Haylou (pronounced as “Hello”) is one of the first companies under Xiaomi’s ecosystem. Established in 2015, the company was originally known for its audio products including TWS earbuds. However, it wasn’t really popular until it announced its very first “smartwatch” – the Haylou LS01 – which costs just ¥99 (~$14). The Chinese company is back with another smartwatch called the Haylou Solar and this too packs some really nice features matched with an affordable price tag.
The Haylou Solar has a round dial like a regular watch and Haylou says they have adopted a minimalist design that appeals to the younger generation. The screen is a 1.28 TFT color 240 x 240 display that is sharp and bright even under direct sunlight. It is surrounded by a metal frame and attached to it are 22mm silicone breathable straps that can be comfortably worn for long.
The Haylou Solar can track a total of 12 different physical activities:
- Outdoor running
- Walking
- Mountain Climbing
- Cycling
- Elliptical training
- Yoga
- Treadmill running
- Free training
- Gymnastics
- Basketball
- Soccer
- Rowing
The watch also has sleep tracking, a pedometer, a calorie counter, and a heart rate sensor for 24-hour heart rate monitoring. There is also a sedentary reminder, a stopwatch, a phone finder, support for music playback, weather alerts, breathing training, and support for app notification alerts.
The Haylou Solar has a 30-day battery life (340mAh) but it drops by half if 24-hour heart rate monitoring is turned on. While it is called the Haylou Solar, it doesn’t charge via solar but has charging pins at the back. The watch also has an IP68 rating which means you can take it swimming or wear it in the shower.
The Haylou Solar connects via Bluetooth 5.0 and there is a dedicated app called the Haylou Fit for setting up the watch and for more detailed info on your physical activities. It works with both Android (Android 4.4+) and iOS (iOS 8.0+) devices. The watch is 264 millimeters long and weighs 54 grams.
Just like the LSO1, the Haylou Solar (LS05) is really affordable with its price tag of ¥149 (~$21). It has crossed its crowdfunding goal and will begin shipping May 18, 2020.
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