The Haylou brand is making more and more waves in the world of technology thanks to impeccable product design and construction, premium user experience but above all an affordable price. The company's latest proposal, theHaylou Solar Neo, is no exception, with an impressive set of features, this budget smartwatch far exceeds its price range, but let's find out more within this review.
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HAYLOU Solar Neo Smart Watch 1.53'' HD Display Bluetooth Call 24H Health Monitoring smartwatch men women Smart Sport Watchs
Design, build quality and display
From the moment we lay our eyes on Haylou Solar Neo we realize that the wearable does not have a distinctive design, they look a lot like the Xiaomi Watch S1 Active, from which it also takes clear inspiration in the materials. The smartwatch shows off a minimalist but captivating aesthetic, with a round case mainly made of polycarbonate with the exception of the bezel around the display, which is made of aluminum alloy and then a high-quality skin-friendly silicone strap with a 22mm pitch and quick release. The unit we received features an elegant silver finish but the watch is also available in classic black.
The dimensions of 48,4mm x 48,4mm x 11,5mm and weight of 48g (with strap) make the Solar Neo surprisingly light and comfortable on both men's and women's wrists. The silicone strap is soft to the touch and does not cause any discomfort, even with prolonged use. The overall build quality is impressive, especially considering the affordable price of the watch.
On the right side we find two buttons, of which the lower one allows you to quickly recall the sports activities that can be monitored but is not programmable, while the upper one, in addition to carrying out the classic on/off and return to home functions, also incorporates a digital crown thus offering the ability to easily navigate between menus and change dials. There is also a speaker and a microphone to manage calls from the wrist and query the phone's voice assistant, without having to take it out of your pockets. On the back of the case there are a series of optical sensors for fitness monitoring and two pogo-pin pads that connect to the charging cable with a proprietary connection.
One of the prominent design elements is the display which, despite not offering AMOLED technology, manages to convey a premium feeling thanks to the reproduction of beautiful, vivid colors and rather deep blacks. We are talking about a 1,53-inch panel with a resolution of 360 x 360 pixels at 60 Hz and a brightness that allows the contents on the screen to be read in any condition but unfortunately there is no automatic adjustment sensor even if the 5 levels manuals still allow you to have the right lighting on every occasion. The display is clear, lively and easily visible outdoors and the large surface available allows a clear and improved view of contents and notifications. We can of course customize the outfit of our Haylou Solar Neo by drawing on the over 150 watchfaces available for free via the companion app.
Battery life
An additional standout feature of the Haylou Solar Neo is its impressive battery life. With a 300 mAh battery, the watch easily reached 7 days of battery life with the display always active via wrist gesture and auto-off after 30 seconds and all sensors and features in use. If you use the smartwatch as a simple wristwatch, the battery life reaches up to 30 days on a single charge. Charging the Solar Neo is a breeze, thanks to the magnetic charging cable that attaches securely and doesn't come off easily. A charge of approximately one hour and 45 minutes provides 100% battery life.
Functionality, performance and APP
While the Haylou Solar Neo represents a budget offering, its feature set is far from basic. The watch is equipped with all the sensors you would expect from a modern smartwatch, such as heart rate monitoring, SpO2 tracking, sleep, stress and female cycle monitoring, which are also active 24 hours a day. Unfortunately, the only thing missing is an integrated GPS. It's also IP68 certified for dust and water resistance, a welcome addition in this price range.
In terms of performance, the Solar Neo offers a smooth and lag-free experience when navigating its menus and native apps. However, it's important to note that the watch only supports one function at a time, so multitasking isn't possible unless you use the timer or stopwatch. I would like to make a negative note regarding the absence of the Italian language in the system menu.
One area where this wearable shines is in its health and fitness tracking capabilities. During our testing, we found step counting and heart rate monitoring to be accurate, with results very similar to other competing but significantly more expensive smartwatches. SpO2 tracking also proved reliable, with readings very close to those of a dedicated pulse oximeter.
The sleep monitoring is another strong point precisely tracking our REM sleep and provided detailed data on the duration and quality of sleep, even recognizing precisely if we got up during the night. At menu level we can decide between 6 different views. For general operation, we can use the touch screen. From the main page we can:
- Swipe up to view notifications
- Swipe down for links to important features
- Swipe right to view feature shortcuts as a list for quick access to weather, sports, health and more.
- Swipe left to view widgets for health, music, weather and other data.
But in addition to the touch screen we can also use this smartwatch via the rotating crown. If we rotate the crown from the initial view, we will immediately change the dial but unfortunately there is no mechanism to lock the dial. So if you press the crown, we will enter the main menu of this smartwatch. We can use the touch screen or the rotating crown to scroll through the menu, very useful if you have sweaty or dirty hands.
You can make and answer phone calls directly from the watch, as long as you're connected to your phone, and the feature definitely works well. Listeners confirmed how clean and clear the voice was, while the surprisingly powerful built-in speaker meant we could hear very well too. A feature that we found quite interesting was the camera remote control, which allows you to take a photo or start a timer using the watch but we can also control music remotely, even while monitoring sports activity.
Also know that there is no Wi-Fi, so for any functionality that requires Internet access, such as weather information, you will still need to connect to your smartphone via Bluetooth, which in the case of the Haylou Solar Neo is 5.3 type with low consumption. With a simple click you can enable or disable the connection for calls. In short, our smart watch seems designed for various scenarios, from traditional to more sporty use.
Speaking of the Haylou Fun app, available for both iOS and Android, it's generally well-designed and easy to use, although it occasionally suffers from bugs and connection issues. The app also integrates major health platforms like Google Fit and Strava, meaning your data doesn't get locked within the Haylou ecosystem. From the app you can access most of the features of Solar Neo including setting alarms (function also available directly from the watch), setting reminders for medications, sedentary lifestyle, drinking water, setting an SOS number to call in case of emergency and of course update firmware and much more.
Smartwatch and sports capabilities
We've seen how the Haylou Solar Neo excels in areas like design, build quality, and health monitoring, but its smartwatch capabilities leave a little to be desired in terms of notifications, which are displayed decently on the watch, but there's no in any way the possibility of answering, nor viewing photos or listening to audio, despite the presence of the speaker and a microphone, whereas in calls these two elements were truly brilliant. We can also call up the smartphone's voice assistant without taking it out of our pocket.
The sports that we can monitor are 127, including some aquatic ones, but strangely, despite the presence of an IP68 certification, we do not find swimming. Naturally, not all 127 sports have dedicated metrics, but for the main sporting activities the data collected is sufficient and reliable to have a complete report on our activity and have a history to compare for possible improvements. Overall I found Haylou Solar Neo to be truly complete, precise and reliable.
HAYLOU Solar Neo Smart Watch 1.53'' HD Display Bluetooth Call 24H Health Monitoring smartwatch men women Smart Sport Watchs
Conclusions
After spending several weeks with the Haylou Solar Neo it's clear that the brand has made a convincing budget smartwatch that vastly exceeds expectations in several areas. The design and build quality of the watch are exceptional, and its health and fitness tracking capabilities are reliable and accurate. I continue to think that if they integrated a GPS we could see the birth of a product that could seriously tread on the toes of more famous brands. I couldn't digest the absence of the Italian language considering that German, French and Spanish are present instead.
Nonetheless, if you're looking for an affordable smartwatch that masters the basics and looks more than good at the same time, the Haylou Solar Neo is definitely worth considering. At the current price, less than 30 euros (on Aliexpress you must redeem the coupon from the purchase page), this smartwatch represents excellent value for money. It's a solid option for those looking for an affordable smartwatch that offers a premium experience without breaking the bank. I'm sure Haylou will continue to update this wearable making it an even more compelling proposition.
