ROLLME S08 review
The wearables market is becoming more and more marked, even if users often get confused in choosing a smartwatch rather than a sportwatch to which the classic fitness trackers are added, but there is a market niche that still stretches towards a very particular ideology of wearable, that is to wear a real smartphone on your wrist. So here we are today talking about ROLLME S08, which offers a circular dial, a quadcore processor and the possibility of using a SIM for calls and more with 4G navigation.
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SALES PACKAGE
The ROLLME S08 smartwatch is contained in an elegant black packaging completely made with leatherette effect texture, and a gold-colored writing on the top and adhesive with technical specifications and IMEI on the back. Inside, all the magic of the jewelry effect begins to fade, immediately finding ourselves in front of a majestic watch with a 50.6 mm case that conceals a quick guide in English and Chinese, as well as 2 boxes. In the first we find a strange suction cup tool that will be used to access the SIM compartment of the smart watch, a USB charging and data transfer cable, with proprietary magnetic coupling via 3 pogo pins as well as an additional USB - Micro USB cable which instead it will perform the data transfer function once it is connected to the base contained in the other box.
A base that will allow us to connect to the PC via the cable just mentioned which will also serve to charge this base, as it also acts as a powerbank, integrating a 2200 mAh battery. A brilliant solution or that perhaps heralds a poor autonomy of the ROLLME S08, therefore having to turn to this accessory during the day. I found the use of white cables of little style when the dominant color of the product is black, but above all I did not digest the absence of a screen protector film, which would certainly have benefited the product, considering the generous dimensions of the case.
MATERIALS AND DESIGN
On this ROLLME S08 we find a mix of materials that are also quite precious, such as the crown made of ceramic while the rest of the body is made of plastic, which, however, unlike ceramic, returns a cheap appearance. The strap is made with a soft silicone and offers a quick release attachment with a 28 mm pitch, ideal if we want to replace it, which you will certainly do, because keeping it on the wrist during some activity that leads to sweating, will return a considerable discomfort.
There are two loops to better ensure the closure of the strap which takes place via a steel buckle with the engraved brand logo, thus avoiding the flag effect. We cannot fail to mention the exaggerated dimensions of the thickness of this ROLLME S08, reaching a value of 18,5 mm, transforming this watch into a pataccone, also considering a weight of 90 grams. A decidedly out of place design on each wrist, further aggravated by the presence of two buttons on the right side, made of bad quality plastic and above all very protruding.
The upper button allows us to turn on / off the display and to enter a sort of quick menu in which to turn off, restart, activate the energy saving mode, enter the task manager and manage the view (square or circular) of the applications. Useful function when we use apps like Play Store with side menus that we cannot access with full screen view. The lower button instead performs only the back function. Also on the left side of the case we also find the presence of an 8 MP camera, whose usefulness and operation will be analyzed later together with a second 8 MP camera, which we find instead on the front of the ceramic crown to which it is associated. also the system microphone. A microphone that goes hand in hand with the speaker positioned on the left side of the clock, as with the ROLLME S08 we can make and receive calls, by means of a SIM in nano format that also allows navigation in 4G with full support for all mobile telephone operators, by virtue of the support also for the 20 band.
In any case, phone calls can only be managed by the SIM of the watch and therefore we cannot answer those arriving on our smartphone connected to the watch. On the back, also made of plastic, instead there is a small sensor for detecting the heart rate, the pin connectors for charging and precisely the door that hides the housing of the nano-type SIM card. The opening mechanism is very particular, passing exclusively from the supplied tool ... a real problem if you should lose it.
To end the general overview of this ROLLME S08 I can only say that the pronounced weight, in tandem with the dimensions, makes themselves very felt in use, making the watch decidedly uncomfortable after a few minutes, even for those who have a wrist as big as mine.
DISPLAY
We feast our eyes on the circular dial of this ROLLME S08, which adopts a large 1,69-inch display in IPS technology with a resolution of 450 x 450 pixels of a single touch touch type. There is no sensor for the brightness, which will be calibrated through 3 levels accessible by the quick toggles or in a fine way, browsing through the system settings.
However at the highest level, the display is clearly visible even in sunlight. The touch, on the other hand, is not always reactive while the overall colors are all in all vivid and clean. The company informs that the display is protected by a Corning Gorilla Glass 4 glass but probably, defect of our unit, this has not proved particularly efficient, considering that during the tests we have found a rather important scratch.
HARDWARE
To power the entire ROLLME S08 system we find a MediaTek MTK6739 CPU, quadcore with clock frequency up to 1,25 GHz supported by 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of non-expandable internal memory. A hardware certainly not of the highest level but which on the whole makes the general experience fluid that during the use made by me has never suffered any crash or sudden slowdown.
Certainly the quantity of memories has a positive effect on the user experience, but at the same time perhaps it results poco optimized in energy management. The equipment is also completed by the presence of a Bluetooth 4.0, dual-band WiFi and a GPS + Glonass, so that you can associate any TWS headphones for listening to music and / or calls, take advantage of the hotspots for more important internet browsing needs. and finally take advantage of Google Maps as a navigator map, a software already integrated in the accompanying apps. The GPS when compared to the entity of the product offers good results even if the screen size does not allow you to orient yourself better, but it is still a good alternative in case of need.
AUTONOMY
ROLLME S08 mounts a battery with a capacity of 1360 mAh, definitely above the average compared to the current competition (if ever there were) and which should therefore guarantee optimal performance, allowing us at least to arrive in the evening without particular problems. Unfortunately I was able to see that this does not reflect reality as without SIM inserted and with mild use I managed to cover about 10 hours overall, while also using a SIM the duration drops to poco less than 5/6 hours overall.
Although the full recharge takes about 1,5 hours, it is not plausible that the battery life has this low autonomy. Perhaps the problem is at the software level and therefore in the hope that some update will be released it becomes difficult to judge this aspect, which at the moment is disappointing. In fact, the purpose of use that this product sets itself, that is a wrist smartphone, is decidedly limited in terms of duration.
SOFTWARE
To move the smart watch there is the Android 7.1.1 Nougat operating system with security patch of May 2018, which allows you to start multiple applications at the same time, or rather to keep them in memory and then be recalled via the task manager, as well as being able to use the entire range of applications on the Play Store already pre-installed on the smartwatch. In fact, it is possible to use YouTube, Telegram or browse with the browser, in short, everything you can do with a smartphone can be replicated with the ROLLME S08, of course without expecting great performance.
It is possible to reply to messages or search using the integrated keyboard which, however, due to the reduced size is poco practice. However, the problem can be solved by using the voice commands offered by Google that allow complete management of the smartwatch in a few steps. It should also be noted that the Italian language is present and it is possible to play movies, music and photos, which can be transferred directly to the watch by connecting to a PC. Of course, thanks to the Play Store it is possible to add applications that can further expand the functionality.
In support, so to speak, of the smartwatch there is the WiiWatch 2 application, downloadable from the QR Code present in the Mobile Assistant menu or directly from the Play Store. There are few functions offered, among which we will be able to manage the receipt of notifications, i.e. from which apps to receive them or not, send photos directly to the device via Bluetooth, manage remote camera and music controls, as well as activate the Alert function to and from the smartwatch: in practice, from the phone we can make the clock ring if we do not find it and vice versa. Regarding the notifications it should be noted that it is often necessary to open the application concerned to receive them as if they remained in standby. But nevertheless it is advisable not to use it just since it has poco it makes sense to have a smartphone on your wrist to bridge the notifications we receive on the main smartphone. The only reason to use it is for the synchronization of new watchfaces from the integrated store.
USE
The software customization includes the use of Watchfaces which allow a customization of the design. To further transform the smartwatch it is possible to choose the style of the same from the Settings menu by choosing between a list view or in Apple Watch style, then in bubbles. From the main screen it is possible to access further screens by swiping: to the right to access the notification panel, to the top to view the statistical data of the sporting activity with relative graph and summary of steps divided by days, as well as calories burned and distance traveled.
By swiping down to view the main info but above all to access the quick toggles that allow you to activate / deactivate wifi, bluetooth, gps, adjust the brightness etc .. as well as access the cache cleaning, music controller management and view weather data. Swipe to the left instead will allow you to access all the clock applications. Among the system applications we also find a calendar, a file manager, a voice recorder, the phone book, the music player, the weather and Google Maps, in addition to those relating to the telephone sector. Finally, there is a suite for monitoring some sports (9 in total including swimming) and heart rate detection, with precision similar to that offered by a Mi Band 4.
However, the counting of steps in sports is not reliable but above all there is no possibility to synchronize data to make a backup and therefore it is necessary to install third-party apps such as the good Google Fit. However, it is possible to set up your own profile by entering data relating to weight, height, gender and a daily goal. It should be noted as a positive note the presence of the IP68 certification that allows us to use the ROLLME S08 even underwater, therefore ok for shower and swimming pool, up to 50 meters deep.
AUDIO
Calls made via the inserted nano SIM returned a rather good audio and a good volume level, as well as our interlocutor seems to hear us quite clearly. In general, the audio was appreciable in all conditions, both for listening to music and for maybe viewing some Youtube videos on the display, even if honestly I have poco exploited this possibility: can you imagine standing on the street and letting everyone around you listen to music, videos and calls? I would say no, there are enough peasants around.
CAMERA
As mentioned, ROLLME S08 offers two 8 MP cameras, one positioned on the right profile of the watch and one on the front. From this we can also set the Unlock Face function, so as not to let strangers access if we leave the watch unattended, but above all we can use it to make video calls via WhatsApp and / or in any case from the apps that support this function. Needless to say, we can take photos and record videos, but of course the quality is not even enough for posts on various social networks. The camera on the side honestly I found it useless, given the uncomfortable position from which to shoot with the inevitable shot of the wrist worn by the wearable ROLLME.
PROJECTED IMPACT
As mentioned at the beginning of the review, the market is now packed, but the cost for a good smartwatch is often considerably high and therefore the ROLLME S08 can be a good compromise between quality and price unless you use it intensively. For example, if you are an athlete who needs to have a track of your run, monitor your heartbeats and maybe not miss any calls while listening to music, then this is not the product for you. The valuable features offered and the potential that could emerge, make the ROLLME S08 the smartwatch suitable for many users, for example those who like me need a second number but do not want to have an additional smartphone in tow, or to those who perhaps want to have the entire internet ecosystem at their fingertips to carry out searches on the fly, check the weather and be assisted by the GPS while going somewhere where we do not know the exact position. All very nice were it not for the low autonomy recorded. Of course we can use some small tricks to increase it, but we will make ourselves slaves of options and toggles to be activated and deactivated if necessary. In any case, the device is available at the Banggood online store in flash sale for only € 118 and in case hurry up because there are few pieces left.
El mío nuevo la batería only duraba 3 horas, ahora ni siquiera funciona en menos de tres meses