The Imoo Z6 is the latest smartwatch aimed at kids after we recently reviewed the Imoo Z1 Kids Smartwatch. The Z6 watch continues the trend by adding features you would expect in an adult smartwatch.
Who is Imoo?
Imoo started back in 2012 with a focus on children’s smartwatches with the Z6 model being the latest offering. Imoo can be found on the likes of Amazon and the brand actually has physical stores in the likes of the US, Parts of Europe and Australia.
First Impressions
When you first get to grips with the Z6 the key features include a flip-up display, dual cameras and even a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor inside this smartwatch. The cost of this kids smartwatch is £199 which is more expensive compared to the Z1 which costs £99
Unboxing
I was very impressed when I received the Z6 the packaging really did make you think the watch was more expensive than it should be. The Presentation imoo provide for the Z6 makes you feel this could be a fantastic product. See below what they have done:
Also in the packaging is that proprietary charger that has a USB-A port at one end which is useful as you can plug in anywhere.
Design
The imoo Z6 comes in two different colours green or purple and most recently a red/blue spiderman special addition. The strap is normally black on the outside with the colour of the watch on the inside.
The watch we are reviewing is the purple Colour version of the Z6. The Z6 has a unique design it has a 1.6 AMOLED touchscreen display with a resolution of 320 x 360 pixels. The AMOLED Display on this kids smartwatch offers a colourful and bright display with the UI working quite smooth considering.
Imoo has also made sure this watch is hard-wearing with the use of Gorilla Glass as well as a screen protector. It is a child’s watch after all. In terms of controls, it’s mainly a touchscreen but there is a physical button to the side which is effectively just the power button and a quick tap will wake the watch up. More on the touchscreen controls later.
Last but not least this watch comes with 2 cameras an 8MP sensor to the rear and a 5MP sensor at the front of the watch. It’s handy for capturing memories but just don’t expect award-winning photos they do provide strong competition against its rivals.
The Z6 offers a very unique feature when you go to charge the watch it comes with a USB-A cable that has a magnetic connector that will charge the watch by the pogo pins. To reach the charging pins you will see a release button at the top of the Z6 just below the front-facing camera. The watch will then pivot and will reveal the charging pins. Also on the rear of the watch is the rear camera and sim card slot.
Once you have charged the watch and also inserted a nano-sim card into the watch you are required the download the imoo watch app from the App Store or Google Play Store depending on your device then scan the QR code you can pair the watch and your phone together.
Using the Z6 smartwatch is also very easy to do for example a swipe to the right offers a shortcut to your contacts and a swipe to the left and you have access to your apps but will need to scroll the page to get the app you want.
When back to the home screen a swipe down shows any notifications you might have. Last but not least the button on the side of the screen brings you back to the home screen or simply turns off the screen when not needed.
Under the Bonet
The Imoo Z6 comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 2100 now this chipset may not be the most up to date offering available today. However, paired with the 512MB RAM and 8GB of storage everything works without any issues.
Battery life is also another area where this smartwatch performs well we tested it with the Wi-Fi and location-enabled features both on and we got about 2 days of life with medium use. This is due to the 680mAh battery, as you will understand this is not always the case depending on the use such as the number of calls and video chats you have this amount of battery life will reduce.
When it’s time to recharge the watch it takes 2 hours to fully charge and when complete you will get a notification via the app downloaded on your phone.
My only negative when it comes to the battery life is If you want to see the level of battery life the only way to do this is placing the watch on the charger which seems a little pointless as I may as well just give it a full charge. In up and coming models it would be nice to see the battery percentage on the home screen.
Front/Rear Cameras
As mentioned you get an 8MP lens to the rear and a 5 MP lens at the front. The photos that were taken on the Z6 actually come out really well as long as the areas are well lit.
The front-facing camera which when lifted has this robot image before the camera goes live.
Image showing the rear camera on the Z6
If you are trying to take pictures with the watch in low lit areas then as you might expect you get more of a grainy image. The front and rear cameras also allow you to do autofocus and the results are decent but when at full zoom the images could become unrecognizable. Below is a range of images taken using the Z6.
Zoomed in picture on the Z6
The Imoo Watch App
The Imoo Z6 needs the companion app to fully use the features available. Within the app, you can add family members to the contacts list and also enable the reject unknown calls feature and also go through the settings.
The app also allows you to download a few apps such as:
- Race
- Shake
- Daily Schedule
- StopWatch
Within the app you also have something called class mode what this does is disables all but one of the functions on this watch. It allows your child to tell the time but stops them from playing with the watch when they should be learning at school. However, if an emergency occurs the watch still allows the child to call their parents.
When not learning the daily Schedule is useful for setting reminders and important dates. The app also has a loss setting so if your child did lose the watch it allows you to lock the watch and trigger its GPS to show its location.
The app also allows you to text, call and also have voice chat directly with your child allowing you to keep in contact. You also send photos and videos from the app to your child and also send via the watch to the parent or friend.
I found when testing this watch, making a video call was the best of all things I can do on this watch and it’s mainly due to the fact the Z6 can flip up which creates a frame. When making video calls you can switch between the front and rear camera and also take still photos all while still on the call.
It’s not just the child that gets all the fun the parents when talking to their child can also switch the camera view to double-check on the surroundings. This is useful if you need to figure out where your child is describing in terms of location. The GPS in this watch also shows a map at the bottom of your display. However, a negative when it comes to using the app is its security Guard app (Geofencing) the app is completely pointless as the safe zone the watch is connected to is a Wi-Fi area so if your child is out of that range this app is completely redundant.
The only way this works is if you add the school Wi-Fi and then as long as the watch is in range it will notify when the child enters or leaves that area. This method just seems to create more hassle than needed if you ask me.
Verdict
Imoo has produced a great smartwatch for a child’s first steps into independence but at the same time gives the parent some control. We found the battery to perform quite well compared to rival products on the market.
Things I was not impressed with was the connectivity. When connected to Wi-Fi you have no issues but when it runs on its own cellular connection it struggled to keep the connection. This could be down to my location and I will update this review when I have taken it in different areas to further test.
I also feel that Imoo has missed a trick with the lack of step count via the app. Yes, you can view steps directly on the watch but you might have expected the app to keep a record of steps just like you have with adult smartwatches like Apple.
The only other slight negative I have is the cost of £199 it might put some people off as it could be out of their price range but if you can afford it and can look past the lack of step count. It’s worth considering and would make a great birthday present.
Overall, The imoo Z6 offers a well-designed children’s smartwatch I especially like the Spiderman colour design but the other 2 options also make this watch stand out. I found the flip-up feature for using the rear camera to be a cool feature especially if you view the footage on that rear camera so you can get a better understanding of the child’s location if they are after a lift home.
If they can fix the geofencing feature and the issues around the connection. They will have an excellent product but it’s that issue that prevents me from giving imoo full marks.
Product Rating:
Design: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
Hardware: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
Cameras: 3.0 out of 5.0 stars
Imoo App: 3.0 out of 5.0 stars
GPS/Connectivity: 2.0 out of 5.0 stars
Value for Money: 3.0 out of 5.0 stars
Overall Rating: 3.0 out of 5.0 stars
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