Review: TechLife Smart Watch L1

TechLife has introduced its first-ever budget-friendly smartwatch the TechLife Smart Watch L1 making it an ideal device for fitness enthusiasts, students, and working professionals who are seeking an affordable yet reliable fitness tracker.

Features-wise, the TechLife Smart Watch L1 has an array of convenient features as you can view your incoming notifications, control your phone camera, access the music controls and view weather updates. As a health and fitness tracker you can track your heart rate, measure blood oxygen levels, and monitor sleep.

The TechLife Smart Watch L1 is priced at just P1,999, it is available at TechLife stores nationwide and on TechLife’s official e-commerce platforms. During the upcoming Payday Sale from September 28 to October 2, you can purchase the watch on TikTok Shop, Shopee, and Lazada for a discounted price:

Platform	Checkout Price	Freebie
TikTok Shop	P1,399	Watch Strap
Shopee	P1,279	Watch Strap
Lazada	P1,199	n/a

Now, let’s dive in to the review and check out the features of the new TechLife Smart Watch L1.

Unboxing

The packaging of the TechLife Smart Watch L1 comes in a long rectangular box made of thick cardboard with an all-white matte finish. The most noticeable part on the box is the hanging tab, which stands out in a golden yellow color.

The design and elements on the box are quite simple, featuring an image of the Smart Watch L1 and the TechLife logo on the top cover, with key selling points (KSPs) printed on each sides. On the back, you’ll find the product specifications, brand logo, certification marks, and the IMEI.

When you open the box, the TechLife Smart Watch L1 is neatly placed in a plastic compartment tray covered by a thick paper overlay that can be easily removed. Underneath it is another cardboard compartment box which holds the other included accessories.

Once you remove everything out of the box, you’ll get the following items inside:

TechLife Smart Watch L1 Unit
Magnetic Cable
User Manual

Design and Build

The TechLife Smart Watch L1 is available in two color options – a sleek White variant and the classic Black version, which we are using for this review. Both colors offer a simple shade of colorways yet they’re still stylish looking flexible enough to complement any outfit or occasion.

The size of the watch including the strap measures at 266.2 x 38.6 x 10.7 mm, while the watch alone has a length of 53.3 mm without the strap.

The straps and single loop are made of silicone which gives the material a matte finish effect in its black colorway. It is also comfortable to wear and conforms nicely to the shape of my wrist. For the tongue and buckle, they are made of aluminum for added durability.

The middle frame of the watch is made of zinc alloy that benefits further for the device to be lightweight, durable, and good corrosion resistance.

On the right side of the watch, there’s a microphone and a single button that functions as a back key for navigating the user interface and for waking the display back again.

There’s a speaker grille on the left side that allows users to hear the person when answering or making calls directly from the watch. The sound quality is pretty decent and clear.

Located at the bottom, the light sensors for heart rate and SpO2 slightly protrude. Just above them are the pogo pins for attaching the magnetic charging cable.

No need to worry about sweat at the gym or splashes while washing your hands, as the TechLife Smart Watch L1 comes with an IP68 rating, making it dustproof and water-resistant in fresh water up to a depth of 1.5 meters for 30 minutes.

Display

The TechLife Smart Watch L1 has screen size of 1.96-inches using a curved AMOLED display panel with resolutions at 410×502 pixels.

The colors of the screen is vibrant, it feels sharper, brighter, and visibility indoors is quite good. When used outdoors in direct sunlight, the watch display remains viewable, but due to the glare or reflections on the display glass makes it slightly struggle to read.

The watch doesn’t support automatic brightness control, but it does have an Always On feature to allow the display to stay on even when your wrist is down. While this may drain the battery, it’s convenient for some users who want to check the time or view important notifications instantly, without needing to raise their wrist to wake the display.

Users can easily change the look or design of their watch face, with five pre-installed watch faces available by default on the watch that you can match to your style. TechLife offers over 200 customizable watch faces for the Smart Watch L1, which can be downloaded through the OnWear Pro app.

One drawback of the display is that if it times out after 10 seconds, you can’t simply tap the screen to wake it up, instead, you need to press the button or raised your wrist up again just to turn the display back on.

Navigating around the watch is pretty easy and responsive. Swipe up to see your notification lists and swipe down to see the control panel which includes the settings, brightness level, sound settings, etc.

You can also swipe left on the screen to see widgets for activity data, sleep data, heart rate, weather, and music control. Swiping right brings up the main menu, where you can choose from 22 functions such as workout modes, call records, voice assistant, stress monitoring, and more.

Software and Connectivity

Regarding the software, there’s no specific name mentioned, but the UI version on the watch is listed as 3220-01. We are satisfied that the user interface is simple and features well-designed icons, though the menu’s set of apps is fixed which means you cannot install or uninstall apps from the watch.

It’s compatible with both Android and iOS devices, and to sync the watch with your phone, you’ll need the OnWear Pro app.

It supports Bluetooth 5.2 with seamless connection to your smartphone and used to quickly sync your fitness data, message notifications, and when using the phone to answer calls.

Health Monitoring and Fitness Tracking

The TechLife Smart Watch L1 comes fully packed with a comprehensive suite of health monitoring features, which is one of the main reasons for getting this device.

First up, among its key health monitoring functions the watch can do Heart Rate Monitoring, Blood Oxygen Monitoring, and Sleep Monitoring, allowing users to track their wellness and ensure they’re ready to perform at their best throughout the day. During the test, I regularly use the health monitoring features to gather data, especially right after waking up in the morning. This helps me get a good picture of my overall well-being, so I can start the day with better insight into my health.

Probably the Sleep Monitoring is one of my favorite features as it provides a detailed breakdown of my rest. It not only shows the total sleep duration but also gives insights into light sleep, deep sleep, REM (Rapid Eye Movement), and even tracks sporadic naps.

Another standout feature of the watch is using it as a your fitness tracker as it comes with over 110 exercise or workout modes to give you the necessary data when doing the activity.

You can track steps, calories burned, pace, distance, heart rate, and the duration of your exercise. The available workouts include running, cycling, yoga, and even more specialized activities like rowing or hiking. Additional workouts can be found and added through the OnWear Pro app. Exercise data is synced instantly between the watch and the phone, though I prefer viewing it on the phone for a better layout and more detailed visuals than the watch display.

Battery

Powering the device is a 300mAh battery, which TechLife claims can last around 5 to 7 days with regular use, while standby time can extend between 15 to 30 days depending on your usage.

You can extend the battery life of the watch when you enable the Power Saving Mode feature. Doing this will disconnect the Bluetooth from your device and reduce the screen brightness. Next, the display will only show the time, date, and battery level turning it into a regular digital watch.

The battery was at 78% when we first started using the watch straight out of the box for our product shots. By the second and third days of testing, after trying out various features like heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, blood oxygen level, outdoor walk tracking, music controls, and more, the battery had dropped to 58%. After wearing the TechLife Smart Watch L1 for nearly 6 days, the battery is still at 32%, I feel that it could easily last beyond the 7 days as the brand claims.

Charging the watch took us around 1 hour and 34 minutes to go from a remaining 6% battery to 100% . The magnetic charging system is simple to use and the charging time is quite efficient for a device with this battery capacity.

Noteworthy Apps

Another thing that we liked on the TechLife Smart Watch L1 is the variety of available apps designed to help productivity and add convenience. While there are many apps to choose from the main menu, I’d like to focus on four key apps that I find especially useful for my everyday activities and they are also the ones I always used during the review.

First is the music control app, you can easily play, pause, skip tracks, or even control the volume from the watch itself. The third-party apps that we were able to work with it are Spotify, YouTube, YouTube Music, and the native music player of my phone.

A fine example is when I did chores that day, I wanted some music, so I connected my smartphone to a Bluetooth speaker in the living room. With the Smart Watch L1, I was able to easily control and change tracks without needing to touch my phone.

Next is the Call function, which lets you receive and answer calls directly on the watch when your phone isn’t nearby. It has several apps under it which includes a dialer app for typing in numbers, an option to add contacts to the watch, and a call record app to view missed calls and the ones you’ve answered. This feature is very convenient for moments when I leave my phone upstairs to charge, allowing me to quickly answer incoming calls on the watch.

The camera app comes next which serves basically as a remote shutter for your smartphone, making it especially useful when your phone is mounted on a tripod. This feature is handy for taking group shots or selfies from a distance.

Lastly, the Timer app is incredibly practical for everyday tasks such as from cooking or tracking workout intervals. It allows you to quickly set countdowns without again needing to reach for your phone, adding convenience to users who needs time-sensitive activities.

Conclusion

The TechLife Smart Watch L1 offers a lot for its price at PHP1,999, including good aesthetics, reliable connecton, decent battery life, and vibrant display. The health and fitness monitoring as well as the activity tracking accuracy was less than ideal and we already know that it serves its purpose very well.

The big feature addition that sets it apart from its other competitors and we were fond of using it during the review is the Bluetooth Call function, Timer, Camera shutter control, and access for the Music Control player.

The TechLife Smart Watch L1 is a fairly well-equipped device for the price you’re getting, and worth considering if you want a health and fitness smartwatch but have a tight budget.