Solar Smartwatch - Black

Haylou Solar Smartwatch - Black
Design, materials and comfort
The Haylou Solar is hardly the best-looking smartwatch, but as we established it's more of a rival to the smart bands and among those the classic "watch" aesthetic are still the minority. At its price point the Haylou Solar's metal body and overall feel really stand out. The metal case also adds a certain heft to the device that some might appreciate.

The decision to make the front glass flush with the metal bezel causes some anxiety. The official Haylou specs page does not mention any specific protective layer for the glass, which means scratches are likely to take away from its looks down the road.

The 1.28-inch LCD on the Haylou Solar looks perfectly fine indoors. Colors are vibrant and both text and UI elements are sharp, thanks to its 240 x 240-pixel resolution. Outdoor use sees it struggle to push the brightness high enough and you might have trouble reading it if you are sitting in the sun.

The top glass layer introduces some reflections and so does the small, but still present air gap between it and the actual panel. A fully-laminated solution would have helped things a bit, but that's hardly feasible at this price point.

There are four brightness levels that you have to toggle manually as there is no luminance sensor for auto-brightness. You either have to learn to live with a dimmer outdoor experience, unpleasantly bright UI during the night or develop the habit to adjust the brightness, as needed.

Haylou Solar also punches above its category in terms of comfort. A slim profile makes for a snug fit against the wrist, limiting the risk of accidental bumps and snags. The Solar's plastic backside is relatively flat and remains comfortable even with a tighter strap position.

Speaking of the strap, it is a standard 22mm one that uses slightly bent, but otherwise sturdy studs. Replacing it with third-party options is a breeze and you have no shortage of options.

The factory silicon strap deserves praise beyond its standard attachment mechanism. While we aren't exactly sure what the advertised "nano lightweight technology" means, in practice, the band strikes a great balance between soft feel and sturdy structure. We expect it to last a long time seeing how it doesn't show the slightest signs of wear in several weeks of constant use.