Will Elephone’s New W2 Smart Watch hit the sweet spot for a budget friendly wearable?

Availability: Releases from 5th Feb 2016



Article updated on the 22/01/16

The W2 Smartwatch is Elephone’s second entry into the world of smart wearables. The smartwatch offers a budget-friendly fitness tracker hidden inside a premium looking traditional watch for around £50. Elephone’s first wearable the Elephone W1 was aimed specifically at the female market and came in bracelet form but was a different kettle of fish to the W2 entirely.

Not to be confused with the ‘ELE Watch’ which will run on Android Wear and have an LCD screen, the ‘Elephone W2 Smartwatch’ is a traditional looking watch with mechanical hands and an assortment of sensors and trackers hidden inside that connects to your phone via Bluetooth. It features a sapphire glass front, a Swiss Ronda 762 movement, 30 days battery life and is waterproof to 30m. Not bad considering it also features a motion sensor that will track your steps, sleep, laziness (sedentary reminder) as well as featuring vibrate function that will work for Calls & Alarms.



It’s not a new idea hiding smartwatch technology inside a regular watch and Withings released the Activité Pop Smart Watch and Activity Tracker which was a big success. If you’re looking for the same functionality as the Elephone W2 then the original Xiaomi Mi Band is an option but in the form of a sports band. The newer Xiaomi Mi Band 1S also adds heart rate monitoring to the mix.

What makes the W2 smart?

The added functionality that the W2 has over a traditional watch is that it can Track your sleep, Track your daily movements, Alert you to call notifications, Missed call notifications, Sedentary reminders and then the watch syncs with a companion application on your mobile phone using Bluetooth 4.0. This then allows you to track your fitness / movement levels over time and fingers crossed motivates us all to be a bit more active. As Elephone develop the companion app further they will be able to expand the uses for the internal movement sensors, in theory, tracking new and varied activities. One example would be to distinguish between different exercises, i.e. running and swimming. It will all depend on the accuracy of the sensors Elephone have used inside the W2.

Design

Elephone, as their name suggests, are typically known for their range of well-built budget smartphones, so how have they faired with their latest wearable the W2 and can we really be convinced this is a high-end watch first and foremost? The W2 comes in two different models either silver or gold which both have slightly different designs, it uses stainless steel for the watch case and comes with a leather strap. The strap has a weaved appearance, I’m personally not a fan, but luckily uses a standard lug and pin mechanism so can easily be replaced with a strap of your choice. Elephone also have an additional khaki band that they are selling separately which is much appealing to me.

The watch is well proportioned, not as chunky as a divers watch but overall it looks premium. It measures 11mm in-depth with a 42mm dial size on the gold version and 41 on the silver. The white watch face is clean and minimal with only the only distinctive feature being the progress lines on the bottom of the face which will be visual indicators to the health side of the watch.

Overall I’m really impressed with the design of the W2 smartwatch from Elephone, especially considering that the watch is going to sell for around £50. The only let down for me is the strap, but that’s no problem and can easily be replaced. Having the option of the two designs to choose from is a nice touch as well.

Comfort, Screen & Hardware

It’s too early to comment on the comfort of the watch but inspecting the rear and given that you can interchange your own straps I can’t see any foreseeable problems arising from the W2’s comfort. Also as there is no screen to power and with most of the functionality happening through a companion app there shouldn’t be any problems with the hardware inside.

Software

Elephone have announced that the watch is to receive support for both Android and IOS which is great news. With regards to the software and connectivity of the watch and App after the release date.

Round Up

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The Good

Elegant watch face & well-proportioned

IOS & Android Support

Movement & Sleep Tracking

Call Notifications

Sedentary Reminder

Looks like a real watch

Low Price

Sapphire Glass

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The Bad

Included strap

No heart rate monitor

Changing the battery

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What’s in the box?

Inside the box of the Elephone W2 smartwatch, you’ll find a leather strap, W2 watch, a quick start guide, a screwdriver and two batteries.

Should I buy the Elephone W2 Smartwatch?

I haven’t yet tested the accuracy of the gravity sensor or how well the watch connects to the companion app but neither of these should be too difficult for Elephone to get right. I’ve seen the pre-order price for the Elephone W2 at around £50 which is really cheap and nearly half the price of the Withings Activité Pop. I think this watch is definitely worth a shot and even if the fitness tracking isn’t the best it’s still going to be a good looking watch.

Let me know your thoughts on the Elephone W2 Smartwatch?? Feel free to share. Updates coming soon.