UnicoMarketing: Wearing the InWatch Z smartwatch is like owning a chinchilla – kinda neat, but ultimately a poor decision (REVIEW)

inwatch indoors

The wearables movement, which now seems to be forcing itself upon the world whether it’s wanted or not, has led to a slew of new smartwatch models flooding the market. The trend is no different in China where one of the the strongest contenders, InWatch, launched its latest flagship device over the summer, the InWatch Z.

When InWatch released its first Android-powered watch last year, smartwatch makers were mostly small indie companies feeling out the market on crowdfunding sites. While InWatch still doesn’t have much in the way of competition from domestic hardware giants yet, it now faces off against international players like Sony, Motorola, LG, and Samsung that run on Google’s new Android Wear OS. Soon, Microsoft and Apple will join the race as well.

So how does the Z stack up? First, let’s compare some spec sheets from other Android smartwatches:

On most fronts, the InWatch Z looks good on paper, boasting strong stats paired with a handful of neat tricks up its sleeve that we’ll get to later.

Quick and painful

inwatch email

Let’s start with performance. The InWatch is fast and veteran Android users will feel more or less at home with the custom OS skin built on Android 4.2. InWatch runs on a shrunken version of normal Android as opposed to the newer Android Wear OS made specifically for watch interfaces. Navigation is a breeze and most apps load instantly. The display is crisp and easy to see even in broad daylight, but the tiny text can be hard to read.

Battery life is decent. Assuming moderate use, it will last a day with a working SIM inserted and two without. Charging is fast; 100 percent from a dead battery takes two or three hours. I never felt even a breath of warmth on my wrist, even after intense tasks like recording videos or attempting to play games.

I say “attempting to” because the watch’s touch sensitivity is rubbish. A match three game designed for smartwatches was downright infuriating to play on the insensitive screen. Buttons placed near the bottom edge of the screen, which include characters on the keypad and the camera’s shutter, had me seething from frustration on more than one occasion as I maniacally tapped, pressed, and jabbed. To be fair, the watch has voice input, but my mediocre Chinese wasn’t quite up to the task.

inwatch flat display reflection

The InWatch comes with a proprietary app store, but it currently only offers about a dozen apps. You’ll have to open the browser and painstakingly type in the entire URL to find a third party app store. I eventually got the Amazon Appstore to work, and I was surprised to see just how many well-known apps are actually compatible with the InWatch’s square interface.

But here’s the problem: InWatch’s creators clearly intended to make a smartphone replacement, not a smartphone supplement. With that in mind, apps that forbid simultaneous login across devices get the shaft. If you’re a heavy WeChat user, for example, you’ll have to decide if the app will live on either InWatch or your smartwatch, because there’s no double dipping allowed (unless you love logging in over and over again). Since InWatch’s touchscreen is so finicky and uses a numbered keypad instead of a full keyboard, you’ll probably default to your smartphone. As a day-to-day smart device, the InWatch just isn’t ready to stand on its own.

It’s unfortunate that the InWatch tries so desperately to make its users leave their smartphones behind. It doesn’t push or receive notifications from your phone; apps all work independently of the phone with no interaction; and connecting a phone and the InWatch via Bluetooth serves little purpose other than to facilitate the occasional file transfer. Frankly, the InWatch is both incapable of working with a phone and is a poor substitute for one.

See: Can China’s GEAK smartwatch best the likes of Samsung and Sony? Short answer: no

Oh god, please get it off me

Let me just start this section by saying within three days of using the InWatch, the back panel fell off while wearing it. It just came unglued. So those concerned about build quality should probably look elsewhere (but keep reading, anyway, because I’m about to really rip into this).

inwatch back panel

Unfortunately, the InWatch kept working, which meant I had to continue wearing it in the name of journalistic integrity while the bulky, heavy monstrosity dug into my wrist like a single handcuff tailored for a Minecraft character. The watch is not curved, and it’s huge (nearly twice the weight of some of its competitors), so it sits atop your wrist like a brick tethered to your arm by a stiff rubber strap with sharp corners.

inwatch fat wrist

The Z doesn’t sport an “always-on” display like many of its rivals. When it’s inactive, there’s no time or notifications visible on the face – just an ugly dark square that isn’t even the same shade of black as the bezel surrounding it. Just to check the time, I essentially have to use two hands: one that wears the watch, and the other to hit the button to enable the display. It literally takes less effort to check the time on my smartphone.

Camera is for portraits only

inwatch camera

If you were thinking, “Comfort isn’t an issue. I’ll just swap in a more comfortable band,” think again. The camera is built right into the band, so there’s no removing it. While the camera is actually decent and takes photos as fast as most smartphones, stabbing at the annoying button mentioned earlier will inevitably cause you to autofocus in the bottom corner of the frame. On top of that, all your photos will be taken from chest- to waist-level since you can’t see the display when the camera is pointed forward at eye-level. Enjoy your crotch shots, smartypants.

inwatch camera display

Photos from the 5MP camera came out well, but always in portrait orientation instead of landscape. It’s not as sharp as I’ve gotten used to compared to the 13MP sensor and low-aperture lens on my phone, but colors are surprisingly accurate and vibrant. Bright whites tend to wash out a bit, but the watch adjusts to most lighting scenarios quite well. Action shots will come out blurry unless the photo is taken in bright sunlight. I’ve found one of the toughest issues is being able to actually tell whether or not a photo is good when reviewing it on such a small display. Here’s a few shots I snapped on a recent trip to Hong Kong during the protests:

The permanent portrait orientation is even more of an annoyance when shooting video. I’m not sure what impeded InWatch from simply turning the camera on its side, but don’t expect to take any videos that will look good anywhere other than your phone. The quality meets expectations overall, but the camera noticeably adjusts the aperture while shooting, causing sudden darkening and brightening in the middle of the video. The audio is surprisingly clear. Here’s a sample vid:

Tricks up its sleeve

inwatch clasp

The camera isn’t the only reason the band is irreplaceable. On the outside of the clasp is a hard, black square. Whether you’re in a phone call or playing music, press that black square to any hard surface – a wall, tabletop, or toilet – and it will turn that surface into a speaker. Press it against your temple, and the sound is transmitted directly to your ear, and only your ear. The person next to you won’t be able to hear more than a few mumbles, but the sound will be crystal clear in your head.

Pretty cool, right? InWatch calls it “bone conduction.” I was skeptical at first, but hearing it work in person really blew me away (check out my video below). The only issue is that during calls, it’s necessary to reorient your arm between listening and talking in anything less than a silent environment. Otherwise, the person on the other end won’t hear clearly.

Okay, so it’s a gimmick. But the kind of person who buys a smartwatch these days probably isn’t doing so because they really want a day-to-day smartphone replacement. Like most early adopters with too much disposable income, especially in China, they’re doing it because they think it’s cool. If the buyer wants to feel like a space-age super spy that beams correspondence directly into his brain and talks into his watch, then more power to him.

As long as we’re talking perks, the InWatch also one-ups its mainstream competition by allowing owners to use the SIM card of their choice. 3G is available, but the model I used was meant for China Mobile’s TD-SCDMA data protocol as opposed to the more international-friendly WCDMA. That means I could only get on EDGE (2.5G), so be wary of which you’re purchasing if buying from overseas.

Conclusion

inwatch off wrist

Ultimately, those perks didn’t earn the InWatch Z enough points to win me over. It’s certainly not a smartphone replacement, and most people in the market for a smartwatch would probably be better served by cheaper alternatives from the bigger brands. That said, if you’re just looking to add some novelty and a conversation starter (Chinchilla owners) to your wardrobe with specs to boot, then the InWatch isn’t the worst choice out there.

InWatch Z pros