Xplora X5 Play smartwatch helps keep children safe and active
The Xplora X5 Play is a smartwatch designed for children and parents to keep a safe eye on their loved ones. Xplora is a Norwegian smartwatch company who has based its latest watch on the Snapdragon Wear platform.
The X5 Play is intended for 4-11 years although, in theory, there’s no age limit. However, it’s a little bulky, so I’m not sure how well it would fit on a four-year-old. I know a lot of parents don’t want to give their young children smartphones and although the X5 Play is considered a smart device, you can’t add apps which is both good and bad. Good in that you don’t have to worry about safety but bad in that you can’t expand its features or usefulness.
The strap is soft rubber and comfortable to wear but I would have preferred a Velcro style clasp instead of the more traditional and awkward for small children buckle clasp.
The front 1.4-inch TFT screen has a 2MP camera and features both GPS and a SIM tray located on the left of the watch. On the right is a multi-purpose button and speaker.
Around the back are four pins that are used to charge the X5 Play with a proprietary magnetic charging cable.
The Xplora X5 is available in black, or with blue or pink accents from the Xplora website.
The X5 Play can take a nano-SIM and for the purposes of my testing, I used a Vodafone SIM although I’m sure other networks should work too. Children can make and receive calls from up to 50 approved contacts as well as send emojis and photos taken with the on-board camera.
To create contacts on the X5 Play you have to install the Xplora app on your phone first and create a free account. This makes it easy to only add the essential contacts you want on the watch. Once you create a contact it will automatically sync it to the watch.
Calls made from the watch can only be made to contacts saved on the watch. You can also send chat messages from the Xplora app which are then received in the Chat app on the watch. The watch user can respond to chats with emojis, photos from the camera, 10 short prescribed messages, a 15-second voice message, or a 10-second video clip.
Children can capture and store up to 1,000 pictures, track their steps to earn prize incentives through the Xplora Goplay platform which encourages children to be more physically active. Steps will show up on the steps app on the watch but can also be tracked on the Xplora app on your phone.
Children earn one coin for every 1,000 steps they make and these coins can be used to claim merchandise from certain shows and movies. If they achieve a top 10 placement on the weekly leaderboard they can receive exclusive prize bundles which could include Bluetooth speakers, action cameras and Amazon gift cards! All collaborations are specifically designed to keep kids motivated, engaged, and moving.
“Getting kids moving is more important than ever,” said Sten Kirkbak. “During the pandemic, children's screen time is up 500% and parents need to find new ways to motivate kids to move or replace the activity they would normally get in a physical education class at school. The X5 Play and Goplay is a great way to do so.”
Thanks to GPS and the built-in SIM, you can track the exact whereabouts of the X5 Play wearer. A map in the app will display the current location, location history and you can start live tracking at any time for a minute to conserve power consumption. You can also set a safe zone that will alert you if your child enters or leaves the designated area which can be set from 300 to 5,000 metres.
Xplora and the X5 Play comply with the strictest security and transparency standards in Europe, including GDPR compliance, to ensure that all the data is well protected from misuse and exploitation. It is also CPRA and CE/FCC compliant.
The Xplora X5 Play is limited but has powerful tracking features and decent battery life. Only those with children of a certain age will gain the benefits it offers but it’s hard to put a price on peace of mind in this day and age.
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