By the way.
Some initial testing shows that it really does support VoLTE calls.
No engineering app needed, just use dialer code star # star #4636# star # star and select LTE only.
Then - and this is important - go and update Google Play serives by going to Settings, About Watch and click on the “Android Version” bar.
You will get the real Android 11 setings app and it allows you to update Google - you can see I have updated mine today:
I advise you to set your preferred country in the radio selection options.
You access this by using the code in the dialer again and click on the small 3 dot menu at the top right of the screen:
Anyone else having trouble with the USB-C adapter? Mine only recognizes the cable it shipped with. It won’t charge or connect with any other cable I use.
I have found the cables a bit hit and miss. E.g.: my laptop USBC cable will not charge the watch (but does charge other phones just fine), but I’ve had good success charging with other cables including from car 12v socket.
My first impressions after a couple of days of use:
Probably the first FAW I’ve owned with regards to the user experience that feels like it’s more of a “mini phone” rather than “giant watch with full Android”, as it functions mostly as you would expect a larger Android phone to. I think a lot of this is down to persistent Android navigation buttons on the bottom bezel plus a regular USBC port rather than proprietary adaptor, as well as a decently large screen for a watch.
I am mostly satisfied with performance. A bit laggy at times with some apps, but that’s to be expected and my expectations are low, so all good.
The latch to unlock the watch from its cradle is pretty well designed, and it’s a one-handed operation to both remove and put back in.
The included silicone strap is very comfortable so far.
Screen is pretty good and sharp. Decently legible under most lighting conditions. I’m glad they didn’t round off the corners like a lot of square/rectangular FAWs, so no UI elements are getting chopped off.
Cameras are pretty awful, but again, my expectations are low in this area.
With SIM in and under moderate use, battery life is pretty bad. Even worse of course if you’re running GPS and/or hotspot. Luckily the ubiquitous USBC port makes up for some of this, because you’re going to be charging it pretty often.
Back of the phone got pretty hot to the touch running under load, but never crashed or produced any errors I saw.
Call quality on both loudspeaker and BT buds and headphones has been very good.
It’s a decent chunk of plastic on your wrist size-wise, but very light, so I’ve often forgotten it’s there.
FYI regarding cables.
You need to make sure that the USB C shank is long enough.
Otherwise it will not get inserted into the socket far enough.
The design of the rubber seal plug makes a problem for many cables with a shorter shank.
Nope, it needs certification to exchange secure information between devices.
I believe you can read up about this.
This device is not certified, but basic google apps are working fine.
Battery life is not good, as mentioned.
It may improve if you disable everything you don’t need, and maybe try to make use of Duraspeed.?
Not sure if it even works with Android 11.
The truth is that the M6739 chipset is well known for its heat and battery drain when any network service is being used. We saw it being used quite a lot back in 2018 - 2019 and it was noted for the same issues then.
Just a little better than the M6737 at the time.
Another strange thing is to use the MTK messaging app rather than the Google messaging app…?
Duraspeed has been absent from Android for a few years now.
So, it is odd that it is present here…
My understanding is that the device is using Android 11, but the GMS version is old. Even when it’s security patch is updated, the older version of GMS will take more power due to the older design.
The ODM for this device usually make budget Android mobile phones for the domestic Chinese market. They are new to the world of watches.
They are not licensed to use Google or recognised by Google.
The GMS framework activation fingerprint must be from an older device from the build info we can see - “LUSH_MINT/LM5314G/LM5314G:11/RP1A200720.011/1keys”
We can find out just how old these are easily enough.
The api is 30, which is correct for Android 11.
However, the lack of support from MTK, use of Duraspeed and the highly customised settings app, show us that this is far from an official device.
So just enjoy it for what it is.
A very cheap pocket sized device and personally, I like it.
Cheers
Maybe this helps explain the cable situation.
The black cable comes with the device.
The white one is just a regular USB C cable.
The issue is that the insulation around the plug needs to be minimal so that it fits in to the watch socket surround.
Otherwise the shank cannot get into the socket far enough to make a stable connection.
One thing I noticed about this watch is that the app settings are in reverse. Everything runs in the background. Usually, we go through the process of allowing apps to run in the background.
So yes, working backward and turning off the apps’ background processes saves battery.
Yes, but unfortunately that also depends on the brand and the firmware.
Lokmat version seems to be pretty bad for battery.
They have been back to the ODM about it, but it’s not good.
I’ve tested it and I’m not impressed.
However, if the real battery size is not 1200mah as advertised, then this is probably the best we can expect.
Have to break it open to find out.
yes? And has the chipset mystery been solved?
