Home Reviews ,,,,,If Apple Watch costs too much and focuses more on fitness-related features rather than installing apps and managing notifications from the wrist but you don't want to give up a large touch screen, then WeLoop Hey 3S can be a valid alternative.
It is a sportwatch with GPS and Glonass that our editorial team has had the opportunity to try recently and which stands out for the relationship between the quality of the materials and the list price, as well as for the functions offered, the ease of use. , the accuracy of the data collected and an incredible autonomy.
WeLoop Hey 3S review: packaging
The sales box is very neat and does not disfigure those who decide to buy one as a gift. Inside we find the case whose screen is protected by an adhesive film, the plate for charging the battery, the strap, the cable and the instruction manual for use.
As did
The case is square in shape with strongly beveled edges and is very reminiscent of the Apple Watch design, although here the materials are different: the shell is entirely in very robust plastic, satin in the lower half and glossy in the upper half, which frames a 1.28-inch LCD display. On each of the two sides we find a slightly protruding circular button, on the bottom there is the sensor for detecting heartbeats and the contacts for recharging the internal battery.
The strap is in very soft silicone, very wide (2.4 centimeters) and easy to attach and release to the case as it uses metal pins with a button to control the spring system. It is also widely perforated, allowing considerable transpiration of the skin: the central hole is also very large and is tailored to the small pin that we find on the inner side of the buckle that holds the strap in place on the wrist.
This is a small detail but which we appreciated during the tests as it holds the excess portion of the strap firmly, avoiding the annoying “tabs” that protrude especially when the wrist is very thin and a large portion of the strap advances. The buckle to lock it is also made of metal, which adds greater strength to the inside of the product.
How does it work
To turn it on, simply hold down one of the two buttons for a few seconds: the operating system will start up and be operational in less than ten seconds. At that point, all you have to do is download the WeLoop app (for iOS and Android) on your smartphone, activate Bluetooth and follow the few and simple steps indicated on the screen to pair it with your device.
This will allow you to read the notifications received by the same directly from your wrist as well as adjust the settings, program an alarm, customize the dials and analyze the data collected.
What can it do
The device homepage consists of the following icons:
Notifications – all notifications received on the smartphone are collected here, containing the name of the app and a first part of the text Heart rate monitor – allows you to monitor your heart rate with one tap, read the last measurement carried out independently by the system or activate the training mode to start the constant monitoring of the beats during physical activity (for example in the gym) Pedometer – this area allows to activate the monitoring of physical activity indoors (e.g. treadmill) or outdoors, using the GPS plus Glonass, therefore more accurate than simple GPS devices, incorporated to improve the accuracy of the data collected such as calories burned, distance traveled, number of steps, etc. Bicycle – same as above, but custom designed for outdoor cycling training Swimming – as above, but can count strokes in the pool ( can recognize freestyle, butterfly, frog and backstyles) Stopwatch – to activate the stopwatch Countdown – to start a countdown Clock face – from here you can replace the default dial with one previously downloaded from the app Settings – this area allows you to activate the “do not disturb” mode , reset and turn off the device
How is it going
The sportwatch is managed with a tap on the screen. The display is responsive, accurately recognizes touches and large icons facilitate the management of integrated functions. The heart rate detection is very precise, according to our tests with an error of ± 7 beats compared to a professional medical device, as well as the pedometer is in line with the values detected by the iPhone kept in the pocket (with an error of ± 1,000 steps in a day).
We could not test the cycling and swimming functions while as regards the physical activity on foot it turned out to be quite accurate (we compared the values with what Runtastic recorded on the iPhone during an outdoor walk). At start-up the GPS signal takes 30 to 45 seconds to become operational.
What we liked and what can be improved
First of all it is really light (almost 200 grams) and the strap is very soft and comfortable. The display is perfectly visible in daylight and the backlight allows viewing of the screen even in total darkness. It turns on automatically when you lift your wrist (very few times the built-in gyroscope did not work the first time) while the blue light does not do justice to the device, which is cheaper to the eye than it is actually worth.
The software provides dozens of dials but it is possible to download only one due to the very limited memory, which therefore forces you to have an active Internet connection in order to possibly download and install a new dial, automatically removing the previous one. In some cases the labels of the dials have not been translated, showing the Chinese ideograms (especially for the weather): this does not affect the usability of the information but certainly nullifies the use of different dials for Italian users.
The autonomy is excellent: as soon as it was discarded there was 78% of energy and after 18 hours, during which the firmware update was also carried out, 70% of the energy was still left. After more than a day (28 hours), during which the Bluetooth connection with the smartphone remained active for notifications, the residual energy was at 68% while for the next four days, using it without any Bluetooth connection for notifications but for everything else (so pedometer, heart rate at rest, time and alarm) the battery only dropped to 62%. From this point of view the same manufacturer ensures up to a month of autonomy with a single charge, in our opinion it can be easily overcome if it is not used in combination with a smartphone connected via Bluetooth.
Most of all, in our opinion, it should be made even more independent from the smartphone for programming the alarms (it does not emit notification sounds but the vibration is very powerful and we have replaced it with satisfaction for the alarm clock on the bedside table for the duration of the tests). which, as demonstrated by the same stopwatch and countdown functions, could easily be performed with a tap on the small screen.
Conclusions
WeLoop Hey 3S is an interesting wrist device. It is not a smartwatch as it lacks the ability to install applications and the management of notifications is limited to reading only from the wrist. For the functions offered, the term that best describes it is sportwatch as it allows you to track more sports activities, and in this sense it also does it very well.
The data collected is quite accurate (for what the comparison with a medical device may be worth regarding the heart rate and the iPhone sensors for comparison when tracking physical activity) and the control via touchscreen is pleasant and intuitive.
The long autonomy, the waterproofing and the excellent fit make it a valid replacement for those looking for a functional product that shows what happens on the smartphone and is able to monitor daily physical activity (with steps, calories burned and quality of the sleep) and sports activities outdoors or in the gym.
Price to the public
WeLoop Hey 3S is on sale on Amazon for € 119.99.
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