No. 1 is here again with yet another amazing waterproof smartwatch which this time around, is more focused on human well-being. Basically, the smartwatch, its functions, other accompanying features and overall usage (which will be listed below under subsequent headers) revolves around improving sport and fitness of the wearer.
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The smartwatch goes by the codename No. 1 F3 and as the name reveals, the device is an upgrade of the earlier No. 1 F2 smartwatch. The No. 1 F2 rocked awesome specs alongside a very affordable price tag. You can check our full review & video of the No. 1 F3 predecessor (No. 1 F2) to see the full features and unboxing of the smartwatch.
Moving on to the No.1 F3, being a succeeding smartwatch, one would expect it to come with features that far outdo older versions. Well, now is not the time to spill if the No. 1 F3 outdid the No. 1 F2 or not. You are gonna be the judge. So, read on, take notes and pass your judgement.
DESIGN
Colourful Straps
On first glance at the No. 1 F3 smartwatch, the first thing you most likely would notice is the coloured strap. All variants of the smartwatch comes with double coloured straps, a darker colour on the outer strap and a light colour on the inside. And really, I love how No. 1 played with colour combinations of the straps. It gives the smartwatch beautiful aesthetics and definitely adds to the attractiveness.
Before I proceed, I would love to point out a design flaw that seem disappointing. The straps only have one buckle hole on each horizontal lines. Compared to the No. 1 F2 which had double holes on the horizontals. I for one believe that having two holes on a smartwatch strap will strengthen the grip of the watch to one’s hand.
Control Unit
The No. 1 F3 smartwatch comes with a circular form factor and control unit. If you ever saw the No. 1 F2 specifications and review, you would notice how slim the No. 1 F3 is. The device comes with a much thinner thickness (12.8 mm) as compared to the No. 1 F2 with 16.8 mm; a whole 4 mm was cut off. And of course, the services of a priest or a soothsayer isn’t required to tell what this means – reduction in weight/ lighter weight (53 grams). Just so you know, the No. 1 F2 weighed 80 grams, a whopping 27 grams difference.
The control unit (or Dial, like some would call it) comes with a bezel that rotates in a 360° fashion. This is quite similar to what Samsung did on the Samsung Gear 3 smartwatch.
To the left of the F2 dial are two buttons labelled “Light” and “Mode”. The Light button when click, lightens up the dial of the smartwatch should in case you find yourself in a low light environment like night times. The Mode button switches what appears on the screen and what doesn’t. For example, if you want your smartwatch to display your Alarm and but what is on the display instead is the current time, you can keep clicking on the “Mode” button till your Alarm appears.
The other two buttons on the right side are the “Start” and “Reset” buttons.
The dial is made with steel material and comes with IP68 certification which confers the No. 1 F3 smartwatch with water and dust resistance. Unlike any other smartwatch, and being sport-oriented watch, the No. 1 F3 can stay underwater of up to 30 meters depth for unstated period of time. Such an unbelievable water survival depth this watch can withstand. This feature makes the No. 1 F3 one of the best smartwatch for swimmers, divers, canoeing and other athletes whose sport involves dealing with water.
DISPLAY
The No. 1 F3 smartwatch comes not with a LCD or IPS display, rather it comes with the same segment code display that is found on the No. 1 F2. Likewise, the size remained the same (1.1 inch). I know some may be disappointed or displeased as to the type of the display on this watch, but to me, this is a perfect display. Being a segment code display, the device uses way less batteries than it’s counterpart with LCD and AMOLED displays.
The small display is where everything about the smartphone is displayed. Some of the things visualized on the display include the time, temperature, Bluetooth synchronization, camera control, notifications, Altimeter, Sleep monitor, call, SMS and other app notifications.
Synchronization with a Smartphone
I mentioned earlier that this smartwatch is so similar to the No. 1 F2 and there isn’t much of a difference between the two gadgets. Seguing on, the same procedure and technique is required to connect the F3 as in the F2. This smartwatch comes with the latest Bluetooth v4.0 and you can check our well detailed step-by-step tutorial in the No. 1 F2 review to see how to sync this smartwatch with your smartphone. And just so you know, the No. 1 F3 smartwatch supports synchronization with both Android and iOS devices.
Addendum – To sync and monitor your sport and health activities with your smartphone (either Android or iOS), downloading and installing the official No. 1 monitoring app, Fundo Bracelet from your device Play Store is necessary. Also, your smartphone must be running on at least the Android v4.4 KitKat (for Android) or iOS 9 (for iPhones, iPad and iPods). See full details on synchronization in this TUTORIAL.
Storage and Battery
The No. 1 F3 smartwatch comes out-of-the-box with 128 MB of built-in storage. This minute memory is what ensures the proper functioning of the watch’s sensors and monitors (e.g Altimeter, Sedentary monitor, Temperature sensor, Calorie counter etc).
The battery capacity of the No. 1 F3 is another disappointing feature of this smartwatch. The watch comes with a non-removable C2032 battery which has a capacity of 240 mAh. Although the battery is said to be able to last for up to a years (365 days) and has a standby time of 2 years, I believe since this smartwatch is an upgrade to the No. 1 F2 that was released in March, it should have more battery capacity than the F2 (with 500mAh).
Anyway, the battery capacity is decent enough, but could have been better.
Other Features and Sensors
- Pedometer
- Sedentary monitor
- Altimeter
- Calorie counter
- Sleep monitor
- Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp notifications display
- Missed call reminder
- SMS reminder
Pros
- Long battery life.
- Power-saving display technology.
- IP68 certification.
- Nice design.
- Smartphone integration.
Cons
- Smartphone app is not so sophisticated.
- Sign-up process for smartphone app is tedious.
- Lack of touch screen.
- Some features not working (UV monitor and Altimeter)
Just as you can see, the smartwatch pros are more than the cons. But come to think of t again, it is a $18.99 twatch and can at least track your steps, distance, calories, and so on.
Something I notice from the F3 is the absence of thermometer (icon), while it was present in the previous F2 watch, but just not functional. For a watch under that low price tag, you get a full waterproof sport watch that does not look too bad. At least the pedometer, calories monitor, distance counter, Bluetooth and notifications are working fine considering the price.
The device will cost between N7,000 – 7,500 in Nigeria, and you can get a unit within a couple of days.
