A Smartwatch not only enables you to keep track of date and time but also various parameters such as fitness levels and other related elements. Bakeey, a company based in China has recently launched Bakeey SN12 sport watch using which you can measure your health parameters. We recently received a review unit of the Bakeey SN12 and tested the various aspects for several days. Does Bakeey SN12 provide justice to the price? Is it better than other competing smartwatches available on the market? Let’s find out.
Unboxing
The Bakeey SN12 product package consists of the watch, straps, USB charging cable and user manual. We liked the way the product is packaged in a Black shaped box. The user manual is provided in both English and Chinese languages. However, the font size of the user manual content should be larger to enable users to read the basic steps without any strain.
Assembling
To work with Bakeey SN12, you need to connect the straps onto the watch band perfectly. If you turn the watch, you will find two holes on both sides of the top and the bottom portion. You have to take the strap, insert the pin into one hole and use the small metal slider to push the strap to another hole. The process is same for the second strap.
It’s difficult to connect the straps accurately because of the sharpness. Moreover, there is a possibility of causing injuries to your fingers unless you are careful. We would suggest that the manufacturer should connect the straps before packaging so that customers can easily use them immediately after unboxing. However, the strap design will prove useful if you need to change the straps in future.
Charging
We managed to work with Bakeey SN12 smartwatch soon after unboxing without charging. However, you should charge the watch in full capacity before venturing outside with the device. The advantage of the watch is that it comes with a magnetic charging cable. If you turn the watch, you will find four charging points in copper brown color.
The charging cable also includes four magnetic points. You just need to place the charging points on to the relevant rear position of the watch band.
If you connect the charging cable to the points on the rear side of the band, the cable sticks to the Bakeey SN12 smartwatch. However, we noticed that the cable slightly fell down if we moved the watch. It remains to be seen as to how long the magnetic functionality will last.
Usage
To work with Bakeey SN12 smartwatch, you need to charge by establishing connectivity with your computer and laptop. We managed to work easily without charging for the first few days. You need to press the button located on the side panel after removing the charging cable from the computer to turn on the display.
The screen can be locked and unlocked by pressing the button gently. You will view the time, date, month followed by few icons. If you slide the screen left and right, you will view the various settings. The addition of a large display helps you to work with the various options easily.
For instance, if you slide left, you will view settings like heart rate, tool, notifier, health, pedometer, SMS, Settings and much more. You can view the home dashboard again if you slide the screen from the top. If you are not performing any work on the watch, the screen will automatically switch off and the home screen will be displayed.
If you pull the screen from the top of the home dashboard, you will view battery level including the ability to adjust the brightness levels. You can also pull up from the bottom portion of the display to view settings.
As you can see from the above figure, there is minor spelling mistake such as the BP is mentioned as Bip. We are not sure as to whether the company will provide any software update but hope the error will be rectified.
The Settings page helps you to modify various options such as Bluetooth settings, clock, power saving, display and much more. If you select Clock setting, you will view a page with several options. After the completion of the modification, you need to slide the screen to the right to view the main settings page.
The heart rate sensor will be activated as soon as you tap the Heart Rate icon. The Green colored LED will blink on the back after the activation and the system will continuously monitor your heart rate. We liked the manual activation of the HR because in some watches we have seen that this function getting activated all the time, which is a disturbance during sleep.
You can easily monitor Blood Pressure, Oxygen levels, Sleeping habits including keeping track of sedentary and drink related activities. If you activate Drink option, you will be reminded once in every hour from 9 AM to 9 PM.
If your work involves sitting before a PC, you need to take breaks regularly. You can activate Sedentary feature and set the time in the multiples of 30, 60 and 90 minutes. The watch will issue alerts as per the setting, which will help you to take breaks regularly.
If you lose the supplied USB cable, you won’t be able to use the watch. Hence, you should store the cable in a safe location.
The big advantage of Bakeey SN12 is that the watch is resistant to water. We completely washed the watch directly on the running water and the watch worked properly without any fault. However, it will take few minutes for the watch to get dry. You can safely use the watch during bathing and rainy season. If you are on a lookout to buy a premium water-resistant smartwatch, you should try Bakeey SN12.
Sleep tracking
We used the Bakeey SN12 overnight for more than two days to keep track of the sleeping activities by wrapping around our wrist. However, the watch didn’t track the sleep even though the wearable tracker was completely switched on. The user manual says that the sleep tracking is activated by default and we wonder why the watch failed to track the activity. The app also failed to fetch any results from the watch.
Sunlight Readability
We worked with the Bakeey SN12 on direct sunlight. The display was blurred although we could see the time. However, the display panel is not bright as in the indoors. We would recommend the manufacturer to integrate OLED display for improved sunlight readability.
Battery
The battery life of the Bakeey SN12 is not as per the industry standards. You will be able to work with the watch for two days upon full charge. If you are not using the watch for an extended time, you should charge the watch again.
We also noticed that the battery drains completely and settings will sometimes reset to the original mode. You will have to again set the time and date by tapping the Settings icon. However, you should reset the date and time only if required.
Weight
The overall weight of the Bakeey SN12 is higher than other fitness bands such as Mi Band 2 and Mi Band HRX editions. The straps are designed using lightweight materials and are of premium quality. The company has provided several holes and hence you need not have to manually perform any drilling work. Even though the strap is light, the band is heavy for normal usage and also for sleeping. However, it depends upon the body weight of the person. We also noticed marks on the wrists after wearing the watch for a long time. The watch also generates mild heat during usage.
Conclusion
Even though the weight of the Bakeey SN12 is little high, you will be able to adapt to the watch upon continuous usage. It will take few days for you to adjust to the weight of the watch. The scenario will change depending on your body weight. The watch ships with several features such as BP, Oxygen, Sleep including important factors such as Sedentary reminder. You won’t be able to find a combination of all the features in other competing fitness trackers.
The battery life and sleep tracking are not satisfactory but you can use the watch as a friendly alternative for expensive trackers. You can charge the watch easily by connecting to the laptop or even a powerbank. You can also use the watch as a desk accessory to provide a style statement.
The booting time is quick and you can work with the watch within minutes. The large display helps you to work with all the features embedded with the watch. If you are not worried about the weight, then you should purchase Bakeey SN12 from Banggood because of the low cost and addition of all the major fitness-related features.
Bakeey SN12
39.99
Pros
- Large Display
- Plenty of features
- Ability to monitor BP, HR and Oxygen
- Lightweight straps
- Magnetic Charging
- Long Charging Cable
Cons
- Heavy
- Sleep tracking issues
- Poor sunlight readability
- Manual in small font size
- Sharp strap connectors
