Vodafone Neo, the Disney themed smartwatch for kids that's always connected
Vodafone Neo Smartwatch. Picture: Noel Campion.
The Vodafone Neo is not the first children's smartwatch I’ve reviewed but what makes it a little different is the collaboration with Disney. Normally, collaborations aren’t anything to get excited about but when it involves Disney and you’re six years old then it’s a bid deal.
There are two choices when it comes to colours and I received Mint option for this review — the other is Ocean Blue. The all-mint silicone strap is removable and despite my slightly larger than normal wrists, I was able to wear the Neo although I’m pretty sure it’s not designed for adults. Two bands are included in the box — one regular and one that allows the watch to sit at an angle on the wrist to make it easier for a young child to see without twisting their head.
The clasp is strong once closed but will take an adult to secure it to a young child’s wrist. While it’s annoying that you have to secure it, you can rest assured that your child is less likely to lose it.
Although the strap is mint or ocean blue in colour, only part of the watch itself is the same colour. Most of it is off-white with a circular watch face. The watch isn’t all that small and will look massive on a kids wrist at 14.8mm in height. As a point of comparison, it’s nearly twice the height of a 44mm Apple watch. That being said, it looks pretty funky and in a good way.
The Neo is powered on via a button on the bottom edge. The only other button is located on the top right which is used to quickly access the built-in 5MP camera that’s located on the top edge of the watch.
There are no sensors of any kind on the base of the watch but there are four small brass pogo pins that are used to charge the watch via the proprietary charging cable that comes in the box. The end of the cable attaches to the watch via magnets — it is a little flimsy but works just fine. You don’t get a power adaptor but any standard charger will do and connecting it to a USB-A port on a computer will also charge it.
By default, the watch will display a Disney character and the time which is in the 24-hour time format. This is strange because as far as I know, most kids up to the age of ten can’t read the time in this format.
For phone calls, the built-in speaker and microphone offer clean and clear audio, of course, this may vary based on signal strength. There’s no Bluetooth to connect headphones so everyone around will be able to hear the conversation too.
The Neo is waterproof and comes with an IP68 rating but this doesn’t mean you can go swimming with it on.
The Neo has a built-in GPS that can help a guardian locate the whereabouts of the watch using the Vodafone Smart App. Got to map in the app and it will show you a live update — as long as the watch is on. It would be nice if you could see the route of where the watch was for that day but unfortunately, it doesn’t have any historical location data.
Children can make calls or send texts to their parent/guardian or an approved trusted contact. Contacts are accessed by swiping to the right, and calls are restricted to five minutes to save battery life.
Messages are limited to quick replies such as ‘How are you’, ‘See you soon’, or ‘With friends’, and there’s also a selection of fun emojis they can choose from.
There’s a number of basic apps including a calculator, weather, step counter, camera and a photo gallery.
The camera is incredibly basic and the image quality isn’t very good especially in low light. There’s no option to capture video as of the time of this review but it may come later via an update. The watch can store up to 250 photos while the Vodafone Smart App can store up to 1,000.
The real stars of the Neo are the Disney characters — my favourite is baby Yoda. In all, there are only six including Elsa, Minnie Mouse, Buzz Lightyear, Iron Man, Darth Vader and Baby Yoda. The character you choose will change the watch face and theme. The animations are smooth and slick with good humour and antics.
Vodafone says the Neo will be updated with new features and functionality on an ongoing basis. Features like 10-second video clips and 30-second voice messages and Disney character camera filters will be added. Over time Disney Games will be added and Vodafone will release new characters to the watch.
All photos and information is shared between the Neo and the Smart App. This allows a parent to keep tabs on a child’s location, check on their activity, as well as add events to their calendar and see what photos they’ve taken. This admin access can be shared with another person or parent if required.
The Vodafone Neo is available now from €199 and the first 12 months subscription is free and €9.99 per month thereafter. The battery is not exceptional and requires a daily charge routine. Since this is an eSIM powered device, you’ll always need a subscription for it to work and you’re locked into the Vodafone network but the features are good and will improve further with firmware updates.
Although expensive, it still is a good option for those who don’t want to give their young children a smartphone but do want to keep a safe eye on their whereabouts.
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