFC, you will not find a single smartwatch with fully working NFC. Not Apple, Wear, Samsung, or full Android.
having the same doubts, I bought three and teste: D5+, Finow X3+, and LEM5.
LEM5:
the good: it's prettier, larger, has three buttons and I really like the interface.
the bad: the battery. it last for 8 hours when I basically do not use it
D5+: ,
the good: battery life. this lasts forever.
the bad: only one button. the interface is not that cool
Finow X3 Plus:
the good: battery lasts ovefr a day with regular use. the two buttons make it easy to use.
the bad: visually my least favorite one, screen is a bit small for my eyes, not a fan of silicon band.
ilgincix said:
hi watch face, launcher and app archive
click and download
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What you have done here is collected just about all the copyright protected faces and launchers ever made and distributed them without permission.
You do not own any of them. You did not make any of them and you have been reported - not just to the XDA admin team but to outside agencies as well.
What did you think you were doing ? It's a blatant act of piracy .......
hello
I gave the same dilema... I want of those, but don't know which one to choose...
is their thickness the same as below? Is the screen from the No.1 D5+ the IPS or OLED one?
Lemfo lem5 1,39"-400*400 48*48*12mm
No.1 D5+ 1 1,3"-360*360 46*46*13mm
Finow X5 plus 1,39"-400*400 48*48*13mm
tks
I have already been looking around a lot, but there are so many watches with little nuances that are hard to keep track of. I am a regular watch wearer, never wanted a smart watch because they were a little too gimmicky when they first started. The technology is getting so good and useful now, that I am finally interested in swapping my regular watch for a smartwatch. I would like to find something on the cheap end for the first one in case I don't like it. Old and discontinued is fine if it meets my requirements
My requirements are:
1) Good battery, it needs to make it through a whole day at the minimum
2) Always on face is preferred. If I am ditching my regular watch, I would like for the face to be on and at least look like I am still wearing a watch. Kind of petty, but I prefer it. I can do without depending on how easily and quickly the face comes on.
3) Ability to use faces from places like facer or facerepo, and custom make my own face with watchmaker if I can't get what I want. The biggest thing for me is that I want an interactive face with a rotating on-screen bezel. I am wiling to design my own. I don't know how, but I learn well and will figure it out if I have to.
4) Round screen of good resolution without the notch on the bottom like the moto 360. I want to make a bezel face that needs the whole round screen.
4) Alert notifications for text, email, alarms, etc. is all I require for smart features. I do not care, nor do I really want fitness features like heart rate monitor, pedometer, etc. So if they don't work well on a model that otherwise meets my needs, that's fine.
5) Size on the smaller side. I can't really wear anything bigger than abut 45mm, so smaller than that is preferred.
I have been looking a lot and found some watches like the No. 1 and KingWear that seem to use their own version of Android OS. The battery life is amazing, but the faces are too limiting. My biggest concern is being able to make an interactive watch face with the moving bezel, zoom, and chronograph subdials. From what I have read, those watches take VXP faces, and they are not compatible with the features I want to have. They just have hour, minute and second hands. So am I supposed to be looking for something that just uses Wear OS or straight Android OS? The Fossil watches look good, as does the Galaxy, but I don't want to spend that much to try this out. Is there an older, sluggish, discontinued watch that will let me mess with faces on Watchmaker and make the face I really want? I feel that once I have a face I like, I will buy a newer watch and just use my proven face on it and be done. I would like to spend under $150, obviously the less the better. I have seen older Samsung watches like the S2 available at a fair price used, just not sure if there is a clone I could order new for less money, or something even cheaper I could use to get my face dialed in. I am totally open to suggestions if anyone can help.
For always ON and facer/watchmaker there are just Samsung > S2 (S2 has only a degraded always ON) or Wear watch. All are higher than $150. Always ON with an OLED screen is not very good idea I think, it feel strange with a wrist star war laser
dersie said:
For always ON and facer/watchmaker there are just Samsung > S2 (S2 has only a degraded always ON) or Wear watch. All are higher than $150. Always ON with an OLED screen is not very good idea I think, it feel strange with a wrist star war laser
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the response. I didn't realize how limiting the always on feature would make my choices. But you're right about the OLED. So if I scratch that requirement for always on face, do you have a recommended way to proceed looking? Like what to look for and what to avoid? Specific models if you know any, but I would like to know what to look for in the specs, like OS or firmware that will allow the faces I want to be used.
Almost same answer.
Facer/Watchmaker works only on Tizen (Samsung) and WearOS. So your choice stay only in Samsung or Wear Watch.
Just Gear S2 is OK without real Always ON.
To increase your choice you must delete the Watchmaker/facer option.
dersie said:
Almost same answer.
Facer/Watchmaker works only on Tizen (Samsung) and WearOS. So your choice stay only in Samsung or Wear Watch.
Just Gear S2 is OK without real Always ON.
To increase your choice you must delete the Watchmaker/facer option.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, thanks. I actually like the looks and size of the S2, but I don't know if I would actually like it. They can be found easily for under $100 USD, so the price is right. But going to a straight Andorid watch (non Tizen or Wear OS) might be the smartest thing for the future.
One thing I really don't understand. On a straight Android watch, are the faces just ordinary APKs running as a widget or regular application on the watch? Or is there a different file/application type that is used to make a face for an Android watch? I think that's what I have not been able to really understand.
I have tried making an Andorid app in the past and it was beyond my ability. That's why I thought Watchmaker would be a little easier for me to use. But if I can't get what I want because of the hardware, I will try my hand again at making an app or hiring someone to do so, if that's what needs to be done.
Gear S2 is really a very nice Smartwatch. Just screen a little small : 1.2". But very better than any pure Android Watch.
All pure Android watch are not really "smart" because they have almost 0 connected features. Just notification and almost nothing else.
Watchfaces for Android only watch ? we can almost say that they are non existent. We can not really found any faces for Android only, try to search on the store. Existent faces are only for special Android watch where the manufacturer has created special option for, ex Amazfit Stratos.
dersie said:
Gear S2 is really a very nice Smartwatch. Just screen a little small : 1.2". But very better than any pure Android Watch.
All pure Android watch are not really "smart" because they have almost 0 connected features. Just notification and almost nothing else.
Watchfaces for Android only watch ? we can almost say that they are non existent. We can not really found any faces for Android only, try to search on the store. Existent faces are only for special Android watch where the manufacturer has created special option for, ex Amazfit Stratos.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see now, watches like the Kospet advertise as having customizable faces, but it appears all you can really do is customize the background image. It is not false advertising, but it is misleading a bit. And I see other watches like KingWear say something like "hundreds of watch faces to choose from", which like you said, come from the manufacturer. So I get it now, without a Wear OS watch or Tizen, I am limited. That's fine and understandable.
What I have not tried yet, is to see how the Watchmaker app works. If I want a face with a rotating bezel around the edge, and subdials for chronograph features, can I build that in Watchmaker? The biggest one is the ability to have a round graphic around the edge of the watch that rotates by touch like a dive bezel on a diver's watch. If that can be done in Watchmaker, I'll go for the S2 to play with it. If not, I will see if I can get an Andorid app to work with the features I want and then run that on a watch.
All I really want is a watch with rotating bezel, chronograph subdials and an analog or digital clock. I've seen the faces available, but the subdials don't do what I want, and I don't think the on screen bezel rotates like I want.
Sorry for all the questions, but I'm finally getting a good understanding here and I think you've pointed me in a good direction with the S2 for a very affordable watch to test.
gadsden said:
What I have not tried yet, is to see how the Watchmaker app works. If I want a face with a rotating bezel around the edge, and subdials for chronograph features, can I build that in Watchmaker? The biggest one is the ability to have a round graphic around the edge of the watch that rotates by touch like a dive bezel on a diver's watch. If that can be done in Watchmaker, I'll go for the S2 to play with it. If not, I will see if I can get an Andorid app to work with the features I want and then run that on a watch.
All I really want is a watch with rotating bezel, chronograph subdials and an analog or digital clock. I've seen the faces available, but the subdials don't do what I want, and I don't think the on screen bezel rotates like I want.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use facer and after Watchmaker for the beginning of this apps. If I can resume : I think we can do all we want with Watchmaker. The apps has all needed features. For rotating it has a "rotate" on his field for the item image, so you can rotate all you want and in the way you want because it has also an user "script" (LUA) applied on all items you want.
dersie said:
I use facer and after Watchmaker for the beginning of this apps. If I can resume : I think we can do all we want with Watchmaker. The apps has all needed features. For rotating it has a "rotate" on his field for the item image, so you can rotate all you want and in the way you want because it has also an user "script" (LUA) applied on all items you want.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cool, thanks. I'll buy the premium and just try it out to see if I can do what I want. If I get anything going, I'll let you know what happens. Thanks again for your time and replies.
gadsden said:
Cool, thanks. I'll buy the premium and just try it out to see if I can do what I want. If I get anything going, I'll let you know what happens. Thanks again for your time and replies.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Even with Free version you can test all you want. I think premium is just for unlimited faces.
Hi all!
Newbie here.... I own a very simple watch, the Umidigi Uwatch2.
It's a very basic watch and I am pretty satisfied with it, except that I cannot change the faces as I want.
Only a few faces are available and I don't like them very much.
I don't need to make phone calls, browse internet, don't need waterproof, fitness or any fancy feature.
I just love the idea of having a electronic watch that I can change the face as I want.
Is there any cheap watch with a nice full round screen on which I can download and install premium round analog faces?
Thank you very much for your suggestions