A Look at the Zepp E Series Smartwatch
Zepp is a new smartwatch company that is entering the space with its Zepp E brand of smartwatches.
When it comes to smartwatches there are basically two different ways to go. Either with an Apple Watch running watchOS or a watch powered by Google’s Wear OS. Here are some first impressions of the Wear OS-powered Zepp E smartwatch.
Zepp E Smartwatch
Zepp E series smartwatches aim to provide simplicity, efficiency, and convenience. The Zepp E Circle and Square have a Pure black 3D glass and Uni-body stainless steel back at 9mm thin. The Circle measures in at 42.2×42.2×9.1mm and the Square measures in at 43.3×35.7×9.0mm with a weight of 32g and 36g respectively. The screen size of the Circle is 1.28 inches and the Square is 1.65 inches. The watches are equipped with AMOLED HD color screens at 326ppi (Circle) and 341ppi (Square).
Both the Square and Circle models have curved bezel-less displays. There are also a few different bands to choose from including leather, fluoroelastometor (fitness ready), and metal Milanese.
The watches last up to 7 days on a single charge with typical use. There is also a basic mode that can extend the longevity to a whopping 15 days on a single two-hour charge.
It uses AI analysis to measure physiological indicators like heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, and sleep.
Zepp E Square
I tested out the Apple Watch-inspired Zepp E Square. But other than the form factor, these two watches operate the same. They both track health stats like sleep, blood-oxygen saturation, stress monitoring, calories burned, and heart rate zones.
The interface is intuitive and easy to use. The watch face of your choice appears when you raise your wrist to glance at the watch. Then swipe left or right up or down to find the app or watch function you need.
The initial setup of the watch is simple enough. You download the watch app (called Zepp APP) and enter some basic info. Then either scan the QR code on the watch to pair it or use Bluetooth.
This isn’t a standard Wear OS watch and you need APP to control the watch. But because it’s a stand-alone app it works on both Android and iPhone. Compared to other smartwatch features the Zepp E isn’t quite there. You won’t find payments, apps, or a built-in music player here. There are a lot of notifications and you can control music playing on your phone from the watch.
The main glory here is the watch’s health and fitness credentials. But with a similar price tag to the Apple Watch Series 3, it has some serious competition. Not to mention from similarly priced Wear OS watches from Fitbit and others. Overall, the watch is very nice, but it seems to fall short in functionality and ease of use.
The charging cable is a bit wonky, too. The dock is oblong shaped and needs to line up correctly on the back of the watch to clamp down. But that is aided by magnets. It doesn’t come with its own power adapter either.
The Zepp E brand of watches starts at $250 in the US and £209 in the UK. It can be purchased from the Zepp E website.
