I recently reviewed the rugged Haylou Iron N1 watch, which caught my attention with its unusual and brutal design. This time I will review the more classic Solar 5 model. This is a very cheap and affordable watch, which stands out for its complete set (the package includes a strap and a bracelet) and, of course, NFC support.
Comes in a strong, rigid cardboard package. Everything inside is strict and neat – the watch case is located on a special podium, and the accessories are placed in a box located at the very bottom.
Equipment:
- Haylou Solar 5.
- Silicone strap.
- Metal bracelet.
- Instructions.
- Battery charging cable.
- Bracelet adjustment tool.
Technical specifications:
- Name: HAYLOU Solar 5
- Watch weight: About 131g (including strap)
- Display: 1.58-inch AMOLED display
- Resolution: 480*480, 60Hz
- Sensors: Heart rate sensor, motion sensor, blood oxygen sensor
- Bluetooth: Bluetooth V5.3
- Protection class: IP68
- Battery life: About 15 days
- Battery capacity: 360 mAh
- Application: Haylou Fun
- Compatibility: Android 9.0 and above, iOS 9.0 and above
- Strap: Silicone
- Bracelet: metal
- Dimensions: 48 x 48 x 12.5 mm
- Color: Silver
While the battery is charging, a static screen lights up, displaying the charge level in percent. The downside is that you can’t use any function while charging.
In the settings, you can activate the Always On Display (AOD) option. The firmware offers two display options – classic and digital style.
Haylou Solar 5 stands out for its excellent assembly. Two physical buttons are well-fitted, and the strap mount does not cause any complaints. The watch is of a classic type, quite large and weighty, with a clear round display. On the back there is a glossy plastic platform with sensors and contacts for recharging the battery. The heart rate sensor is also located here. The width of the included bracelet and strap is 22 mm. The assembly is really decent – they paid attention to every little thing. Sometimes it seems that I am holding a watch for $ 100 in my hands.
The top button supports both pressing and scrolling. By scrolling we can change the dials, and by pressing we can go to the full menu. The bottom button, although it rotates, only responds to pressing, which calls up sports modes.
The display is 1.58 inches diagonally and has a brightness of 1000 nits. Resolution: 480*480. The picture is impressive – a very rich screen, with reliable color rendering, good readability in bright sunlight. It is slightly recessed relative to the metal case, but over time you get used to such an implementation. Animations work clearly and smoothly, and the firmware itself does not raise any questions, delighting the owner with a fast interface. The speaker and microphone are also located on the case (it is possible to communicate via Bluetooth). In general, I liked the design, but only one thing upset me – the application of the manufacturer’s name in the most visible place.
On Aliexpress, the watch is sold in several versions. For a small extra charge, the seller will add a colored silicone or nylon strap to the parcel. Such straps can be changed on the go – just pry the round metal head, hook it and move it to the side with your fingernail. At first, such a fastening seemed flimsy to me, but later, during testing, I realized that it is quite reliable.
The strap never came unfastened by itself.
A good 360 mAh battery is installed. With passive use, the watch can last up to 40 days, and with active use – up to 15 days. It is worth considering that with daily training, when activating training modes – autonomy will noticeably drop (on average up to 8-10 days).
The touch screen works clearly. The only nuance is that it is not always possible to return to the previous point the first time.
By default, the list of downloaded watch faces includes five watch faces, including one animated one.
The dials are installed via a special Haylou Fun application. There are a great many of them – classic, digital, and designer ones.
I have no complaints about the sensors – they correspond to the readings of the popular and more advanced Haylou Iron N1 watches. I specifically compared the pulse and some other results – almost one to one. The controls are partially touch-sensitive, familiar. If you have already used watches of this shape, you will instantly get the hang of it and will be able to figure out all the settings. The menu can be displayed as: grid, list, honeycomb. Swiping down pulls out the top curtain with quick access to some functions. There is: a flashlight (a completely white picture appears on the screen), night mode, silent mode. This menu allows you to activate Bluetooth and find a lost phone using a sound melody.
The additional menu is called by swiping to the right. It has only 4 quick access icons. What’s interesting is that the manufacturer has implemented a full-fledged voice recorder. All standard and familiar applications are on board: stopwatch, energy saving, calculator, flashlight, timer, weather, calendar. There are several built-in games.
Sleep, stress, and women’s health monitoring are in place. Third-party applications cannot be installed, but the built-in ones are enough for me. There is a music player, contact synchronization. The NFC module can be used in some situations, but it is worth considering that contactless payments are not supported here.
What else can I add:
- The voice recorder allows you to record up to 70 minutes.
- More than a hundred sports modes.
- The notification menu is opened by swiping up.
- Sensors and monitoring menu – swipe left.
- Not the most ideal, but in many ways a much improved translation into Russian.
- Water-resistant (IP68).
- Built-in calorie control.
- Breathing exercises and monitoring emotions.
- Support for playback of WAV and MP3 audio files by means of the watch, thanks to the built-in speaker (you can download several tracks to the built-in memory).
- Own image gallery (up to 50 images on built-in memory).
- Four built-in games: flying bird, 2048, dice, air battle.
- NFC. Only tag copying and use on readers is available.
- Charges up to 70% in an hour, up to 100% in two hours.
The Haylou Fun app is easy to download from the Play Market. You will need to register to log in. The first time you downloaded it, the app offered to update the firmware over the air. Many options are duplicated here too – you don’t have to wander through the watch settings, it’s easier to change the parameter from the app.
Health monitoring is also carried out here. Various activities are displayed (steps, pulse, oxygen in the blood). You can set goals for certain days and months.
They are comfortable to wear, but I still prefer the version with a nylon strap.
Opinion.
Haylou Solar 5 is an affordable and functional smartwatch with a high-quality AMOLED display, NFC module support, good assembly and decent performance. I would like to note the fast interface and stable firmware operation. The battery life here is not record-breaking, but acceptable. Little by little, the manufacturer is polishing its products, bringing all the functionality to mind. If in the younger models of watches for two to two and a half thousand you can still find shortcomings, then here is an almost ideal and finished product. If you didn’t like the Haylou Iron N1 externally  , I advise you to take a closer look at the classic Solar 5. Thank you for your attention.
