We tested a connected watch for 30 euros: is it that bad?

Is a 30 euro connected watch really bad? I have never had an Apple Watch on my wrist, but I have been able to test connected watches with an Android smartphone. At 30 euros? Never. But then, are these cheap watches “ rotten “, or are they good accessories? We wanted to check.

For once, let’s try putting one on our wrist, to see what such inexpensive models look like. The lucky one: Judge P99. Have you never heard of it? This is normal, it is only sold on Amazon and the manufacturer is unknown. However, these watches can be found with the logo of another brand: these are products in “ white label “. Made in a factory, several brands can put their logo on them to then sell them. Suffice to say that we could have taken any other model.

An Apple Watch-style design, but ten times cheaper

What is immediately noticeable are the borders of the screen. They are quite thick, especially when you know the Apple Watch, from which this Jugeman P99 is inspired. They are visible, although the menus are on a black background to blend in with these borders. Let’s recognize that in a few years, the market for inexpensive connected watches has improved on this point. No more borders almost as thick as the screen itself.

However, there is still an effect chin », as we can have on smartphones: the lower border is thicker than the others. Which, however, offers a 1.96-inch panel, whose resolution is logically very small. All the information is readable: the only problem is that sometimes everything is not completely displayed, or you have to scroll through the text.

We tested a connected watch for 30 euros: is it that bad?
A connected watch that only costs 30 euros // Source: Alfred Tertrais for Numerama

The biggest problem in the design is the plastic material of the bracelet. The silicone is really bad, I always struggle to put the watch on and take it off. Everything slides badly and the two fasteners are not there to help. It’s terrible when you know that any basic Decathlon watch does much better. It’s hard to adjust it and in the end, wearing it is far from comfortable.

A connected watch that only costs 30 euros // Source: Alfred Tertrais for NumeramaA connected watch that only costs 30 euros // Source: Alfred Tertrais for Numerama
A connected watch that only costs 30 euros // Source: Alfred Tertrais for Numerama

On the right side, we are entitled to a crown, which acts as a back button. You can turn it, but it doesn’t trigger anything at all: it’s just a button and not a rotating crown. Even today, very few “affordable” connected watches offer them. At least the device is IP68 certified, which means you can go into water and sand without worrying too much about damaging it (we haven’t put it to the test in these areas, however).

It has all the features (or almost) of high-end smartwatches

Looking closely, we wonder what features this connected watch is missing. Everything is there: monitoring of sports activity, heart rate, phone notifications, sleep monitoring, lots of small applications and even monitoring of blood oxygenation (SpO2). What changes compared to models is above all their integration, the way in which the menus are arranged.

A connected watch that only costs 30 euros // Source: Alfred Tertrais for NumeramaA connected watch that only costs 30 euros // Source: Alfred Tertrais for Numerama
A connected watch that only costs 30 euros // Source: Alfred Tertrais for Numerama

There are still plenty of strange things to note, which demonstrate a low level of polish in these features. For example, music control: if everything works (play/pause, change track, change volume), there is a latency that is a little too long, almost frustrating. A feature that is not found on all inexpensive connected watches: the ability to make calls. It works well and the microphone even offers good quality.

As for notifications, while most applications can send them to the watch, this is not the case for all. Which is a real disadvantage: if you use a particular application, it can be annoying.

A horrible app, a bit of a lousy interface

A quick word on the instructions for use: if it is translated into French, the syntax leaves something to be desired. Some terms are translated quite clumsily: at least everything is understandable.

An overview of the GloryFit super app // Source: NumeramaAn overview of the GloryFit super app // Source: Numerama
An overview of the GloryFit super app

To connect the watch to your smartphone, you must use the GloryFit application, found on the Play Store and on theApp Store. Good news: the application is in French. Bad news: the translation is horrible. Errors in agreement, syntax or simply poorly chosen words: we sometimes get lost in the menus, not really knowing what we are clicking on.

We are afraid to click on this or that menu, wanting to avoid activating an unwanted parameter. The application appears to have been developed in a hurry, with very little stylization and a lot of errors (excessive text for example).

Health measurements and application dials // Source: NumeramaHealth measurements and application dials // Source: Numerama
Health metrics and watch faces in the app

As for the watch interface, you can obviously change the dial (download from the application). There’s even a customizable watch face to change the color of the clock and place an image in the background. Aside from that, a selection of dials (very numerous) around several styles and themes. The big problem here is that there is no sorting: we just waste time looking for the dial that we like the most (or the one that disgusts us the least, it depends on your point of view).

The main problem with this application is the synchronization of health data. While heart rate and step count are well synchronized, sleep or workout history are not. For sleep, you can consult the results of the previous day directly on the watch. But for the last training session, it was impossible to find any trace of it on the watch.

Unreliable health and sports measurements

To get an overview of the reliability of this Jugeman P99, we played sports with it, wearing a Huawei Watch GT 5 Pro on the other wrist, a connected watch ten times more expensive and which offers reliable measurements.

A connected watch that only costs 30 euros // Source: Alfred Tertrais for NumeramaA connected watch that only costs 30 euros // Source: Alfred Tertrais for Numerama
A connected watch that only costs 30 euros // Source: Alfred Tertrais for Numerama

What this shows is that heart rate is measured incorrectly by the cheap model. At rest, it can be fine, but as soon as you increase the beats per minute, the Jugeman P99 does not follow, even after a few minutes. Where the Huawei watch calculated a BPM of more than 160, its “ competitor » did not rise above 110.

A connected watch that only costs 30 euros // Source: Alfred Tertrais for NumeramaA connected watch that only costs 30 euros // Source: Alfred Tertrais for Numerama
A connected watch that only costs 30 euros // Source: Alfred Tertrais for Numerama

As for sleep tracking, we noticed strong differences: the watch detects much more deep sleep and light sleep than REM sleep and waking moments. In fact, it only detected 4 minutes of REM sleep and 4 minutes of wakefulness over an entire night. Where the Huawei model detected 1h40 of paradoxical sleep. Let us nevertheless recognize that oxygenation in the blood is reliable.

Should you buy connected watches for 30 euros?

The question that remains unanswered with our test is the reliability of these inexpensive devices. What about system updates? They are surely non-existent. What about the battery? Most likely it is less well made than more expensive watches. Same thing for the solidity of the screen: connected watches costing more than 300 euros can have solid protective glasses, which can withstand shocks and avoid scratches.

A connected watch that only costs 30 euros // Source: Alfred Tertrais for NumeramaA connected watch that only costs 30 euros // Source: Alfred Tertrais for Numerama
A connected watch that only costs 30 euros // Source: Alfred Tertrais for Numerama

Spend ” only » 30 euros in a connected watch is not a bad idea in itself. For this price, you are entitled to a lot of features, almost all those of a high-end model. What falls short for the price are mainly the finishes: first of all the lack of reliability of the sensors. Our tests show that there is a real difference with reliable models. What also fails is the mobile application. Not at all practical, poorly translated, and with missing menus: we simply don’t want to use it.

Our advice is that it is better to orient yourself towards brand models at the top of the gondola. Huawei, Xiaomi, even Amazfit. At 30 euros, it will be complicated to find a watch, but around 50 euros, several models are available, especially if they are on sale and are already one or two years old. This is the guarantee of having a neat application (manufacturers generally have an application for all their watches, from the least expensive to the most expensive).


Source: www.numerama.com