LIGE Smart Watch for Men (Make/Answer Calls) with 1000mAh, 1.75″ HD Screen Smartwatch with Flashlight, Heart Rate/SpO2/Sleep Monitor, IP68 Waterproof, 100+ Sports Modes for Android iOS, 3 Straps

Right away from the unboxing I had a feeling I would enjoy this watch. It does a lot of things well and depending on what you need one for, you could happily choose this as a low cost, high-value option. But there are some really strong caveats to consider first.Positives:+ wears comfortably despite the massive size+ great build quality (the case and buttons are made of metal, backing is made of plastic for the sensors)+ tons of features+ comes with three (3!!) very comfortable and similar looking silicone straps.+ built in flashlight is very useful+ has a heart rate monitor!! That used to be unheard of a few years ago in watches under $150 but now you can get it for $50 with decent accuracy.+ crazy long battery life. Lost 2% after two workouts and 3 days use.+ uses an app called FitCloud Pro. It can export data to Google Fit+ once you download the app, have access to a large library of dials and featuresNow onto the pain points:- really large – can’t wear it daily on my 6.5″ wrist (for reference I’m 5’8 and 160lbs). I’m sure it had to be big in order to contain the 1000mah battery- not sure about the app functionality- barely received any texts- at times it would disconnect and the default watch dial and settings would return. Very annoying to customize it again- finicky charger that uses magnets to latch onto the connector points. It works if you line it up properly. However, if you accidentally knock it and don’t realize, then you stop the recharging process. This design was most likely to help keep the watch at a certain price point as a cradle charger would cost more- slightly laggy at times- music function works in the most basic sense. However, it doesn’t display the track playing, elapsed time etc. It’s just the same digital button screen with haptic feedback to let you know your input was accepted- no weightlifting function for tracking- why is there no chronograph or timer function? Seems like an odd omission especially considering that there are alarm functions built in.In summary, this watch punched above its weight class and is a solid value – but only if you don’t expect to use it as a daily fully functional smartwatch. The inconsistent receiving of messages and notifications could be a deal breaker for many. As well, if you’re a serious athlete, the 5-10 bpm difference could also make you consider another alternative. That being said, I think this is a fantastic alternative to costlier smart watches on the market… If your wrist can handle it..

What’s Included:- Watch, 3 x black silicone tactical bands (different designs), magnetic USB charging cable, screen wipe, microfiber towel, warranty/support card & a user manual.First Impressions:- I was surprised it came with 3 different watch bands. Looking closely, the bands have slightly different designs/patterns on it for a slightly different look.- It has a very large 1.75” AMOLED display for sharp clear images while using less power.- Display is approx. 43.6mm in diameter (glass only) with a similar viewable area. I always have trouble finding a screen protector for the non-brand name/premium watch brands, so I found that the glass screen protectors for a Garmin Fenix 8 51mm works perfectly as the screen protector is 42mm diameter.- Body measures approx. 54mm wide x 59.5mm long (lug to lug) x 15.1mm thick. The lugs are 24.2mm wide, so it will not work with the more common 22mm bands, so you will need 24mm wide bands.- The bezel has a nice brushed black chrome look and should work with any outfit.- Flashlight integrated on the side of the watch.- Large 1000mAh battery with over 80 days standby time & over 14 days of standard use working time.- The orange crown functions as a button as well as a functional tactile dial. The bottom crown rotates smoothly but only operates as a button.First Use:On initial power on, it brought me straight to the watch face, no setup option. After examining the watch closer, it may have been used/refurbished as the bottom sensors usually has a protective film on it, but this did not and the face protective film was off center. Better QC needed.I went into the settings and performed a factory reset. On reboot, it prompted for language and allowed to skip the pairing process with an app. Being able to skip the pairing is a good thing in my opinion. I was surprised to find it provided an option to set the time & date manually. This is a very rare thing to find on budget smartwatches, and I was pleasantly surprised it had this feature. This allows the watch to actually function as a watch without the need to be paired with a phone/app to use. This is a major plus for me.I found going into the settings, it did not have the option to change the date/time. Further investigation, I found the option to change the time under the menu screen (swipe to the right and scroll down to Time) and you can change the time, but not the date.Checking the settings & menus, I found it allows for continuous health monitoring that checks your heart rate, SpO2 & Blood Pressure/Stress, so you don’t have to manually trigger.Flashlight:The watch also has an integrated flashlight, which is currently not available on the premium smartwatches. It’s situated on the right edge of the watch body. There’s no dedicated button for the flashlight, but the bottom button can be programmed to power on/off the flashlight via a long press (5secs). I wish there was a 4th button on the watch that would allow the flashlight to be turned on/off as this would be more convenient in my opinion. If you use the default watch face, it has functional icons on the screen that can turn on the flashlight and change modes from light to strobe to SOS to Off.Currently, left-handed users get most of the back of their hands lit up and right-handed users will get their entire forearm lit up, so not very useful for righties. Moving the light location to the top edge of the watch as this would be a more ideal location as a left- or right-handed user could use the light.App:The phone uses the FitCloudPro app. Installation was simple and pairing the watch was quick, but you will need to provide Bluetooth and GPS location access in order to pair the watch.The app doesn’t have a lot of options/features but does provide a main dashboard with all the health data, another tab for the adjustable watch settings and your user profile. The watch faces are abundant, but not the best looking.The health dashboard, although does provide results, it doesn’t have very detailed results like I’ve seen on other LIGE watches that use a different app.Sensors:I checked the Blood Pressure function. It takes 60secs to run, which is fairly slow in my opinion. Once done, it showed it was normal, but showed me my value was 42, which was strange as it was only one number and that wouldn’t be considered normal. After further investigation, it seems this is a Stress setting and not blood pressure, so fairly misleading.Heartrate sensor seems ok as it was capable of providing a reading within a few seconds.The SPO2 (Blood Oxygen) sensor was similar to the Stress sensor as it took approx. 60secs to complete.Pros:- Has ability to set the date and time manually without the need to pair with a phone/app.- Sensors for heart rate, blood oxygen level, steps, sleep & stress.- The 1.75” AMOLED display is very large and sharp/bright.- Built-in flashlight on the side of the watch that provides ok lighting when needed.- Comes with 3 black tactical silicone watch bands. These bands have quick release pogos and are 23.6mm wide.- Has a large 1000mAh battery that has been spec’d with over 80 days standby time & over 14 days of standard working time. After 1 week of mild to light use, the battery has dropped down to 90%, so I should be able to get at least a few weeks of use.- The watch can be paired as a Bluetooth device and turned into a speaker. This actually surprised me. Audio sync was perfect (no delay between the audio and lip movement in videos).- Can answer/make calls (if within BT range of your phone) straight from the watch and answering from the watch can also be done, turning it into a speakerphone.- Orange crown on the watch actually functions when rotated in select menus & has a tactile/audible click when turned.Cons:- The FitCloudPro app doesn’t provide a lot of information on health data vs other apps I’ve used.- Flashlight is on the right side of the watch, so it’s ok for left hand users, but doesn’t work well for right hand users. If the light was on the top edge of the watch, it would have worked for both users.- Watch lug/band width is approx. 24mm wide, which is not as standard as the more common 22mm bands, so you will need to ensure you get the proper bands when replacing.- AMOLED display doesn’t have AOD (Always On Display) like other watches I’ve tested.Final Impression:Overall, the LIGE EF12 is a nice budget smartwatch with the ability to manually set the date/time so it can function as a watch without the need for an app. The design looks good in almost any scenario and with almost any outfit as it comes 3 tactical looking silicone bands. Only minor design changes to the flashlight location would make this watch pretty much perfect.At the time of this review, the watch was priced at $45.99, and I would put it above other budget smart watches that can’t manually set date/time