Today, we're going to talk about an affordable smartwatch that might catch your eye, especially if you're looking for a capable smartwatch that also offers premium features like wrist-based calls. The Haylou Solar Lite 2 is the brand's new entry-level model, and despite its affordable price, it has managed to offer a quality product that doesn't compromise on essential features. The Solar Lite 2 aims to redefine how an affordable smartwatch should look and perform, pushing the limits to the max. With its elegant design and extensive features, this smartwatch is ideal for tech enthusiasts on a budget. In this review, we'll explore every aspect of the smartwatch so you can gain an in-depth understanding and decide whether to purchase it.
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HAYLOU Solar Lite 2 Smartwatch 1,43 inch AMOLED Display 24-Hour Health Tracking 150+ Sports Modes Voice Calls 1ATM Smart Watch
Unboxing experience
The unboxing experience of the Haylou Solar Lite 2 smartwatch doesn't reveal any particular richness in terms of the contents of the package, which appears well-made and doesn't make the product feel cheap at all. The smartwatch itself is well-protected in a foam insert, ensuring its safety during transport. Underneath, we'll find a charging cable with magnetic attachment via a pogo pin and a user manual with instructions on how to set up and use the smartwatch.
Build quality
The Haylou Solar Lite 2 boasts an elegant, contemporary design that perfectly blends style and functionality. The 1,43-inch AMOLED color display with a round dial is meticulously designed to offer excellent on-screen data visibility, even in direct sunlight, thanks to a 466x466 pixel retina resolution. The size strikes the perfect balance between readability and comfort, thanks in part to a slimline thickness of just 9,8 mm. Despite the product's affordable price, the zinc alloy case lends a premium feel, while the hypoallergenic 22 mm strap features a quick-release buckle and is therefore easily replaceable with other commercially available options.
On the right side of the watch's crown are two buttons, the lower one for accessing the fitness tracking feature. The system menu is navigated via the touchscreen, with fluid and intuitive navigation. The ergonomic design fits perfectly on the wrist, allowing for extended wear without discomfort, even overnight, thus allowing for comprehensive sleep monitoring. The watch's soft curves and clean lines create an aesthetically pleasing profile that effortlessly complements any style or occasion.
But what I liked is that it's well-made and designed to work reliably. We often come across budget watches that have flashy features or try to imitate high-end models to attract attention. The Haylou Solar Lite 2's durability extends to its display, protected by tempered glass with excellent scratch resistance and a good oleophobic coating. This ensures the watch's dial stays pristine and free of unsightly smudges, even with regular use.
On the back of the smartwatch, where it meets your wrist, there are various sensors for heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, and stress analysis integrated into a slightly raised circular area, and, above, there are two small magnets for connecting the charging cable. The Solar Lite 2 smartwatch is available in two colors: the model I have here is the gunmetal case variant, which includes a black silicone strap, but there's also a silver case version with a white strap.
Solar Lite 2 is waterproof
In terms of build quality, Haylou's wearable exceeds expectations: it's designed to meet the demands of an active lifestyle and withstand various environmental conditions. It's waterproof up to 1 ATM, although we can't track swimming. I ran a couple of tests to check its water resistance. The watch easily withstood being hit with a standard jet of water from all angles, and I even left it submerged in water for 30 minutes, and it continued to function perfectly.
Display
The Haylou Solar Lite 2 smartwatch's display is a key component that plays a significant role in providing a clear and interactive user experience. The 1,43-inch AMOLED panel features a resolution of 466 x 466 pixels. This provides a perfect view of all on-screen content and notifications, and it also features the AOD function, which can also be used for sports tracking. Unfortunately, there's no automatic brightness adjustment; you'll need to adjust it manually, although a 50% setting will cover almost all everyday situations, both indoors and outdoors. The smartwatch remains surprisingly bright and readable, and its quality can be enhanced by combining over 200 watchfaces available for free in the companion app. Whether you prefer a classic analog design or a modern digital interface, you'll find a variety of options to suit your tastes.
Haylou Fun App
Like any smartwatch, the Solar Lite 2 would be nothing without its companion app, Haylou Fun, which serves as a hub for all your health and fitness data. The app's home page offers comprehensive insights into your activity levels, sleep habits, heart rate data, and more. The app's user interface is clean and intuitive, making it easy to navigate and access the information you need. You can customize various watch settings through the app, such as notifications, watch faces, and activity goals. You can also view historical data to track your progress over time.
User Interface and Gestures
The Haylou Solar Lite 2 smartwatch's user interface is designed to be intuitive and easy to use, offering a seamless experience for navigating its various features and functions. The smartwatch uses a combination of touch controls and gesture-based interactions to ensure smooth and efficient operation.
- By swiping down from the top of the screen, you can access quick toggles. From here, you can quickly access features like the flashlight, battery saving mode, do not disturb mode, settings, turning Bluetooth on/off, and more.
- Swiping from left to right (or vice versa) we find some summaries such as daily activity, heart rate, SpO2, sleep monitor, stress, weather, music control and quick access cards (phone, alarm, stopwatch).
- Swiping up from the bottom of the screen opens the notification panel. This panel displays incoming notifications from your connected smartphone, including text messages, calls, social media updates, and more. You can't reply to, view photos, or listen to voicemails, and notifications aren't fully synced with your phone, meaning if you read a notification on one device, it's still unreadable on the other.
The full menu is accessed via the top button, while the bottom button allows us to quickly access the sports to monitor as physical activity.
Health and fitness tracking
The Haylou Solar Lite 2 isn't just a stylish accessory; it also excels in its fitness and health monitoring capabilities. With a range of sensors and advanced features, this smartwatch is designed to help you monitor and improve your overall well-being. First and foremost, the highly accurate heart rate monitor uses a sensor and a revamped algorithm to measure your heart rate in real time, providing valuable insights into your cardiovascular health. Whether you're doing intense workouts or simply monitoring your resting heart rate, this feature ensures you stay informed about your heart health.
In addition to the data collected, we also have a stress monitoring feature that uses heart rate variability to assess your stress levels. By analyzing subtle changes in your heart rate, the smartwatch provides insights into your stress levels and suggests breathing exercises or relaxation techniques to help you effectively manage stress. The built-in accelerometer allows you to accurately track your daily steps, distance traveled, and calories burned. This data can be useful for monitoring your progress and setting goals to stay active and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Also mentioned is the sleep monitoring feature, which monitors your sleep patterns and provides a comprehensive analysis of your sleep quality. Sleep duration, sleep stages, and sleep interruptions are metrics that help you understand your sleep habits and make the necessary adjustments to improve your sleep efficiency. In terms of accuracy, the Solar Lite 2 smartwatch provides reasonably accurate readings for heart rate and sleep monitoring. However, it's important to note that it may not be as precise as medical-grade devices, while the step count for sports activities is quite surprising, with an overestimation of only +1.4% (1014 steps are counted out of 1000 actual steps).
To further improve your well-being, the Haylou Solar Lite 2 offers sedentary reminders, which prompt you to move and take breaks after prolonged inactivity. This feature encourages you to maintain an active lifestyle and avoid prolonged sitting, promoting better circulation and overall health. You can also receive reminders to drink water and take your medications.
Additionally, the smartwatch offers multiple sports modes with over 150 available, allowing you to optimize your workouts based on your favorite activities. Whether you're running, cycling, hiking, or practicing other sports, the Haylou Solar Lite 2 can accurately track your performance and provide details such as pace, duration, and distance traveled. This information helps you analyze and improve your training sessions for better results. However, for outdoor sports, you'll need to use your phone, as it requires GPS, which the watch doesn't have.
Notifications and calls
The Haylou Solar Lite 2 smartwatch offers the opportunity to receive alerts and notifications directly from your smartphone on your wrist, ensuring you never miss important updates or messages but above all to also manage calls via Bluetooth 5.4 connectivity and of course the speaker and microphone integrated into the watch, with which, for example, you can also give voice commands via the voice assistant function that will act as a bridge between the watch and the smartphone.
You can customize which apps you receive notifications from, but it's important to note that the watch's screen is limited, so the amount of information displayed is limited. However, there are no sound alerts for notifications or alarms—only vibrations. For calls, you also receive an audible alert. However, phone conversations are excellent, and the audio returned during calls is crystal clear and at a good volume.
Autonomy
Battery life is a key consideration when choosing a smartwatch, and the Haylou Solar Lite 2 excels in this regard. Thanks to its efficient power management and impressive battery capacity, this smartwatch guarantees long battery life while managing all your daily activities. The Solar Lite 2 features a built-in 300mAh battery, allowing for extended use without the need for frequent charging. The smartwatch comes with a magnetic charging cable that connects to the device for easy and convenient charging; it typically takes 2 hours to fully charge.
As for battery life, on average, the smartwatch can last up to 10 days on a single charge, with no limitations unless you opt out of the AOD feature, which brings battery life to about 5 days. This is still impressive compared to many other smartwatches on the market. It's important to note that battery life may vary based on several factors, including screen brightness, activity tracking, app use, and notifications.
HAYLOU Solar Lite 2 Smartwatch 1,43 inch AMOLED Display 24-Hour Health Tracking 150+ Sports Modes Voice Calls 1ATM Smart Watch
Conclusion, price and where to buy
The Haylou Solar Lite 2 is competitively priced, making it an affordable option for those looking for a feature-rich smartwatch. Despite its competitive price, it offers an impressive array of features and functions. It offers excellent build quality, reliable sensors, a user-friendly interface, fitness tracking, health monitoring, notifications, and more. Furthermore, despite its affordable price, its long battery life further enhances its value.
The Haylou Solar Lite 2 smartwatch is a top-of-the-line product that you can find directly on the brand's official website or through their shop hosted on AliExpress, where you can also redeem a coupon that further reduces the already low price. Be careful, this offer is for a limited time, so hurry.
