The name “Paper watch” sounds confusing because the gadget isn’t made from paper per se, but that is the name of the smart wearable that is being developed by researchers at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia. The so -called “paper watch” can perform same functions of health-monitoring and fitness tracking performed by smartwatches like the Apple Watch, Samsung Gear and it can do that at a fraction of the price.

The cheap wearable device uses flexible sensors sourced from common household items like aluminum foil and sponge which works with silicon-based chip components to create a semi-recyclable fitness device. Because the materials used are cheap, household stuff, the “paper watch” itself comes cheap.

Related: Samsung Gear 4 to Have Foldable Display? Company Files Two New Smartwatch Patents

Presently, the paper watch fitness tracker packs an impressive array of capabilities. It is shown to be capable of measuring body temperature, sweat levels, heart rate, and blood pressure. The soft sensor components of the device could eventually be replaced whenever they wear out, while customers keep the rigid chip and battery parts of their wearable device.

Read Also: Xiaomi Mi Band 2 only for $19.99 on Giztop

The prototype paper watch currently costs $25 USD which is quite cheap, when compared to high-end fitness trackers. But then, the more sturdy and sleek Mi Band 2 comes in even cheaper at around $19.99. The paper watch is still work in progress, though, and the inventors hope to bring down the price further as time progresses. Even though the device cannot show time presently, that is a feature they hope to include in the smart wearable. The inventors hope to spin off a company soon with the device expected later this year, but how well can this fare in an era where Chinese manufacturers are developing cheaper smart wearables with lots of functions is a question that needs to be answered. But the team hopes to target the elderly populace with its cheap product on start up.

(source)

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Cubot is more known as a smartphone manufacturer but we came across their cheap fitness tracker – V1. It has a great design, excellent build quality and a lot of features for just $16. Learn more in our full review.

Thanks to Coolicool for sending Cubot V1 for a review.

UNBOXING

The item ships with the USB cable and some paperwork.

DESIGN and FEATURES

The fitness tracker itself can be easily removed from the the band, which I found to be pretty comfortable to wear but not as comfortable as the Xiaomi Mi Band 2.

The build quality of the Cubot V1 smart band is top-notch. It is made of quality plastic and I did not scratch it while wearing it for a couple of weeks.

We have a nice and bright OLED display that shows all the basic info you need: clock, date, steps taken, calories burned, distance walked and so on.

In addition, it shows the notifications from various apps (Facebook, Twitter etc.), SMS messages and calls. What I love about the call notifications is that it shows both the contact name and the number (some other cheap trackers show just the phone number or vice versa).

You can charge the bracelet with any micro USB cable.

The App

You can easily connect the smart band to your phone using the Cubot app and I didn’t have any syncing issues after I was asked to create the Cubot account, which was a bit annoying (every registration requirement is annoying to me). Here you can find all the basic info about your fitness routines, set your goals, adjust some settings etc. The app gets the job done but as usual to most of the Chinese gadget-related apps, the translations to English are poor, so you have to get used to that.

BATTERY LIFE

The Cubot V1 is said to give you around 7 days of battery life and it delivers its promise. However, 7 days of standby is kind of short period of time compared to the competition.

CONCLUSIONS

The Cubot V1 is a cheap fitness tracker that has a ton of value of the price. It counts the steps accurately, it has a nice display and some other cool features. The only complaint would be just a 7 day battery life which is kind of a poor result compared to the competition.  If you can live with that, the Cubot V1 can be recommended as a good cheap fitness tracker.

The post Cubot V1 Smartband Review – A Perfect Mi Band 2 Alternative appeared first on Gizmochina.

Teclast is more known as a tablet manufacturer but we came across their cheap fitness tracker – H30. It has a great design, excellent build quality and a lot of features for just $19. Learn more in our full review.

Thanks to Gearbest for sending Teclast H30 for a review.

UNBOXING

The item ships with the USB cable and some paperwork.

DESIGN and FEATURES

The fitness tracker itself can be easily removed from the the band, which I found to be pretty comfortable to wear but not as comfortable as the Xiaomi Mi Band 2.

The build quality of the Teclast smart band is top-notch. It is made of quality plastic and I did not scratch it while wearing it for a couple of weeks.

We have a nice and bright OLED display that shows all the basic info you need: clock, date, steps taken, calories burned, distance walked and so on.

In addition, it shows the notifications from various apps (Facebook, Twitter etc.), SMS messages and calls. What I love about the call notifications is that it shows both the contact name and the number (some other cheap trackers show just the phone number or vice versa).

You can charge the bracelet with any micro USB cable.

Another cool feature about this smart band is the heart rate monitor. While this feature is not intended for professional use, I found the results to be pretty similar to the Xiaomi Mi Band 2.

The App

You can easily connect the smart band to your phone using the Tsports app and I didn’t have any syncing issues after I was asked to create the Teclast account, which was a bit annoying (every registration requirement is annoying to me). Here you can find all the basic info about your fitness routines, set your goals, adjust some settings etc. The app gets the job done but as usual to most of the Chinese gadget-related apps, the translations to English are poor, so you have to get used to that.

BATTERY LIFE

The key selling point of any cheap fitness tracker to me is the battery life and the Teclast H30 delivers that. Teclast claims that it should last you about 30 days and I had like 43% of battery left after two weeks of use, which is a pretty good result.

CONCLUSIONS

The Teclast H30 is a cheap fitness tracker that has a ton of value of the price. It counts the steps accurately, it has a nice display, a heart rate monitor, and a great battery life. The only complaints would be annoying English translations in the app. If you can live with that, the Teclast H30 can be recommended as a good cheap fitness tracker.

The post Teclast H30 Review – A Quality Fitness Band for just $18 appeared first on Gizmochina.

The market is full of fitness-related products but the Xiaomi Mi Band series is one of the most popular in the world. The latest iteration of the product brings some significant upgrades like the Oled display but keeps an affordable price. Learn more in our full review.

Thanks to Oppomart for sending Xiaomi Mi Band 2 for a review.

Xiaomi Mi Band 2 Review: UNBOXING

The Mi Band 2 comes in a typical Xiaomi-style cardboard box. The contents include the fitness tracker, a bracelet, a very convenient charging cradle and some Chinese paperwork.

Xiaomi Mi Band 2 Review: DESIGN

At the first glance, the Mi Band 2 follows a familiar design language but there are some significant upgrades.

First of all, we have an OLED display, which is power-efficient and it displays info like clock, steps taken, calories burned, heart rate, distance walked and various notifications from your smartphone. You can navigate through the information displayed with just one capacitive button and I found it to be very simple yet convenient.

As for the band itself, I found it to be very convenient to wear all day long. Also, it is durable and it does not seem to wear off anytime soon.

Xiaomi Mi Band 2 Review: FEATURES and FUNCTIONALITY

I found the step counter to be precise as it counted my steps accurately.

As for heart rate monitor, it takes less around 10 seconds to measure it. I compared the results with my Galaxy S7 edge, which also has a heart rate monitor, and the results are very similar.

A really cool feature that I could to be working just fine is the ability just to lift your wrist to light up the display. Also, you can set the band to automatically unlock your smartphone.

Other features worth mentioning are that the band has a sedentary reminder, notifications of missed calls, messages or various apps. Also, the band can track your sleep patterns, vibrate as an alarm clock and so on. All of those features sync with your phone using the Mi Fit app that is simple and easy to use and I didn’t have any connectivity/syncing issues with my phone (tested with the OnePlus 3).

Last but not least, the Mi Band 2 is IP67-certified, meaning that it is splash-proof and dust-proof.

Xiaomi Mi Band 2 Review: BATTERY LIFE

The Mi Band 2 is said to give you around 20 days of battery life.

It delivers in reality for sure. In fact, I have a feeling that the battery could last for a longer time. I’ve used the band for 10 days and it used just 25% of battery life!

Xiaomi Mi Band 2 Review: CONCLUSIONS

Xiaomi Mi Band 2 is an upgrade we have been all waiting for.

It brings all the great features the previous models had and it takes one step further with the integrated low-power OLED display.

The Mi Band 2 has never let us down during our review. We found it to be accurate measuring the fitness activity, the band’s user interface is simple yet fast, the Mi Fit app is simple and easy to use and the battery life of the device is great.

All in all, the Mi Band 2 is the best Xiaomi’s fitness tracker yet. Also, it is probably the best cheap fitness tracker at the moment and it can be highly recommended.

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