myFirst Fone R2 Smartwatch

£199.99

Smartphones and smart technology play a big role in our everyday lives, so deciding when to let your child have a phone or when it is too early can be a difficult thing to balance. For many parents, phones are given for safety to allow their kids to get in contact with them quickly whenever necessary. However, with phones, the role of social media, streaming platforms and games could result in more of a distraction than a useful safety device. 

This complicated situation is why the myFirst Fone Smartwatch R2 was developed, which boasts of allowing kids to stay in contact with their parents, take pictures, and maintain good location tracking, all whilst helping parents monitor their kid's health metrics in the process.

The myFirst Fone R2 Smartwatch has been designed for kids to provide everything you love about smartwatches, whilst all in a kid-friendly and durable format. Straight from the box, I was super impressed with the look of the watch. We got to test out the ‘Nougat White’ colourway, which has an off-white band and watch face. The watch looks like many other traditional smartwatches on the market, instead of having a more childlike look that you might expect from a watch that has been designed for kids. I like that they’ve considered the 5-12 age range, and not made a watch that is too ‘child-like’ for the older users, and not too inaccessible for the younger ones.

The watch strap is made from soft silicone, and the watch has a 1.3-inch circular AMOLED screen. The overall feel and look of the watch is super sleek, and its low-profile design means that it sits pretty flush with your wrist and so does not get in the way of everyday activities. The watch monitors everything from heart rate, steps, distance travelled, and location, as well as provides kids with the ability to receive messages from their parents, reply with pre-set responses, answer calls and even take photos using the built-in camera.

This all-around user experience provides many of the benefits that a phone would provide, without the need for a phone at all. The smartwatch uses myFirst Fone’s own eSIM which allows the watch to access its own phone modem, whilst not having the same distractions that screen time provides. This eSIM delivers unlimited 4G LTE high-speed data access and free data roaming, all of which are included with the purchase of the phone for the first month. After the first month, a subscription is however required which does add to the ongoing cost of the smartwatch.

One of my favourite aspects of the smartwatch is the included 5MP camera, which provides an 84° wide-angle lens and allows your kids to take selfies and send them using the watch or the app. Plus, for added personalisation, the watch comes with a whole range of watch faces to choose from designed to make the watch to make each one personalised to every child’s interests.

Overall, the myFirst Fone R2 Smartwatch provides parents with peace of mind knowing they can check on where their kids are, speak to them when needed, and keep an eye on their health metrics, all whilst also allowing them to have more independence every day. The smartwatch is a great choice for parents who aren’t ready to let their kids into the world of smartphones but would like to take advantage of some of their benefits for the daily safety of their kids.

Pros:

• Great functional use for safety and parent peace of mind – monitoring available through the myFirst Fone app
• Comfortable and minimal watch strap
• Has a built-in camera for snaps on the go

Cons:

• Builtin myFirst Fone Sim means that you have to utilise the company’s modem system