Smartwatches have come a long way. Initially, they were novel gadgets but now people see them as indispensable accessories in their daily lives. They have become extensions of our smartphones, health monitors, and fitness companions. There’s no shortage of smartwatches on the market, either. Among this plethora of choices, we found the KUMI GW5 Pro smartwatch to be a notable contender, blending style with a suite of practical features.

While it doesn’t really bring any major innovation or groundbreaking features, the GW5 Pro checks all the boxes you’d look for in a smartwatch. You get a reliable, robust smartwatch without breaking the bank. Here’s what I mean.

Design and Display: Aesthetic Meets Efficiency

We were offered a review product and tested it extensively. When I first opened the packaging, the first thing that struck me was the design. I dig the high-definition circular screen, and the silicone strap looks silvery and elegant. It’s comfortable when you put it on and seems pretty durable. I’ve worn it for a couple of months (including for running, swimming) and it’s still good as new with no visible wear.

So in terms of aesthetics, it’s a hit. The circular design also gives it a traditional watch feel, appealing to those who favor a classic look over a modernistic square or rectangular shape.

But the biggest visual draw is the screen. The 1.43-inch AMOLED high-definition circular touchscreen boasts a resolution of 466 x 466 pixels. Let me translate it: it’s more than enough resolution for a smartwatch. This ensures that whether you’re checking messages or monitoring your health stats, you get a clear and vivid screen.

The touchscreen is easy to control and despite being pretty small (compared to something like a phone), I had no problems maneuvering it.

Visibility outdoors is a common challenge for smartwatches, but the GW5 Pro addresses this brilliantly, ensuring that whether you’re under the bright sun or in a dimly lit room, the display remains legible, enhancing the usability of the smartwatch in everyday scenarios.

Setting up and using the smartwatch

The first thing you set is your language. Then, you download the app. You can skip this part if you truly want to, but to make use of the full range of functionalities, you need to get the app as well. After that, you’re pretty much good to go.

I’ve checked the settings and some of my stats several times but really, after the first setup, I haven’t really changed anything about it. You can experiment with a few different styles which is a cute feature but overall, I don’t really see much need for changing the visual style of the screen. Granted, if you like to tinker and tweak visual things, you’ll find a lot to work with. In my case, I just like to set up my watch and leave it to do its job.

I’m not a fan of taking calls and messages on my watch in general, but this is a useful feature, particularly if you like to always be connected. You get a banner-style notification when you get a message. For calls, the Bluetooth connection to the phone works fine when the smartphone is in your pocket or on the table and makes for a smooth connection. You can also pay with NFC which is a useful feature for a watch.

The charging is fast and simple, as you’d expect. However, as far as we can tell, the company does not sell any spare battery charging cables. So if you have a problem with your charger, I’m not sure if you can find another charger that fits. This appears to be a pretty significant concern that I hope Kumi will address by providing chargers for sale.

Battery life is a critical factor for any wearable device. The GW5 Pro’s 300mAh battery will typically last 3-5 days of normal usage and up to 7 days of standby time. This is relatively decent, considering the features it packs. However, battery performance can vary based on usage patterns, especially if you frequently use power-intensive features like Bluetooth calling or continuous heart rate monitoring.

This brings us to what I believe is the core feature of the Kumi GW 5 Pro smartwatch: monitoring your body.

Smartwatch for fitness tracking

This smartwatch is equipped with a variety of health monitoring features, including a heart rate sensor, blood pressure monitor, and blood oxygen level monitor. It also supports over 100 sports modes, providing extensive options for fitness enthusiasts.

Fitness tracking metrics are reliably captured, providing a clear picture of their activities and health. The heart rate sensor, in particular, seems to offer precise readings, which is essential for monitoring workouts and daily health. I went on several runs and workouts using the Kumi GW 5 Pro and another, more expensive alternative. I found no significant difference between them — the tracked metrics were pretty similar.

The only difference that I noticed was that the step counter becomes less accurate when you do something with your hand. For instance, if you drink some water when you run (or walk), in the time when your hand changes its movement pattern, the counter seems to be less accurate.

I found it easy to swap from one sport mode to the other so I’d expect that active people who are involved in multiple types of activities (and want to track them) will find this useful. There’s also a function to set up high heart rate reminders, so you can set up alarms when your heart rate is too high.

The GW5 Pro offers continuous heart rate monitoring and sleep tracking which is another important feature for smartwatches. However, the one fitness feature I struggled with was sleeping. I’m not sure why, but sometimes, it just doesn’t capture all my sleep activity. Overall, it seemed to underestimate the time that I was asleep.

The bottom line

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The Kumi GW 5 Pro is a very good starter smartwatch and is good value for the money. If you never had a smartwatch or want a cheaper product that does a lot of things, this one is definitely for you. There’s fitness tracking for a large variety of activities, it can show messages and take calls, and it can do pretty much everything you’d expect from a modern smartwatch.

This being said, if you’re looking for a more dedicated smartwatch with more specialized functions (like open-water swimming or REM sleep tracking, for instance), this is probably not the watch for you.

To sum it up, if you’re not sure what you want in a smartwatch and just want a jack of all trades, this is probably a good product for you. If you want something more special and advanced (and are willing to spend a bit more), this may not be a good match for you.

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