MEXICO CITY\u2014Some two years after Huawei shipped one of many weirder gadget-fusion ideas we\u2019ve seen\u2014a smartwatch that carries and prices its personal wi-fi earbuds<\/a> in an inside compartment\u2014a Reebok-branded smartwatch on show right here on the Electronics Dwelling Mexico<\/a> expo presents the identical concept at a a lot cheaper price.<\/p>\n Whereas Huawei’s Watch Buds<\/a>, which shipped within the spring of 2023<\/a>, stow their earbuds below a watch display that pops up, the Reebok Watch EB tucks them into particular person compartments on one aspect. Seeing this mix gadget right here, I had to have a look.\u00a0<\/p>\n The rapid attraction for native buyers: the worth tag. The Huawei smartwatch retails for 9,999 pesos on Amazon\u2019s website right here<\/a> (about $525); the Reebok timepiece is 1,976 pesos<\/a> ($104).\u00a0<\/p>\n And in contrast to Huawei, which has been below a years-long business ban by the US authorities<\/a>, the Reebok distributed by an area agency, Life Works<\/a>, may theoretically make it to the US.<\/p>\n \u201cI am working to have it within the US,\u201d product supervisor Julio Faz mentioned in a show-floor dialog, including that this is able to require Reebok\u2019s US division to log out on a co-branding deal. He quoted a fair cheaper price, 1,099 pesos, however couldn\u2019t clarify why Amazon would cost virtually twice as a lot. The watch, manufactured in China, went on sale in Mexico in January, then in different Latin American markets in Could.<\/p>\n It includes a 2.01-inch display, IP67 water and mud resistance<\/a>, a heart-rate sensor on the again, and a 345mAh battery that its label says can cost the earbuds for six hours of discuss. That type of battery life can be fairly good for Bluetooth earbuds at any worth; JLab\u2019s JBuds Mini<\/a>, our choose for under-$50 fashions, tout a battery lifetime of 5.5 hours.<\/p>\n \n Keep in mind to tuck the earpod into that charging compartment. (Credit score: Rob Pegoraro)<\/small>\n<\/p>\n The watch runs an unspecified taste of Google\u2019s Put on OS\u2013the model working on the show unit was custom-made so extensively that the About display in its system settings didn’t establish the software program as Put on OS. To compound the software program thriller a bit, the handbook directs prospects to obtain a third-party app<\/a> to sync the watch to a telephone.\u00a0<\/p>\n Extracting the small stowed earbuds from their compartments of a show-floor demo unit that was notably chunkier than different Android watches<\/a> required some dainty work with my fingernails.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"An](\"https:\/\/i.pcmag.com\/imagery\/articles\/011aRvaxi6AcJa1l425DySO-2.jpg\")
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