Comparison Smart Watch Smart Q18 vs Aplus GV18

— Smartwatch. A wristwatch gadget designed to be used in conjunction with a smartphone, usually with a Bluetooth connection. Such a watch can be used to receive notifications of incoming calls or messages, to control various smartphone features; and the most advanced models even allow the installation of their own applications and differ from watch-phones only in the inability to make calls on their own. In turn, the difference from fitness trackers (see below) lies primarily in a more traditional design and broader specialization: smartwatches often have fitness sensors and support specialized data collecting, but their use is not limited to this.

— Watch-phone. Smartwatch with its own mobile communication module. Such devices are capable of making calls, sending messages, and in most cases even using the mobile Internet without connecting to a smartphone or other external device. However, a Bluetooth headset may be required for voice convenience, and smartphone connectivity is also available on many models. The specific features of such gadgets can be different, it should be specified separately.

— Fitness tracker. Specialized wearable gadgets designed mainly for sports. Typically, such a gadget has a long and narrow body, the width of which may not exceed the width of the strap; this arrangement is considered the mo...st convenient in view of the application. As for the features, fitness trackers mainly record various data about the state of the body and health of the user, ranging from heart rate to blood oxygen levels, sleep phases, and other specific parameters. In addition, traditional features such as call or SMS notifications can also be provided, but in this case they are of secondary importance. Displays in fitness trackers are usually the simplest, and in some models there is no screen at all — it is still more convenient to view detailed data on physical activity in the application on a smartphone.

— Beacon for children. Wearable devices to ensure the safety of children; most often — a specialized type of watch-phone (see above). The beacon performs primarily two main features: it allows parents to control where the child is, and provides communication between the child and the parent (including in emergency situations). Specific features may vary, for more details see "Parental Control". In addition, the design often provides for other features of smartwatches — from an alarm clock and time display to a pedometer, heart rate monitor and other special data collecting.

— For animals. Gadgets designed for pets — primarily dogs. Such a device is usually attached to a collar and can perform quite a variety of features: a beacon that transmits data about the location of the pet, a “calling card” with the owner’s contact information, and even a fitness tracker that tracks the activity of the animal and allows you to monitor its health.

— Smart glasses. Wearable smart gadgets made in the form of glasses. Usually, a camera is built into the frame of such a gadget, and the display is located opposite one of the user's eyes. Initially, smart glasses were considered quite a promising development, but in fact, for a number of reasons, they did not gain popularity, and nowadays they are almost never used.

Type of SIM card for which the gadget is designed. SIM cards are required for mobile communication modules, which are mainly found in watch phones and children's beacons (see "Type"). And their types can be:

— Micro-SIM. Reduced in size and improved, in comparison with the obsolete mini-SIM, a variety of SIM-cards: the dimensions were reduced to 15x12 mm, while the amount of built-in memory and the overall functionality of the chip were slightly expanded.

— Nano-SIM. The newest and smallest variety of replaceable SIM-cards: it has dimensions of only 12x9 mm.

It is worth noting that nowadays, most mobile operators sell SIM cards that are compatible with all three types of slots at once: the chip itself has a nano-SIM format, and such a card can be installed in a micro-SIM or mini-SIM slot using an adapter frame. So paying attention to the type of SIM card makes sense, first of all, if you already have a "sim card" of a strictly defined format and you do not want to change it.

A separate variety is represented by e-SIM(Embedded SIM) — non-removable modules that need to be programmed for a particular mobile operator. On the one hand, this creates some inconvenience: to change the number, changing the SIM card can be easier than reconfiguring the e-SIM. On the other hand, e-SIMs are more compact and...better suited for wearable gadgets, and when you change your number, you do not need to spend money on buying a new card. The compatibility of such a module with the network of a particular operator should be specified separately.

Types of notifications, as well as basic voice communication features supported by the gadget.

— Call notifications. Notifications about calls coming to the smartphone connected to the gadget, and for watch-phones — about calls to the watch itself. In classic smartwatches and fitness trackers (see "Type"), the specific functionality of such notifications can be different — from the usual sound or vibration signal to the ability to see the caller's number on the screen and accept/reject the call. But anyway, such notifications are often more noticeable to the user than the own signal of a smartphone deep in a pocket or bag.

— SMS notifications. Notifications about SMS messages received either on a smartphone connected to the gadget, or on the gadget itself, if it is capable of receiving messages (all watch phones and many children's beacons have this capability, see "Type"). The specific features of notifications can be different — from the icon "you have received a message" to the ability to read SMS and reply to it. Anyway, this feature often provides additional convenience — at least it reduces the likelihood of missing an important notification, and often also eliminates the need to once again take the phone out of your pocket / bag.

— Voice control. The ability to control the device through voice commands. In order for a smartwatch or f...itness tracker to perform some simple feature, it is enough to say its name aloud.

— Voice assistant. In watches with voice assistant support, the level of user interaction with the device is displayed in a new qualitative way. The most popular virtual assistants are Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. In Apple devices, the role of an assistant is performed by Apple Siri, in Samsung wearable gadgets — a virtual assistant Bixby. Unlike the voice control function, the assistant does not just turn on this or that feature, but allows you to perform certain operations in applications that require feedback.

— Sound signal. The ability to give sound signals using the built-in speaker. This feature will be useful primarily in situations where the gadget is not on hand — for example, if it is used as an alarm clock and is removed at night.

— Vibration. Vibration signal similar to that used in mobile phones. In wearable gadgets, such a signal is especially convenient due to the fact that the device is constantly in contact with the wearer's skin, so that the vibration is perfectly felt — and regardless of the level of noise around. In addition, vibration mode is also useful in quiet environments where a loud sound signal is undesirable.

— Built-in microphone. Own microphone built into the body of the device. Such equipment can be used for different purposes, depending on the type and features of the gadget. First of all, voice communication is impossible without a microphone. Another feature for which a microphone is required is the voice assistant (see above). And in children's smartwatches, it may be possible to remotely turn on the microphone from the parent gadget and listen to what is happening around the child; see the relevant paragraph below for details.

— Speakerphone(speaker). The ability to work the gadget in hands-free mode, using the built-in speaker and microphone for conversation. In a conventional smartwatch (see "Type"), this feature allows you to talk through the watch without removing the smartphone from your pocket; in watch-phones, speakerphone allows you to do so without headphones and headsets, and for children's smartwatches, this feature is almost mandatory. However the volume of the built-in speaker is usually low, so in a noisy environment its power may not be enough.

— TFT. The simplest type of liquid crystal panel used in colour displays. They provide a relatively low, but generally sufficient image quality, while they are much cheaper than more advanced options. This type does not require backlight — more precisely, the backlight is part of the screen itself and turns on with it. Of the unequivocal disadvantages, it is worth noting that many TFT panels have rather limited viewing angles; however, as technology improves, this drawback is gradually eliminated.

— IPS. A variety of LCD panels created in an attempt to eliminate the shortcomings of TFT. There are many subspecies of IPS panels, but they all feature high colour reproduction quality, excellent brightness and wide viewing angles. The disadvantage of this option is the relatively high cost.

— OLED. In this case, we mean the technology used to create the simplest monochrome displays. In such screens, each segment that makes up the image is a separate LED, which eliminates the need for external illumination (and even the display itself can be used as a flashlight).

— AMOLED. Screens based on a panel of active organic light emitting diodes. Similar to various types of TFT, this technology allows the creation of high-resolution colour displays. Its key feature is that the screen doe...s not require a separate backlight system — in AMOLED panels, each pixel glows independently, resulting in somewhat lower power consumption. At the same time, such screens are distinguished by good colour reproduction quality, excellent brightness and wide viewing angles, however, they are much more expensive than TFT.

— Super AMOLED. An enhanced version of the AMOLED technology described above, delivering more expansive colour reproduction and brightness, as well as improved touch accuracy and speed, all at a thinner display and lower power consumption. In addition, the degree of reflection of external light is reduced, such a panel gives less glare and is better visible in sunlight.

— E-Ink (E-Paper). Displays made using "electronic paper" technology; in addition, this category also includes screens such as Memory LCD. The classic E-Ink screen is black and white, does not have a backlight (however, it can be built into particular gadgets), has a very low refresh rate and is poorly suited even for stopwatches, not to mention videos or animated pictures. On the other hand, "electronic paper" is perfectly visible in bright light and has a very low power consumption: it requires electricity only when the image is changed, while a still image remains visible even when the power is completely turned off. Memory LCD screens, in turn, with the same advantages, are almost as good as classic LCD panels in terms of refresh rate, but for a number of reasons they are not widely used.

— Transflective. A specific type of LCD panels that can work both due to its own backlight and due to reflected light. In bright external light (for example, in the sun), such a screen effectively reflects it and does not require a separate backlight — however, it is still included in the design and turns on in low light. This type of operation can significantly reduce power consumption compared to traditional LCD screens, where the image is not visible without backlight; in addition, good visibility in bright light is also an important advantage. The main disadvantage of panels of this type is their high cost; in addition, they are made mostly monochrome.

- LTPO. OLED and AMOLED matrices with an adaptive refresh rate that varies over a wide range based on the tasks performed. When rendering dynamic frames, screens with LTPO technology automatically raise the refresh rate to the maximum values, while viewing static images, they automatically reduce it to the minimum. At the heart of the technology is a traditional LTPS substrate with a thin TFT oxide film on top of the TFT base. Dynamic control of the refresh rate is provided by controlling the electron flow. The key benefit of LTPO screens is their reduced power consumption.

Screen size in dots (pixels) horizontally and vertically. In general, this is one of the indicators that determine the image quality: the higher the resolution, the clearer and smoother the picture on the screen (with the same size), the less noticeable are the individual dots. On the other hand, an increase in the number of pixels affects the cost of displays, their power consumption and requirements for a hardware platform (more powerful hardware is required, which itself will cost more). In addition, the specifics of using smartwatches is such that there is simply no need to install high-resolution screens in them. Therefore, modern wrist accessories use displays with a relatively low resolution: for example, 320x320 with a size of about 1.6" is considered quite sufficient even for premium watches.

The density of dots on the screen of the gadget, namely, the number of pixels that are on each inch of the panel vertically or horizontally.

The higher the PPI, the higher the detail of the screen, the clearer and smoother the image is. On the other hand, this indicator affects the price accordingly. Therefore, the higher the density of points, the more advanced, usually, this gadget is in terms of general capabilities. However, when choosing a screen, manufacturers take into account the general purpose and functionality of the device; so that even a small number of PPIs usually does not interfere with comfortable use.

The amount of random access memory (RAM) installed in the gadget.

This parameter is one of the key ones for the overall performance of the system: the more RAM, the faster the device works, the easier it is to handle tasks with high hardware requirements and the wider the set of applications that the gadget is able to run. Note that a large amount of RAM can compensate for even a relatively weak CPU. At the same time, you need to remember that different operating systems (see above) have different requirements for RAM and features of its use; therefore, only models on the same software platform can be compared by this indicator.

The amount of own storage provided in the design of the watch/bracelet. This memory is used for permanent storage of various information: call log, received SMS and other messages, additional applications, data on physical activity for a certain time, etc. The larger its volume, the more data can be stored in the device without the need to clean it to free up space. On the other hand, in the operation of smartwatches, large volumes ( 64 GB, 32 GB, 16 GB, even 8 GB and 4 GB) are not always required, capacious drives are quite expensive, and replaceable cards installed in corresponding slot (see below).

— Built-in player. The presence of a player in the smartwatch allows you to use the gadget to listen to music. There is no need to connect to the phone for this. The songs will play directly from the watch. Therefore, these devices must necessarily have an impressive (as for a watch) amount of storage and be able to connect to headphones (for connection with headphones).

— Light sensor. A sensor that monitors the brightness of ambient light. One of the most popular ways to use this feature is to auto-adjust the brightness of the display: in bright light, it increases so that the image remains visible, and at dusk it decreases, which reduces eye strain and energy consumption. In addition, other more specific features may be provided — for example, turning on the screen when pulling back the sleeve of clothing.

— WiFi. A technology originally used to access the Internet via wireless access points, but more recently also used for direct communication between two devices (such a connection has several advantages over traditional Bluetooth). In wearable gadgets, the first option is most often provided, although the second is also found. However, the specific uses of Wi-Fi may be different depending on the device: accessing websites and various Internet services, remote communication with smart home systems, remote control of digital cameras and other electr...onics, transmission of the GPS- coordinates via Internet (in children's beacons), etc.

— NFC. Wireless communication technology over short distances (up to 10 cm). The methods of its application, including in wearable devices, may be different. One of the more popular options is using contactless payment (see below); however, the presence of such a function does not hurt to verify separately. Another common feature is the simplification of Bluetooth connection with a smartphone or tablet that also has NFC: instead of manual configuration, it is enough to bring one device to another — and they will automatically establish a connection, all that remains is to confirm it. Other ways of interaction may also be possible, for example, launching a “sports” application on a smartphone when bringing a fitness tracker to it. And theoretically, more specific options for using NFC are also allowed — for example, as a travel pass, ID, etc. Actually, in many models of wearable gadgets, the set of these methods is limited only by installed applications.

— Contactless payment. The possibility of using a wearable gadget for contactless payment. This feature is found only in models with NFC (see above); it actually turns the device into an analogue of a credit card with a chip and allows you to pay without taking the card out of your wallet — just bring your hand with the gadget to the terminal reader. This provides not only additional convenience, but also security. So, bringing the watch to the terminal is definitely easier than reaching into your pocket or purse for a credit card — especially if your hands are busy shopping. And instead of a traditional card, from which an attacker can copy basic details such as a number, CVV code and expiration date (for example, by “peeping” them with the built-in camera), a gadget is used that transmits this data in encrypted form and does not display it explicitly anywhere.
To use contactless payment, usually, you need to synchronize your gadget with your smartphone and set up such payment in the Google Pay or Apple Pay system. But to make payments, a smartphone is no longer required — many wearable devices are able to perform this feature completely autonomously (although this possibility still needs to be specified separately).

— Accelerometer. A sensor that determines the direction of gravity, as well as the accelerations acting on the device. This allows you to track two parameters at once: the current position in space and various physical influences (like tapping or shaking). Most often, the accelerometer is responsible for two main features: automatic rotation of the image on the screen, as well as the operation of the pedometer (in fact, the presence of such a sensor is almost guaranteed to mean the presence of a pedometer, see "Possible measurements"). However, there are other ways to use this sensor — for example, rejecting an incoming call when shaking the watch, turning on the screen when tapping on it, etc.

— Gyroscope. A device that allows you to track the turns of the gadget in one direction or another. Typically used in conjunction with an accelerometer. The gyroscope improves the accuracy of positioning in space (which has a positive effect on the quality of the pedometer and other similar functions), and also provides additional options for managing gestures. However, the specific applications of this sensor are highly dependent on the model.

— Camera. The watch/bracelet has its own built-in camera; its location and purpose differs from model to model. In some devices, the lens is located on the front panel, above the screen, and the matter is limited only to video communication and taking selfies, while others allow you to shoot “classic” photos or videos. At the same time, it is worth noting that anyway, the specs of such cameras are usually very limited — for example, the resolution rarely exceeds 2 megapixels, and autofocus is provided only in the most advanced models.

— Flashlight. Built-in flashlight — usually in the form of a small LED mounted directly in the case. Usually, it has a relatively modest brightness, but it can still be useful for simple tasks like lighting your path at night, lighting in a garage or basement, etc.