Haylou Solar LS05 Original Smart Watch Heart Rate Sleep Monitor IP68 Waterproof specification:

• Body: 45.3 x 11.4, 54g, 22mm. standard strap; IP68; Metal frame, metal button, plastic back

• Display: 1.28″ LCD, 240 x 240 pixels (no AOD watch face)

• OS: Proprietary; Support for Android 4.4 and above, iOS 8.0 and above

• Battery: 340mAh (30 days typical use, around 15 days with heart rate monitoring)

• Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0 + BLE

• Miscellaneous: Ultra-low dynamic optical heart rate sensor, accelerometer

Design, materials and comfort

The Haylou Solar is hardly the best-looking smartwatch, but as we established it’s more of a rival to the smart bands, and among those, the classic “watch” aesthetic is still the minority. At its price point, the Haylou Solar’s metal body and overall feel really stand out. The metal case also adds a certain heft to the device that some might appreciate.

The decision to make the front glass flush with the metal bezel causes some anxiety. The official Haylou specs page does not mention any specific protective layer

The 1.28-inch LCD on the Haylou Solar looks perfectly fine indoors. Colors are vibrant and both text and UI elements are sharp, thanks to its 240 x 240-pixel resolution.

There are four brightness levels that you have to toggle manually as there is no luminance sensor for auto brightness.

Haylou Solar also punches above its category in terms of comfort.

Features

Both approaches have their advantages because full-on operating systems may be more versatility but is also more expensive to maintain and way more taxing on the battery. So if you manage to find a smart wearable that meets all of your needs you can get a far better deal.

Step counting is also about as reliable as one can expect

Armed with just a basic array of sensors and in the absence of GPS, the Haylou Solar can only do so much on its own, when it comes to actual Sports tracking. The watch does let you manually trigger one of 12 sports modes listed below.

The tracking itself includes duration, calories and a live heartrate monitor. There is no advanced logic here, like repetition or lap count.