HAYLOU RS5 – The smartwatch that gives the middle finger 🖕 to everyone else
Haylou is now a certainty in offering complete low-cost smartwatches and therefore we wonder if the new models can do better than what we have already seen? The answer is yes and in fact today we are talking to you about the new Haylou RS5, at first glance not very different from the models already reviewed but I assure you that once it is turned on you will notice the difference. I'll tell you everything in this review.
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We are talking about an extraordinarily cheap smartwatch but equipped with a large and bright AMOLED display which also boasts a 60 Hz refresh rate and AOD (Always On Display) functionality. The build quality of the Haylou RS5 is high, offering an aerospace metal case while remaining light on the wrist and therefore comfortable to wear all day even while we sleep. The software does not differ from other Haylou brand wearables, that is, a very light operating system, closed source and designed to absorb as little energy as possible, while providing a fairly decent experience. In short, if these few lines have intrigued you, continue reading and you won't regret it.
DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION QUALITY
Haylou RS5 comes with a rectangular case made of aerospace metal whose dimensions are 50,5 x 38,5 x 10,5 mm and a weight of 51 grams including the strap. Speaking of straps, 2 are supplied inside the package, 1 of which is made of skin friendly silicone, suitable for sports in all conditions and a second strap in woven nylon, more comfortable and cooler. In any case, the pitch is 22 mm and the release is quick, so additional straps are easily available to customize the overall outfit.
As mentioned before, the case frame is made of metal while the back is made of polycarbonate, which is quite resistant and not annoying when in contact with the skin. There are also some unique goodies in the price range of our Haylou RS5, namely the presence of a speaker, microphone and digital crown which can be used to navigate the operating system, as an alternative to touch. The rotation is not very smooth and a sort of friction is perceived, but overall it does its job perfectly which specifically turns out to be that of entering the watch menu and scrolling through the options.
Moving on to the back, we find a circular protuberance where it is possible to see the heart rate detection area but also for the SpO2 value, being equipped with sensors dedicated to the two functions. A little higher there are two magnetic pins to which the magnetic charging cable with proprietary attachment can be attached. The IP68 certification should be mentioned, even if we do not find the possibility of monitoring swimming or water sports at a software level, but you can take a shower and a swim with complete peace of mind.
DISPLAY
The Haylou RS5 has a 2,01-inch AMOLED curved display whose resolution is equal to 410×502 pixels with a 60 Hz refresh rate, something that I want to underline as it is very difficult and rare to find on this range of price, allowing top fluidity in panel scrolling and animations.
AMOLED technology means having deep blacks and clean whites, without color variations which in addition to the 1000 nits of brightness offered by Haylou's wearable, make me decree that the panel in question is the best I have seen in circulation (always in reference to the band price). High readability of the contents on the screen in all conditions, even on the beach and then the over 100 watchfaces (also customizable with personal photos) available via the companion app, will not make you look bad in terms of beauty. Another gem not to be underestimated, at least for those looking for it on a smartwatch, is the presence of the AOD (Always on Display) function. The function does not follow the watchfaces but it is possible to choose whether to have the AOD digital or analogue, showing the time and date but keep in mind that the battery life with the AOD active will drop drastically. Personally I haven't used it also because it is possible to wake up the display with the convenient gesture of the wrist. Too bad for the absence of a sensor for automatic adjustment of the display brightness.
HARDWARE AND SENSORS
The Haylou RS5 is very new on the market (at the time of writing), so I can't give you the technical data of the watch's components, but ultimately what matters is knowing that the sensors used allow you to monitor a state of complete health. In fact, we can monitor heart rate, SpO2 value, sleep (even naps), calorie counting, stress, female cycle, obtain health reminders (sedentary lifestyle, medicine reminder and drinking water) and also blood pressure, albeit for this last value the result is not entrusted to a dedicated sensor but to an estimate of the trend of the rest of the values, therefore not very precise.
The connection to the smartphone occurs via Bluetooth 5.2, so the coverage before disconnection is 10 meters and this allows us, in addition to exchanging data with the application, to also manage Bluetooth calls and issue voice commands using the virtual assistant of the telephone. Unfortunately there is no GPS module that makes sports monitoring independent from the smartphone.
Haylou RS5 is not a sportwatch but the training section present in the operating system is very well populated, offering up to 150 activities as a sports option, but I reiterate the absence of swimming and underline that not all sports offer dedicated metrics, therefore the many activities , in reality they only serve to label what has taken place and not to obtain ad hoc values for certain sports. The sensors are quite accurate, especially in those activities where you start slowly and then gradually increase, while in activities where the heart rate fluctuation is more dynamic, the Haylou RS5 always remains one step behind in instant measurement, but overall the data collected on the sports health or in any case daily data, such as step counting, were reliable and in line with more expensive wearables.
SOFTWARE AND APPLICATION
I would like to point out that at the moment the watch software does not speak Italian but only English. That said, the app needed for Haylou RS5 is Haylou Fun (available for Android and iOS) and pairing involves scanning a QR code from the smartwatch display. Please note that you cannot use the smartwatch without first pairing it with the app. We can manage the reception of notifications from here, customizing which apps on the phone receive them from, but we can also set weather and call alerts as well as customizing the dials (all free) and of course consult the statistics of daily activity, exercise logs , sleep and much more. The only negative thing I found was that the data synchronization time is not fast and sometimes you have to wait up to a minute. From the app (but only for Android) we also have the possibility to customize quick replies via SMS. Notifications in general can only be read but cannot be responded to and the emoji is not always displayed.
As already mentioned, the watch is moved using touch and digital crown. The interface does not mimic that of Apple, as happens with other products, but we still have 3 types of menu interfaces available. There is no shortage of health monitoring functions, for example cardio, stress, SpO2 etc.. but also play music remotely from your smartphone, control the camera and make calls with access to your contact list as well as giving voice commands to our assistant.
The conversation quality is excellent, with a good listening volume without the voice sounding metallic or robotic, but naturally the advice is to make calls in normal conditions and not in very noisy environments, also for privacy reasons.
AUTONOMY
The Haylou RS5 is equipped with a 300mAh battery, whose duration declared by the manufacturer is 9 days with normal use, a value I confirmed, personally reaching 8 days with all functions active, lots of notifications and calls. If you decide to keep the AOD, the battery life drops to 3 days. Overall, this is excellent performance in terms of battery life.
CONCLUSIONS AND PRICE
The Haylou RS5 is an interesting upgrade over the RS4, offering a better display, much more impressive battery life, and a sturdy build. But is it the cheapest smartwatch par excellence? I won't deny that it offers great value for money, so it's a solid choice, but I'd also keep an eye on theHaylou S8 as it is another phenomenal budget smartwatch.
