Low cost smart watch

[MrsMigginscoffee]

My son wants one but it'll be a fad. Has anyone had one they'd recommend for basic stuff? Steps/ heart rate

Clicked send to soon! He'd like to connect his phone to it too so apple compatible. My elder son has lost his Apple Watch which is such a waste as he could have passed it on!

There's loads on Amazon around the £20 mark. Think we had Gloryfit.

I got DH a Walkabout last Christmas and he really likes it. It's about £70 though so depends how low-cost you want.

He's fussing to buy a £7 one from Ali express right now he's a terrible one for wanting to spend his pocket money IMMEDIATELY. he likes the Apple Watch face but that's £££

Stalking this as have the same question for my DS.

We bought DS this one on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/GRV-Fitness-Pedometer-Notification-Smartwatch-Black/dp/B09J8SKX9G/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=1V96MWMHVSJ7A&keywords=willful%2Bsmart%2Bwatch&qid=1694932264&sprefix=Willfull%2Caps%2C135&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&th=1

This was in 2020. He wanted an Apple Watch but I knew it would be a fad and it was. I wear it now at the moment but I am saving for an Apple Watch.

This connects to your phone via an app. Tells the time and does steps. Not sure about heart monitor as I’ve not used it for that. I can get my messenger and WhatsApp messages on it. My texts don’t come through though.

It’s ok to use. A bit slow to react when you move your wrist to tell the time.

Ds has one from reflex active which does the job nicely

I got a Fitbit last year in the black Friday sales for £30

Mine have the Garmin Vivo fit, the old version, we got them from Argos for £30.

they’re frozen themed and have an app that has a frozen story that they have to earn ‘coins’ on their watches by doing activity to progress along.

Xiaomi mi band, can be had for about £30 when on offer. A league above all the generic / no brand stuff on amazon.

The 'smart' but is important, they're only as good as their app / software support.

We got one from Aldi and worked great until I think my partner accidentally smashed the face, and then we got another one from another grocery ship and has been working great for like 4 or 5 years I connect it to my phone every now and then to get the time right but counts steps has an alarm does everything it needs to be done.
Just have a look around some of the cheap ones work really well.

I got a glory fit for £30 it's great does exactly same as dh fit bit

I have an Amazfit or whatever the Amazon one is. Really good watch, connects easily I'd definitely recommend.

I have a xiaomi mi band and i love it far more than the fitbit flex i used to have. I use it as an alarm, it alerts me when someone is calling, and i can read messages on it so i dont have to check my phone all the time. Oh and it counts my steps and checks hb etc

@FixTheBone @thesugarbumfairy

Which MI Band watch do you have?

I have a band 3 which I somehow needed to reset/restore but to reset it you need the MI app on my phone which I did have originally.

However I have bought a new phone and I can't seem to find an MI Band app for a smart watch so I can't complete the reset.
TIA

i have band 6 and i use the ' mi fitness (xiaomi wear)' app.

I have a Garmin Forerunner 45 I got last year for about £60 second hand via Cex, that is still going strong 18m later. Probably even cheaper now.

Try to avoid if at all possible. They are banned in most schools so limited use outside of school.

We bought honour band 5s for our kids. They OK for what they are, but are just not that useful.
They need to connect to a phone or iPad to be useful (e.g. GPS) so if your child doesn't have a phone then use it limited. One watch per device (so you can't put both children's watches through your iPad for example).

The screen is small so I need to put glasses on to read it. You have to press the thing to light up the screen to see the time.
The children kept playing with the clock faces, that's about as useful as it gets! Then charging is needed every 5 days or so, which the children forget.

All a bit landfill electronics I'm afraid!

I say that as someone who didn't wear a watch for years until getting a Garmin for running, which I now wear all the time and wouldn't be without (no notifications or payment enabled).

My DD has the reflex active and jts lasted longer than my fitbit. Perfect for kids, I'm getting myself one!