While reviewing the smartwatches that have ECG features, I found a new brand on Amazon, i.e., MAXTOP. It is not surprising to me that small companies from China will introduce similar hardware solutions to meet the basic functionalities. As the technology is already available in the market from big brands, small companies of course will try to bring that function into moderate or low-cost electronics. And here is an example, MAXTOP. This watch does pretty much everything that the apple 7 watch does. Will see the features and my test results later in this article.
Packaging:
The box came with the following
1 Smartwatch
1 Strap made of flexible plastic for sports uses,
1 Strap made of lather for office and parties
1 USB Travel charger with the magnetic position holding
1 USB docking charger with LED
1 User Manual
I brought it from Amazon. It cost me £58 for me. I would not say this is so cheap, but if you compare it to other watches having ECG sensors, it is quite cheap.
As the size is 1.4 inches which is not very big, it is suitable for both men and women. However, depending on the colour and by modifying the strap anyone can use this. Once this smartwatch is connected to the smartphone it keeps you informed of what's important in the midst of your busy schedule. And the watch strap is made of soft TPU (Thermoplastic polyurethane) material which is comfortable to wear all day. It's also changeable so you can match it to your outfit or activity for the day. A great gift choice for yourself or someone else.
See the table below for the T6 Smartwatch specification.
Specification | Description |
Colours | Silver, Gunmetal, Black + Black back case |
Size | 1.4 inch |
Resolution | 240*240 p |
Material | Zinc alloy + Plastic |
Chipset | |
Battery capacity | 180mAh |
Motor | Built-in, Vibration reminder |
Waterproof | IP67 |
Sensor | 3-axis Accelerometer sensor, Heart Rate sensor, Blood Oxygen saturation sensor, ECG sensor. |
OS | Android 6.0 or above； iOS 9.0 or above； Support BT 4.0 or above |
Features:
Display:
The 1.4-inch rectangular colour touchscreen with a resolution of 240 x 240 p is good in terms of visibility in both dark and sunlight. There is an option available to increase the brightness, even you can modify the auto Lock Screen time.
My findings from the test, the touchscreen is responsive, and I have not found any issues. But there is some software logic, applied which I'm not sure why it is designed like this. If the watch is locked (auto locked) the UI will go back to HomeScreen and again you need to start from the beginning. However, this is not the same for all functions,
During sports mode or stopwatch or countdown mode display lights goes off after around a minute, but if you come back with the twisting of your wrist or touch and you can find yourself at the same screen. These will only go off if you turned them off manually.
The touch screen is activated as it glows but other than that it does not respond when the smartwatch is connected to the charger.
Heart Rate Monitor:
This smartwatch builds with an Ultra-low power consumption heart rate sensor. The timer for this sense is set at 10 minutes in general. In addition, you can set a heart rate alarm value from an Android or iOS app based on your health, if your heart rate is too high, the smartwatch will send an alert so you can take action and consult your doctor.
I have compared the data with my other smartwatches (Gladly, Amazfit etc) and the data came similar. This value measures the entire day with an interval of 5 minutes (at night from 00:05 am to 07:00 AM) and 10 minutes (after 07:00 am to 12:00 am). In addition, you can get an alarm if the heart rate value goes higher than a limit which you can set through the App.
Blood Oxygen Monitor:
Blood oxygen saturation (SPO2) level is a key indicator of your overall wellness. Low blood oxygen causes insufficient oxygen supply to the body and high blood oxygen causes cellular ageing in the body. The sensor and app (Android oriOS) enable you to read blood oxygen data on demand.
Please note, that the detection function is turned on in the app and can be detected automatically only at night (starting from00:05 am to 07:04 am). When I checked the data in the App I have seen the data logged with 1-minute intervals (5 minutes for iOS) which is impressive. During the daytime, if you want to measure the SPO2, you need to manually select the option in the MAXTOP T6 smartwatch and it will measure and reflect the value in the smartwatch display but not synchronises with the application properly. During my testing many times I have measured the SPO2 value but I have never seen this stored in the app except the nighttime. Might be the manufacturer to solve this in the App in future. In addition, you can get an alarm if the SPO2 value goes low from a limit which you can set through the App.
Step Counter:
An ultra-low-power three-axis accelerometer is used to measure all the movements including steps.
It is accurate based on my test where I moved by hand around 10 times and in the end, 10 steps were counted in the watch display as well as in the App. But please note that in the watch as well it is taking a long time to reflect the value which means, there is a gap between the event time and result, however, this is updated within 5 seconds. Technically it depends on the response time of the accelerometer used to measure the movements. For me when you are using a smartwatch for this use case it is within the acceptable range. But as I said, the positive note is it is accurate. Even, you can modify the sensitivity from the Maxtop Android app.
One additional feature which I have noticed is that the smartwatch is smart enough to identify while you are sleeping and nullify hand movement during sleep.
Blood Pressure Monitor:
Blood pressure is important data for diagnosing diseases, observing changes in conditions and judging the effectiveness of treatment. Turn on the blood pressure function in the MAXTOP T6 smartwatch and wait for about 15 seconds to see your blood pressure data immediately in the smartwatch display.
I have tried this performance manually and automatically as well which you can select in the app and set the auto-detection to get the continuous data. The interval is 10 minutes and that is for 24 hours. Data-wise reliable, my Blood pressure is in general within normal range and the same is reflected in the MAXTOP T6 smartwatch display and the logged data of the App.
ECG Monitor:
ECG or Electrocardiogram is the new sensor in the town. Very few smartwatches are available with this feature in the market. The technology is designed to help people keep closer tabs on their heart health, and can even be used to help identify atrial fibrillation (Afib) which is a serious medical condition that is a leading cause of stroke. This MAXTOP T6smartwatch has a built-in sensor, that takes a spot reading of your heart rate. You start the app and then place your finger on the elevated part available on the right side of the watch for the duration of the test.
I tried it a couple of times during my test. Although, I'm not an expert in this section, so can't comment on this. But the value is within the normal human range. During all the 3 times tests, the HRV (heart rate variability) value varies between 50 to 100 ms. According to Team Metabolicmeals, it is good range to define whether a person is healthy.
Sleep Tracker:
Stressful work days or inconsistent sleep schedules can lead to poor sleep quality. With the MAXTOP T6, you can check your sleep data quickly, easily, and directly on the watch screen — so there's no need to go searching through your phone when you first wake up. Of course, the historical data is available in the App.
I have tried this MAXTOP T6 smartwatch for continuous 3 days and my understanding is it is not so accurate. I feel that it is very hard to find out when I entered into sleep. However, this issue is present in other smartwatches as well. But, the end time or wake-up logic is accurate. The Deep Sleep and Light sleep were calculated based on heart rate which I can't claim but the data is similar to my other watches. In addition, you can also set the alarm (vibration) to wake you up.
The logic applied by the manufacturer is too simple.
This sleep detection logic is active between 06:00 pm and 10:00 am the next day. Within this period, if the smartwatch is not detecting any hand movement for a longer period, it detects that you are in sleep mode and this is why getting into sleep is not so accurate.
And, on the opposite side, if it detects that there are more than 100 steps taken/hand moved when you are in a standing position, the software detects this stage as a wake-up and shows the entire sleep record on the watch screen and in the App as well.
If you are not able to get the sleep data, please understand the software logic carefully. Any questions drop a comment.
Smart Notification:
You can read any notification that comes into the phone which is linked with this MAXTOP T6 smartwatch. Even you can take an action as well if you receive a call. However, this model doesn't support voice and hence, you can't talk. A lot of options are available in the application to select which notification you want and which not. In addition, it has a stopwatch and a countdown application built into the smartwatch.
During my testing time, I selected a few apps to notify and later on selected all. It is working as intended. But I have an issue (might not same for others). As the text size is quite big in the MAXTOP T6 smartwatch display, you need to scroll down 3 to 4 times or more to read a normal 160-character message and it is difficult to understand at the first glance, what the message is about. You need to use the second hand to scroll down to read the message. On top, there is no back or exit option from the notification. You need to scroll through the entire notification to go back to the previous screen or you need to wait till the time lights go off.
Sedentary Reminder:
This MAXTOP T6 smartwatch has a sedentary reminder function and it will vibrate to remind you to relax if you sit for a long time, it will help you keep a healthy daily life.
The "MAXTOP" application is very flexible and allows you to set up the time duration you want this sedentary reminder(might be during office hours) and in addition to the frequency i.e., the interval of checking this function and the step threshold. Might be for your work that 50 steps/hand movement is natural for 30 minutes. Hence, as per the logic, if there is less movement of the hand (more than 50) within that 30 minutes, this will not generate the reminder. But if it is less than 50, yes the smartwatch will remind you to get up.
Sports Mode:
It is not many, but there is all the sports mode available in the MAXTOP T6 smartwatch. These are as follows,
Outdoor Running
Outdoor Walk
Indoor Running
Indoor Walk
Hiking
Stair Machines
Outdoor Cycling
Indoor Cycling
Elliptical Machines
Rowing Machines
However, I have not tested each individual separately. I have checked Outdoor Walk, Indoor Running and OutdoorCycling. Data is satisfactory which is similar to my other smartwatches. A benefit is as it does not have any GPS, so you do not need to wait longer to start these sports applications. As the GPS is not available, the smartwatch does not wait for the GPS to get detected before the application starts counting. This improves the speed of starting those applications. However, if you start the same Running activity from the App, the app can take the GPS from the phone's location.
There is a problem, the App always tracks it under Running, not highlighting the different sports activities.
Battery:
This MAXTOP T6 smartwatch is built with a 180mAh Li-Ion battery. In the packet, it has two chargers, one docking and another travel charger where the polarity is controlled by the magnet.
During the testing, both charges worked well, Both if it takes less than 2 hours to charge for a full charge from zero. The docking station has an LED at the bottom which turns green when the watch is in charging mode, when the charge is done or the docking station is empty, the LED shows white colour. I liked the concept of docking. It is useful and looks beautiful. On the discharge side, my experience is quite impressive. During testing, I kept, SPO2 activated which means, it worked automatically for the entire night. Kept Blood pressure functionality activated throughout the day. Did the ECG testing two times, and switched into sports mode twice a day. Getting regular notifications from the phone. It worked for almost 3 days which is impressive.
Waterproof:
Likewise other smartwatches this MAXTOP T6 smartwatch also has protection against dust and water. The specification is claimed as IP67 which means, it is not suitable while you are taking a bath which means, not suitable for swimming. Although they are claiming that can be used in the swimming pool for short time, there is a risk to get damaged.
I have tested this during a shower and even in the swimming pool. Been to the pool and water park a couple of times. Didn't see any issue yet. Anyway, this smartwatch can't track swimming data, so not useful while swimming.
My Verdict:
Positive:
Light weight which makes it easy to keep for 24 hours.
Works with both Android and iOS.
ECG monitoring.
Budget-friendly.
Decent battery life.
Notification for various items including the alert from the sensors.
The mobile App holds a lot of data which is useful for long-term health monitoring.
Respond (disconnect or silence) when you receive any phone call.
Negative:
The touch screen is disabled (except the home screen) when it is in charge. Although practically, you are not going to use the smartwatch when it is in charging except to see the charge status.
No in-built GPS or GNSS. But still can use the mobile GPS information during the sports mode.
Area of Improvements:
Smartwatch User Interface (UI).
Mobile App for both Android and iOS.
I would recommend this MAXTOP T6 as a very good health tracker or fitness tracker instead of a very good smartwatch. All the modern features required to track your health is available in this smartwatch model and that is within the budget. Literally, all the sensors available in Apple's iWatch 7 are present in this MAXTOP T6 model. It is missing a few features people are looking for in a smartwatch. Although it is not as bad as a regular smartwatch with all these top-level health sensors. You probably understood that except for the body temperature sensor, everything else is available in the smartwatch which can easily get a place on your wrist due to its pricing range.
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