The best Apple Watch alternatives for iPhone owners. The best Apple Watch analogs: review, characteristics Apple Watch analog

Apple Watch 3 was introduced at the same time as Apple TV 4K and new iPhones. Outwardly, the clock hardly differs from the previous ones, but inside there are enough changes. Or is it not? Let's figure it out.

Price: from 27 500 rubles
Compatibility: iPhone 5S +, iOS 11+ for non-LTE version; iPhone 6+, iOS 11+ for LTE version

Neither the size of the watch, nor the characteristics of the display have changed when comparing the second and third versions of the Apple Watch. In principle, there is nothing wrong with that - their design is original and quite successful, there are no problems with existing models, so there is no big reason to change something. The diagonal of the display is 1.34 inches for the 38 mm version and 1.54 inches for the "male" version by 42 mm. The resolution has not changed either - 272 × 340 and 312 × 390 pixels, respectively.

The only external difference between the version of Apple Watch Series 3 with the LTE module is that part of their crown will be red (“When society does not have color differentiation of the crown of its trousers, there is no purpose!” (C) x / f “Kin- dza-dza! "). Both watch generations are able to resist sinking down to 50 meters and are suitable for swimming.

But if you want to update your old Apple Watch Series 2 just because the old ones are boring outwardly, then you better just look for another strap.

Apple Watch Series 3

All the most important changes in Apple Watch are inside. For example, the emergence of support for electronic SIM-cards - Apple e-SIM. In fact, the card is not inserted into the body of the gadget, but is written into the already soldered chip. But this is by no means a plus for the Russian consumer - such SIM cards are not supported by our cellular providers.

But in countries where e-SIM has already been introduced, this means that you do not need a separate SIM card for your watch - Apple Watch Series 3 will duplicate your SIM and receive a signal as soon as the watch is out of the smartphone's field of vision. Interestingly, providers like AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon will charge about $ 10 a month for this. Only it is not clear why - just for the possibility of forwarding?

Thus, in the US, the purchase of the LTE version of the Apple Watch Series 3 will not only cost you $ 70 more one-time, but $ 120 more annually. As for the third Watch without an LTE module, they, like the Apple Watch Series 2, are able to communicate with the outside world through a smartphone, if it is nearby, or via a Wi-Fi network.

Apple Watch Series 3

What will the Russian consumer get? The regular version without the LTE module also has its advantages over the previous series. For example, the new S3. True, until now we only know about it that it is allegedly 70% faster than the previous one - S2. The chip responsible for wireless communication via Wi-Fi and Blueetooth has also been updated - now it will be more efficient with less power consumption.

Apple promises that the new watch will last up to 18 hours on a single charge. As for the memory, the RAM remains the same as it was - 512 MB, but the constant has doubled - 16 GB instead of the previous 8 GB, but only for the version with LTE. In addition, the new watch has a built-in Bluetooth 5.0 module - such as can be found in the Samsung Galaxy S8 or in the upcoming new iPhones. Its "economical" component is faster than that of Bluetooth 4.2, and "beats" four times further.

Apple Watch Series 3

In its new smartwatch, Apple this time has built a barometric altimeter - a sensor that measures the change in altitude. With it, you can monitor your progress in more detail, for example, when running on hilly terrain, skiing in the mountains, and so on. As for the prices, the cheapest version of the Watch Series 3 will cost 27,500 rubles.

That, in general, is all. Some more new features will appear with the release of watchOS 4, but they will be available for the previous series, so we will not dwell on this, but move on to the competitors.

Samsung Gear S3

Price: 22,000 rubles for the version with LTE
Compatibility: Android 4.4+ with 1.5 RAM, iOS 9+, iPhone 5+

The direct competitor to the new Apple Watch Series 3 was announced last September, and has been on sale in Russia since December. This is a Samsung Gear 3 watch stuffed with everything that is possible. It is round and generally imitates a regular watch much better than a square Apple Watch.

Among the advantages is convenient control using not only the touch screen, but also the bezel - a round frame that rotates in any direction. The Gear S3 has almost everything: GPS, altimeter, NFC, heart rate monitor, water protection and even its own operating system - Tizen. True, there are still not as many applications for the latter as for Android Wear or watchOS, which blurring the enjoyment of use. In addition, they have less permanent memory - 4 GB versus 8 GB for Apple Watch 3. The LTE module - also for e-SIM - is available in some versions, but they are not sold in Russia.

LG Watch Style

Price: 15,000 rubles
Compatibility: Android 4.3+, iOS 9+

If you are scared off by the prices of Apple Watch Series 3 and Samsung Gear 3, then you can always just take the LG Watch Style - they will cost "only" 15 thousand rubles. Among the pluses: they are very compact and elegant, weigh a third less than the Samsung Gear 3, look good even on a woman's hand, run on the Android Wear 2.0 operating system, and are also protected from dust and moisture.

True, they not only cost less, but also know how much less than the already mentioned models. For example, the LG Watch Style lacks a GPS module, heart rate monitor, or even NFC. Therefore, if you like to run, stopping at stores to pay for hours (a common occupation of a modern person), then this model is unlikely to suit you. And if you want to quickly view notifications, switch tracks on your smartphone from your hand, or just change your grandfather's clock to something more or less modern, then LG Watch Style is a good option.

Apple Watch Series 2

Price: 23,000 rubles
Compatibility: iPhone 5+, iOS 10+

Apple Watch Series 2 has not yet turned into old school - this watch is only a year old. And, if you already have them, then switching to new ones is a very dubious idea. Apple Watch Series 3 with LTE module, we will not see one way or another, most likely, and without it the difference is not so great. Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are slower than the new model, there is no height sensor and the processor is weaker. However, whether we need a more powerful one, we will find out only with the release of watchOS 4.

But the Apple Watch Series 2 has a GPS, heart rate monitor and is waterproof to a depth of 50 meters. They can also be used to pay with Apple Pay.

Fake goods from China will always lure in the crowds of fans. This applies to any market segment. The niche of smart technologies, of course, did not go unnoticed. The original "Apple" product is expensive, and the replica pleasantly warms the soul with a significant difference in price. Which copy of "Apple watch" is the best and whether it is worth taking it, we will figure it out further.

What the original watch can do

Some of the features of the original Apple watch:

Three dial design options;
Full sync for iOS;
Pedometer;
Heart rate monitor;
Motion Sensor;
Light sensor;
Player;
Standard applications (calendar, voice recorder, and others);
Camera;
Water and dust resistant;
The battery capacity is 380 MA.

Materials (edit)

The buyer, purchasing epl equipment, pays not only for the logo, but also for the quality of materials and workmanship. Yabloko's analogs are often made of low-quality plastic, like the screen itself. The original version uses a metal case and a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal. In the copy, the Chinese craftsmen, perhaps, will stick the film on the screen as compensation. To take or not to take a Chinese apple watch, each buyer decides on his own. Let's imagine several models.

The main differences from the original

There are several signs that immediately give out a cheap copy. The display is too small. The frames on the sides are huge. Also, there is a charging slot on the side of the device. In some copies there is a wheel that does not function at all; it is simply impossible to turn it.

Model G8

The Chinese apple watch from the original, the device got only the appearance. More than half of the functions refuse to work, or do not work correctly. The model is crude, with a lot of flaws. One of the main functions of a smartwatch is a call, it also does not work. Incoming calls are not recognized by the device. For outgoing calls, on the contrary, forwarding is performed. The icons located in the menu refuse to interact with the user, or do not recognize the SIM card, or a message about insufficient memory is displayed. Search in the address book is possible only through brute force, the calendar does not respond to touches.

Iwo 2

Relatively not a bad Chinese copy. In the kit you can find a charger and instructions in tolerable Russian. Traditionally, a film is glued to the display. This model even contains a sapphire crystal, as in the original, but the screen size is smaller.

Possibilities

Answering incoming calls
Outgoing calls
Set of SMS messages
Synchronization with the phone book of the smartphone
Pedometer;
Remote camera control.

Of the genuine advantages, you can list:

Steel body and scratch resistant;
Stable synchronization, fast recovery after disconnection;
High ergonomics.

The merits of any copy

Turns on;
Emits sounds of high volume;
There is support for a SIM card and you can make calls from the wrist;
Do not mind losing or spoiling.

Flaws

What the Chinese manufacturers do poorly in comparison with the European original:

Dimensions. The counterfeit is usually heavy;
Low quality materials;
No water resistance;
The assembly is done carelessly;
Some models turn off after several hours of use;
Malfunctions;
The operating system freezes;
Most of the functions don't work;
Even the most accurate copy is easy to recognize the first time;
The quality of the belts is poor;
The display does not respond to user input.
Low service life.

More precisely, the Chinese counterparts of the Apple Watch, which cannot withstand any competition, but cause bewilderment and pity.

Together with M.Video, we compare original gadgets with replicas to convince you not to save on high-quality devices.

We ran through the Savyolovsky electronics boutique, bought several IWatch. Throwing money away in vain, or are replica Apple Watch very cool? Let's take a look together.

Pros and cons of Apple Watch replicas

If you want, call them. If you want, watch the time, write messages, follow Twitter, count steps and post comments on Facebook. That is, if a freshly bought Chinese smartwatch turns on at all. After 10 minutes of studying, I formed a list of the main pros and cons of iWatch.

Pros:

A replica is much cheaper than the original Apple watch
The replica turns on (this is important!)
The replica can make loud sounds
You can insert a SIM card into the replica and make calls directly from your wrist
It's not a pity to lose a replica, break it, drown it

Minuses:

Body - cheap plastic
Heavy replica
Unknown Animal Leather Straps
Clasp made of plastic or silumin, breaks quickly
No moisture and dust protection
The screen is often unresponsive to touches and presses
Service life - maximum one year
Even with a cursory examination, it is clear that the hand is fake

And now more details.

1. Appearance. UGH.

Chinese iWatch replicas are larger and thicker than the original Apple Watch. If you've never owned an Apple wearable accessory, this isn't a big deal. But if you compare directly - after the Apple Watch, it seemed to put on huge noname"Cauldrons" pulling the whole arm away.

I walked around with a Chinese watch for two whole days, showing off to everyone I know about my new 2nd generation Apple Watch. Alas, to me failed to conduct not a single person, including girls who are far from gadgets.

Commentary of the expert "M.Video":

Apple Watch is the leader in the smartwatch market and is probably the most desired smart gadget among Apple fans in Russia. This inevitably stimulates the growth of the counterfeit market. Fake watches, which are most often sold under the name iWatch, Smart Watch, etc. may be similar to the original to varying degrees. Nevertheless, it is always possible to distinguish a low-quality cheap fake.

Huge frames on the sides of the screen, the screen itself is too small and grainy, and most importantly - the micro-USB connector on the side, which gives out a fake headlong.

Briefly speaking: I want to take off... Or give it to a small child who has not yet tasted the delights of Apple gadgets, with a clear mind and a sincere craving for toys. Alas, the Chinese iWatch cannot compete visually.

2. Price. Yes, you save

Everything is fine here: for iWatch you need to pay about 5 thousand rubles, which is incomparably cheaper than the original Apple Watch. But is this product worth the money?

For this amount you can find a real smartphone with a touch screen, camera and other attributes of a smartphone. Give 5000 rubles for undersmartphone in the form factor of a wristwatch, it seems not a very smart investment.

The red price of a Chinese counterfeit for AW is 1,500 rubles. This is the maximum, considering materials, cartons, filling and logistics.

3. Filling. Two completely different devices

Chinese craftsmen have managed to cram something into their smartest watch that defies identification. In the settings menu, there is no information about the internal world of the device, as well as the name of the device itself.

The only plus is that you can insert a micro SD and expand the device's memory by 32 GB. Wow, this is so great - now I can ... What can I do? Nothing that can't be done without a USB flash drive.

However, the lion's share of functions does not work without a flash drive: you cannot go to the gallery, Twitter client, Facebook client and much more. What this is connected with is not clear, given that there is no built-in memory.

But the speaker yells as it should. The only element of Chinese that I was frankly impressed with.

When a notification of a new message arrives, the watch emits a 64-voice polyphony of such strength that you want to plug your ears and run away. For the volume of the sound - I take off my hat.

4. Materials. China - and in Africa China

Forget about precious metals like aluminum, sapphire glasses and other frills. Chinese iWatch are made of harsh plastic, and, according to the sensations, the screen too.

To prevent the owner from dragging his finger along the plastic surface, a matte film is prudently glued to the screen "out of the box".

A dubious bonus that only lovers of rough surfaces might like.

5. Operating system. Something with something

A mystery shrouded in darkness. There are absolutely no assumptions on what the miracle of Chinese engineering works. Something in between a "green robot" and Linux, where colors were taken from the robot, and icons, unpredictable work, curved Russification and fonts from Linux.

For most applications, such as the Facebook client, Twitter and WatsApp, in addition to the presence of a flash drive, a SIM card with Internet access is required. If there is no SIM card or flash drive in iWatch, 70% of all functions are deactivated by default.

As a last resort, you can start monitoring sleep or counting steps on a run. True, these functions still do not work - sleep monitoring is similar to a regular stopwatch, and the pedometer claims that I have been standing still for 2 days.

6. Features and features. Are able to do something

Once again: there is a scanty Facebook client, the ability to read tweets and correspond in WhatsApp. If you install special software on your Android smartphone, you can control the smartphone camera from the watch.

In truth, everything about these iWatch is made to make the user suffer. The crown on one of the edges of the device is a simple button, and it is useless to twist it.

Thus, an attempt to scroll the menu with your finger turns into torture, thanks to the unresponsive screen and the general inhibition of the system. There is no accelerometer at all - twist your wrist as you want, the screen will light up only after you press the crown button.

At some point, one of the experimental specimens simply stopped showing signs of life. It was not possible to reanimate him.

Apple Watch of a normal person, for comparison: you take the original AW, connect it to the iPhone through a special application, by pressing just one button "Connect". And then smartwatches become an addition to the smartphone, duplicating notifications.

Now you can send messages, respond to new posts on social networks, even receive phone calls without taking your iPhone out of your pocket. For Apple, it all works easily and simply.

"Apple Watch" of an abnormal person: Chinese iWatch, according to the idea of the creators, should be completely autonomous from the smartphone, this is what a SIM card is needed for. In theory, this is convenient - if your smartphone is down, you can always call right from your watch. This scenario is not possible in the iPhone + Apple Watch pair.

However, in practice, things are not so smooth. It is impossible to connect "Ayvochi" to iPhone - there is no application for this in the App Store. You can connect directly via Bluetooth, but there is little sense in this: the connected device cannot be controlled, change the dials and use it as a headset, alas.

If you take an Android smartphone, then it becomes more interesting: through a special application (for each model of Chinese watches, the application has its own, and it is not always possible to find it on Google Play), you can adjust the time and receive SMS, which are duplicated from the smartphone to the watch.

But even in conjunction with an iWatch smartphone, you need a SIM card. Without it, Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp still don't want to start.

Why then buy Chinese iWatch at all?

To be honest: after several days of use, I still have not come up with at least one excuse for buying this and other similar devices for an adult and a reasonable person.

The only scenario is buying Chinese iWatch for a child as the first gadget, along with some equally cheap smartphone.

Apple Watch can already afford rich politicians who do not mind their hard-earned money for such a sophisticated device. It is unlikely that an ordinary user can afford to shell out 100,000 - 200,000 rubles for a smart watch. While Apple watches are taking the first steps towards the development of technologies for miniature devices, the electronic robot Android is improving every day, creating several generations of its "smart watches".

It should be said bluntly that the Apple Watch looks very nice, but its big drawback, according to many, is its thickness. The owners claim that the straps tend to cling to the hair of the hands, the sports version can scratch, for example, your laptop, and this despite the fact that the battery charge is not designed for more than two days of battery life. The small number of applications, which are currently credited with about 3,500 copies, does not guarantee the flexibility of the system. If you wear the watch for a long time, your hand will fog up enough to make you want to remove the device as soon as possible. As you can see, the Apple Watch really has a lot of shortcomings, so in our article we will turn to alternative devices based on Android and not only.

Lg watch urbane

Most recently, the Urbane LG G Watch R version was presented, which has a fairly powerful filling, a very interesting and stylish design, a lot of different dials. Clock display resolution - 320 × 320. Built-in processor with 4 cores, 512 MB of RAM, 4 GB of internal memory. The battery capacity is 410 mAh. Recommended as the perfect Apple Watch alternative.