In this age of AI, smart devices have become important for everyone. With a flood of smart wearables from various brands in the market, I recently got my hands on the Tozo S5 smartwatch. Before getting into my overall experience, let me first share my initial impressions of this device.
First Impression
I recently received a smartwatch in sleek packaging. Inside the box, you’ll find the watch, the strap, and a charger cable with a magnetic end. While it doesn’t include a charging adapter, the USB cable can easily fit with your smartphone charging adapter.
The strap feels like it’s made of silicon. The dial and the strap are packed separately, so you need to connect them after opening the package. The watch comes with three strap options: Black, Titanium Gray, and Orange. For this review, I received the black strap, but I must say the titanium gray strap looks better. Also, it weighs about 61 grams and didn’t feel like it was heavy.
When I took the watch to the gym, it truly impressed me. It tracked every single heartbeat and constantly reminded me to drink water. It also alerted me whenever my heart rate exceeded 160 bpm. I’ll discuss its features in more detail below.
Design and Connectivity
First, let’s talk about the design. It truly amazed me with a 1.43″ Ultra High AMOLED display featuring thinner bezels, a 336 PPI screen density, and a resolution of 466×466 pixels.
Additionally, the screen brightness was adequate even when exposed to sunlight. I was able to view the information on the smartwatch without any issues.
The watch looks classic with a 48mm metallic aluminum dial (not the straps). The round button on the right edge showcases the Tozo Wear App symbol and has a sports button on the right side. When you turn the watch upside down, you’ll see the sensors at the bottom along with a magnetic area for connecting the charger. The round bezels also have a thin white line marking all around them.
Additionally, the straps include a lock mechanism to ensure they don’t look loose.
Regarding connectivity, the smartwatch comes with Bluetooth version 5.3. To start, open the box and power on the smartwatch by pressing and holding the round button. The first thing you will notice is the Tozo marking, followed by a prompt to connect it with the Tozo Wear App. You can download the app from the Google Play Store or Apple Store. The watch screen will display a QR code that you can scan with your smartphone, but it’s better to connect it via the app.
Once you download the app, open it and click the “+” symbol to add a device. Make sure you use the Tozo Wear app specifically, as there is another Tozo app for headphones. When your smartphone starts searching for the device, the smartwatch will automatically display a pairing request. Accept the request, and the smartwatch will connect to your device and display the default dial.
Sadly, it doesn’t support dual connectivity, so you will need to uninstall it from one device before pairing it with another. The smartwatch also features Bluetooth calling, allowing you to dial numbers directly from the watch. However, you need to open the app to add selected contacts before you can make calls from the contact menu on the watch itself. Also, it will show you notifications from other social media apps along with regular SMS notifications.
The voice clarity is adequate, thanks to the inbuilt mic and speaker. I tested it personally, and the person on the other end was able to hear me clearly, even saying it was better than my phone’s voice quality. The speaker is located at the bottom, so sometimes the alerts are not that loud.
Features
This is definitely a feature-rich smartwatch in its price segment. It offers 105 sports modes along with SPO2, heart rate, sleep tracking, and many other features. I tested the SPO2 feature with a regular oximeter, and both showed the same results. However, you need to make a fist with your thumb inside and keep your arm still to get an accurate reading.
The feature I liked the most is the heart rate alert. When my heart rate went above 162 bpm during exercise, the smartwatch alerted me. This is crucial because, during exercise, you might not know when to take a rest. Additionally, if you are sitting and working, it will remind you to drink water and stretch. I didn’t have to worry about sweat during my workout sessions as it has IP68-rated protection.
The app tracks your daily steps and can integrate with the iOS Health app. Through the app, you can also see how many hours of sleep you had each day, with a breakdown of Awake, REM (Rapid Eye Movement), Light Sleep, and Deep Sleep stages. It also recorded my heart rate while I was asleep. Judging by my sleep record, it’s clear I’m not a deep sleeper, lol.
The smartwatch offers several watch faces, but you need to sync them through the app. You can also add your own image as a background to the dial and customize it further.
You can check weather updates on the smartwatch either by clicking the round button on the side or swiping right. There’s also a feature called Raise to Wake, which lights up the screen when you raise your wrist, allowing you to see the time and other details.
Another useful feature is “Find My Phone.” If you want to locate your smartphone, just select this option, and the connected smartphone will start ringing. It works the other way around too—go into the Tozo Wear App, select “Device” from the bottom menu, and then choose “Find Device.” Your smartwatch will start making noise, making it easy to find.
The Do Not Disturb mode on this smartwatch works just like the one on your smartphone. You can select it to be active all day or for a specific duration, such as during a meeting. This is handy because you don’t have to reach for your smartphone to enable it.
The smartwatch also features an Always On Time option, similar to the Apple Watch 5. Once activated, the screen stays on even when your hands are down. You can choose between 5 minutes or 10 minutes.
Additionally, there’s a power-saving mode that, once activated, reduces screen brightness, allowing you to get better battery life from the smartwatch. But you won’t be able to access exercise modes while in battery saver mode. You will have to press the sports button (the rectangular one) to exit out of the power-saving mode.
You can also control your phone’s playlist and sound via this smartwatch.
Just like my iPhone 12, it also offers a flashlight option. Once turned on, the screen illuminates at full brightness. While it’s not comparable to the iPhone’s flashlight, it is decent enough. For those who are looking for the GPS option, sadly it doesn’t offer that.
Battery
It comes with a decent battery size of 300 mAh, and the company claims a usage life of 7-10 days and a standby life of 30 days. However, this will depend on how you use the smartwatch. For example, I used it with high screen brightness and got 3-4 days of backup. However, in low brightness mode, I was able to get around 6-7 days with normal usage.
For the charging test, I completely drained the battery and started charging at 7:56 PM IST. It was fully charged by 9:37 PM IST, taking around 2 hours and 21 minutes to charge completely.
Final Verdict
The Tozo S5 smartwatch impresses with its sleek design, vibrant display, and comprehensive health-tracking features. While it may lack dual connectivity and has limited functionality in battery saver mode, its overall performance and affordability make it a compelling choice for users looking for a reliable and feature-packed smart wearable.
