This is a review of Vidonn X5 smart activity bracelet. Vidonn available from vidonn - Free Shipping - DX
I have been always curious about activity tracker bracelets, but never had a chance to test and to review one until now. I always thought their typical pricing of $100-$150 was a little too high considering some don't even have a display and rely completely on smartphone to view your stats. But when I got a chance to review the latest Vidonn X5 smart activity bracelet model from DX.com for $39.44, I couldn't pass the opportunity to learn more about it and to share it here with you.
Arrived in a nice clear box, once opened I was surprised not to see any usb cables or charging cradles. Though an instruction booklet was included (in clear English), I decided it will be fun to figure out its functionality on my own. Out of the box, the bracelet was super lightweight; we are talking under 20g lightweight where you don't even feel it on your wrist. Bracelet itself is made out of a soft rubber material which I found to be non-irritating and comfortable to wear the whole day, wet or dry. Yes, this bracelet has IP67 rating to be worn in rain or shine, all day long and even in a shower. Quite amazing considering it actually has 0.49" OLED display and a multifunction button, all securely sealed inside of the main removable unit. Bracelet itself has a double pin clasp which helps it keep securely around your wrist.
There was no sign of usb port cover, and after further examination I found a pair of pins underneath of the actual activity tracker that were holding it attached to the bracelet. Pushing those out assisted in removal of the tracker itself which had a full size USB port connector on the side. Plugged in either usb port of the laptop or your typical smartphone wall charger, it didn't take too long before it got fully charged. With an assistance of OLED screen display, I was able to monitor progress of battery charging - very convenient feature.
A quick search on Google Play found their official app, and after the install and account setup (everything in english), I was able to pair up the bracelet with my Note 2. While using the latest Bluetooth 4.0, Vidonn requires you to have Android 4.3 for a proper pair up. That went smoothly, and after initial setup of personal data (gender, weight, height, age), I was able to start using this tracker. I do have to mention that all the units are metric, so I had to enter all my data in kg and cm. Perhaps moving forward and with increased popularity of this bracelet outside of China, they will add more options including other units and 12hr clock mode since for now it only displays time in 24hr format. But in general, this wasn't a show stopper to start using and enjoying this bracelet.
To preserve a battery life which lasts up to 4 days, the display stays off until you press the main multi-function button. Pressing once displays the time and a battery status. Second press shows you a number of steps, and a third press shows a number of calories burned. The main screen of the app duplicates info for the number of steps and calories burned as well as battery status. In addition, it also provides a distance and a sleep monitor. For a sleep monitor, you have a separate screen where you enter your typical sleep time period where similar to pedometer tracking your steps and converting it into calories burned, during your sleep I assume it checks how much you are tossing'n'turning to track your sleep activity with a same pedometer. As an additional bonus, you can also setup 8 different alarm clocks that will wake you up or will get your attention with a gentle vibration during the day.
A typical tracking and logging of the data is done over s specific time period to reach your goal. But if you are interested to capture temporary step/calories/distance data for right now or during your current workout, you just press and hold main button for 3 sec to enter into Temporary mode where the clock gets reset to 0 and starts counting up along with other tracking activities. Pressing and holding the same button for 3 sec switches it back to a normal tracking mode. I also would like to mention, the button is not too easy to press which is good to avoid accidental pressing. Also, this triangular multi-function button has a rubber texture and a good seal around it to be compliant with IP67 rating of the bracelet.
Overall, I wasn't able to compare features of Vidonn X5 to other popular big brand name activity trackers since I don't have those yet. Perhaps, it does just a basic activity tracking and app itself doesn't look as sophisticated. But the fact still remains that it has a very high quality build and an excellent design details. It tracks and logs all your basic activity info, it syncs with your smartphone, it has OLED display where you can preview all the stats without a need for a phone, and it even has a time display. All that with a capability of battery charge to last 4 days, choice of different color bracelets, no need for proprietary chargers, and a price of $39 plus change (for the black bracelet) - makes it a very attractive product!!! I also noticed someone already added a custom app in the Google Play which means it's only a matter of time before more functionality will be added which I would really like to see with phone call and caller ID display and maybe email/txt notifications.
Here are the pictures.
I have been always curious about activity tracker bracelets, but never had a chance to test and to review one until now. I always thought their typical pricing of $100-$150 was a little too high considering some don't even have a display and rely completely on smartphone to view your stats. But when I got a chance to review the latest Vidonn X5 smart activity bracelet model from DX.com for $39.44, I couldn't pass the opportunity to learn more about it and to share it here with you.
Arrived in a nice clear box, once opened I was surprised not to see any usb cables or charging cradles. Though an instruction booklet was included (in clear English), I decided it will be fun to figure out its functionality on my own. Out of the box, the bracelet was super lightweight; we are talking under 20g lightweight where you don't even feel it on your wrist. Bracelet itself is made out of a soft rubber material which I found to be non-irritating and comfortable to wear the whole day, wet or dry. Yes, this bracelet has IP67 rating to be worn in rain or shine, all day long and even in a shower. Quite amazing considering it actually has 0.49" OLED display and a multifunction button, all securely sealed inside of the main removable unit. Bracelet itself has a double pin clasp which helps it keep securely around your wrist.
There was no sign of usb port cover, and after further examination I found a pair of pins underneath of the actual activity tracker that were holding it attached to the bracelet. Pushing those out assisted in removal of the tracker itself which had a full size USB port connector on the side. Plugged in either usb port of the laptop or your typical smartphone wall charger, it didn't take too long before it got fully charged. With an assistance of OLED screen display, I was able to monitor progress of battery charging - very convenient feature.
A quick search on Google Play found their official app, and after the install and account setup (everything in english), I was able to pair up the bracelet with my Note 2. While using the latest Bluetooth 4.0, Vidonn requires you to have Android 4.3 for a proper pair up. That went smoothly, and after initial setup of personal data (gender, weight, height, age), I was able to start using this tracker. I do have to mention that all the units are metric, so I had to enter all my data in kg and cm. Perhaps moving forward and with increased popularity of this bracelet outside of China, they will add more options including other units and 12hr clock mode since for now it only displays time in 24hr format. But in general, this wasn't a show stopper to start using and enjoying this bracelet.
To preserve a battery life which lasts up to 4 days, the display stays off until you press the main multi-function button. Pressing once displays the time and a battery status. Second press shows you a number of steps, and a third press shows a number of calories burned. The main screen of the app duplicates info for the number of steps and calories burned as well as battery status. In addition, it also provides a distance and a sleep monitor. For a sleep monitor, you have a separate screen where you enter your typical sleep time period where similar to pedometer tracking your steps and converting it into calories burned, during your sleep I assume it checks how much you are tossing'n'turning to track your sleep activity with a same pedometer. As an additional bonus, you can also setup 8 different alarm clocks that will wake you up or will get your attention with a gentle vibration during the day.
A typical tracking and logging of the data is done over s specific time period to reach your goal. But if you are interested to capture temporary step/calories/distance data for right now or during your current workout, you just press and hold main button for 3 sec to enter into Temporary mode where the clock gets reset to 0 and starts counting up along with other tracking activities. Pressing and holding the same button for 3 sec switches it back to a normal tracking mode. I also would like to mention, the button is not too easy to press which is good to avoid accidental pressing. Also, this triangular multi-function button has a rubber texture and a good seal around it to be compliant with IP67 rating of the bracelet.
Overall, I wasn't able to compare features of Vidonn X5 to other popular big brand name activity trackers since I don't have those yet. Perhaps, it does just a basic activity tracking and app itself doesn't look as sophisticated. But the fact still remains that it has a very high quality build and an excellent design details. It tracks and logs all your basic activity info, it syncs with your smartphone, it has OLED display where you can preview all the stats without a need for a phone, and it even has a time display. All that with a capability of battery charge to last 4 days, choice of different color bracelets, no need for proprietary chargers, and a price of $39 plus change (for the black bracelet) - makes it a very attractive product!!! I also noticed someone already added a custom app in the Google Play which means it's only a matter of time before more functionality will be added which I would really like to see with phone call and caller ID display and maybe email/txt notifications.
Here are the pictures.
