The MyFirst Fone R1S is a kid’s smartwatch that seems to do it all. We take a deeper dive into this interesting watch and let you know our verdict.
First Impressions
The MyFirst Fone R1S has quite a big screen for a kid’s smartwatch, which was the first thing I noticed about the watch.
You can see the classic watch silhouette has been picked for the design, however there is a good number of gizmos that show the modern, smartwatch capabilities.
This watch came in a cute and fun colourway of baby pink, sky blue and a soft lavender purple that fits the whole idea that this is a smartwatch for kids.
It stands out well, which is what you want as a parent, as you want to be able to locate your child from a crowd easily, so with a bold and bright colourway choice comes a decent safety mechanism too.
Specifications
- Display – 1.3 inch TFT round screen with capacitive touch
- Camera – 2MP front camera
- Battery Capability – 580 mAh
- Operational Talk Mode Time – 6 hours
- USB Charging – 5V, 1A
- Storage – 8GB
- Product Weight – 53g
- SIM Card – NANO
- Positioning – Wi-Fi, GPS, A-GPS
- Wireless Connectivity – GSM, WCDMA, WiFi, GPS
- App Supports – iOS 10.0 & Android 5.0 above
- Supported Languages – English, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Japanese, Korean, Svenska, Norsk, Suomi, Dansk
Design
Rating: 4.5/5
The round touchscreen screen looks very smart, with a small camera propped in the protruding chunk of the body.
I think if you saw this watch in a all-black colourway, or simply a darker tone, you would not be able to tell that this is a watch for kids.
I mean this in a good way as it looks like a straight up smartwatch, apart from maybe a few elements like the big embossed ‘M’ on the rubber strap and the slightly childish buttons.
There are three key buttons on the MyFirst Fone RS1, two on the left side and one big button on the right. These buttons are relatively simple, with one turning on the watch, one for going back a page and the big button for taking a picture.
The watch face itself is big but not too bulky, with an overall lightweight feel to the whole watch. This is good for a kids watch as you can imagine the whining that would go on if the watch was too heavy.
The Fone RS1 is splashproof and solid, making it relatively durable for those chaotic school breaks or when they meet up with friends on the weekends. Whatever your child gets up to, you can have a good amount of confidence that the watch will hold up.
One final design element I would like to highlight is the magnetic charger option that MyFirst have gone for.
This is a great choice for a kid’s product as you don’t have the worry of your child chomping on a USB lightning cord, they simply move the round charger underneath the watch, and it will connect via magnetic connection.
Features
Rating: 4.5/5
The MyFirst Fone RS1 has a good number of features for a smartwatch, with a built in camera that is used for photos but also for video calls, a built in phone, a music player and fun little customization elements such as the choice of background.
Another great feature that helps the whole kids’ element is the built in tracking. The MyFirst Fone RS1 has a GPS tracker that shows the exact location of your child on the MyFirst app that you can link the watch to.
The phone element itself is also solid, with a free sim card that comes with the phone. You simply activate your sim card by following the link displayed on the back of the card, and your good to go.
Your child can also text friends and family on the Fone RS1, with available emojis that add an extra bit of fun to this piece of tech. Texting can be done over Wi-Fi if you are within range, or through the phone network, just like how most smartphones work.
There is a ‘Classroom mode’ that essentially is an airplane mode but for kids. It prevents your child from playing around with their watch, and you can turn this on and off yourself through the MyFirst app.
As for the MyFirst Fone app itself, that too is a handy piece to the Fone RS1’s puzzle. Offering some great services to the parent/guardian of the child, the MyFirst app gives parents control, letting them schedule regular location updates based on time intervals or geolocations, call and text through the app using 4G/Wi-Fi, whitelist contacts, set SOS ‘safe zones’ and track their child’s steps.
The music player system is decent, with the ability to load up any owned songs to the watch by simply connecting the watch to your laptop and transferring the MP3 files over.
The final and in my opinion one of the most important features is the SOS feature. This works by sending a simple ‘SOS’ text to the parent, alerting them that their child could be in danger. This combined with the GPS tracking feature makes the MyFirst RS1 a great option for making sure your child is safe.
Performance
Rating: 4/5
Obviously, the MyFirst Fone RS1 is a kids smartwatch made specifically for kids, so we can’t expect anything crazy in terms of the performance of the smartwatch.
The speed when swiping between screens is pretty good for a kid’s smartwatch. There isn’t a major amount of delay or input lag when switching from screen to screen, although here and there it was quite slow.
The UI overall is clean and simple, with not too many confusing menus that a kid would struggle to navigate. In fact, I think anyone of any age would find the MyFirst Fone RS1 very easy to work, so this watch could even be a decent option for the older generations who have a hard time transitioning to the more technologically advanced products of today.
The speaker performance wasn’t exactly ground-breaking, with a lack of audio quality but again, for a kid’s product, my expectations were not too high. It was slightly crackly at times, with a tinny nature to it that didn’t impress. The main thing is that you can hear you child and the audio quality is good enough for that, with it sounding clear and understandable.
Same goes for the camera performance, with a decent 2MP camera that does what it says on the tin, however it leaves a lot to be desired when you compare it to a usual smartphone or smartwatch camera.
Again, like with the speaker, the main point is that it is clear enough to see you child if they video call you, which for a parent is the minimum requirement.
Obviously depending on how good the 4G signal is in the area your child is in, the video quality will vary, but overall, the camera itself is good enough to communicate with your child via video call.
Conclusion
Rating: 4.5/5
When coming to an assessment for the MyFirst Fone RS1, I think its pretty clear that this is a solid piece of kit. Let’s make one thing clear, this watch is firmly a smartwatch for your child, so do not mistake this for a toy.
It’s ability to keep you as a parent fully aware of your child’s location, stay in contact with them 24/7 through phone networks and 4G/Wi-Fi connectivity and allow you to keep them in check with the classroom mode makes the MyFirst Fone RS1 a sensational option for the more wary parents out there.
The MyFirst Fone RS1 isn’t the most technically amazing smartwatch, but for a kid’s use, it ticks all the necessary boxes that would concern a parent who looks out for their child.
Overall, the MyFirst Fone RS1 is a sound piece of hardware that your child will enjoy, whilst also making life easier for the parents, so I would definitely recommend this if safety is your number 1 priority.
Product Rating
Design: 4.5 out of 5.0 stars
Features: 4.5 out of 5.0 stars
Performance: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
Value For Money: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
Overall ranking: 4.5 out of 5.0 stars – 4.5-star rating
myFirst Fone R1s – 4G Smart Watch Phone for Kids with GPS Tracker Voice Calls Video Calls – Available for £175 via Etsy
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