TCL's new kid-friendly smartwatch has a big screen, big battery, reasonable price, and 4G LTE
Instead of (hopelessly) taking on Apple with some generic-looking smartwatch intended to appeal to the masses without actually standing a chance of making a splash, TCL is unveiling a far more interesting niche-oriented wearable device today.
As the name suggests, the Movetime Family Watch 2 follows in the footsteps of another product that never aimed to give the world's overall best smartwatches a run for their money in terms of things like processing power, screen resolution, health monitoring, or apps.
"Building on the success" and improving many of the specs and features of its predecessor, the second-gen TCL Movetime Family Watch has a simple and important goal. Well, technically two, but they're obviously connected and intertwined to keep kids entertained and fit while providing parents complete peace of mind.
The latter task is fulfilled with the help of a powerful real-time geolocation tool allowing you to (non-invasively) monitor the whereabouts of the Family Watch 2's actual wearer at all times using a special app, as well as safe zone geofencing functionality pushing an automatic alert to your phone if your children exit a designated area.
If that doesn't sound particularly fun, you should also know that a "dedicated Kids UI" sits behind an unusually large (by children-oriented smartwatch standards) 1.54-inch display, letting your little ones personalize their home screen with "colorful wallpapers."
Perhaps more importantly, the TCL Movetime Family Watch 2 also comes with built-in 4G LTE connectivity for silky smooth voice, and yes, even video calls, the latter feature being made possible by an "improved" camera that can obviously be used to take photos as well.
But wait, there's more. More upgrades over the OG Family Watch in the form of "40 percent higher" battery capacity, that is, as well as more ways to ensure your child is always safe or at least capable of instantly asking for help in dangerous situations, with a one-touch SOS call button.
All in all, this bad boy sounds considerably more feature-packed than the likes of the T-Mobile-exclusive Timex FamilyConnect or Verizon's GizmoWatch 2, but alas, there are no words on official US availability yet.
On the bright side, the TCL Movetime Family Watch 2 is slated for a mid-August 2021 release "across Europe" at a fairly reasonable starting price of €149 (with cellular functionality included as standard).
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