CaseGuru CGWatch Round smart watch review

We regularly cover new products in the field of smart watches from major foreign manufacturers. However, in modern conditions, more and more consumers are paying attention to models from lesser-known brands, including domestic manufacturers. Some of these companies actively advertise their products, emphasizing that they are not inferior to foreign analogues, but at the same time more affordable. We decided to test this thesis by testing the flagship smartwatch from the Tyumen manufacturer CaseGuru — CGWatch Round.

The back surface of the case is made of plate, and on it we see an optical sensor and holes for the speaker (near the fastening of the upper half of the strap) and the microphone (on the right, on the side of the buttons).

The layout and functionality of the buttons on the watch are very standard. The bottom button, stretched along the body, requires a certain amount of force to press and makes a noticeable sound. The top button, like the Apple Watch, not only serves as a press button, but also functions as a scroll wheel. However, if the pressure is light enough, the rotation is too difficult. To do this, you have to use your thumb and index finger, and even then you have to apply a lot of force.

Another detail worth paying attention to is the use of the wheel in the application menu or during workouts. Unlike the Apple Watch, where lists scroll through smoothly and continuously, on the CGWatch Round device, moving through the lists is done in steps. This means that there is no feeling of smooth scrolling, although there are no obvious brakes. In general, this implementation may not appeal to all users.

Watch straps are attached to the case in the traditional way using thin knitting needles. The standard strap width is 22 mm. This means that you can safely choose alternative straps if you are not satisfied with the included one or if you just want variety.

The included strap is made of silicone and is pleasant to the touch and has medium softness. It has a sufficient number of holes, which ensures comfortable wearing on a hand of any thickness. However, it should be noted that this strap is not particularly stylish or expressive.

Summing up the impressions of the design, we can say that the device has a universal appearance that suits both men and women. It’s especially good that the strap is removable and has a standard fastening. The metal body adds durability and appeal. However, the control wheel is a bit stiff, which can be a slight downside. In general, the device is a completely acceptable option for its price category.

The watch has a 1.43-inch round screen with no dead zones. The resolution is 466×466, which provides a pixel density of 326 ppi. This is quite impressive.

We conducted a thorough study of the screen using special measuring instruments. Unfortunately, it is impossible to display a white field or arbitrary images on the watch display, so we had to limit ourselves to an alternative technique.

The screen surface is made of glass with a mirror-smooth finish that is scratch-resistant. Judging by the reflection of objects, the anti-glare properties of the screen are comparable to the screen of Google Nexus 7 (2013). The ghosting of reflections is minimal, indicating that there is no air gap between the layers of the screen. The outer surface of the screen has pronounced grease-repellent properties, superior to those of the Nexus 7, which makes it easier to clean fingerprints and slows down their appearance. The maximum brightness of the screen is rated as quite high, and together with the anti-glare properties it provides good visibility in bright lighting conditions, for example, outdoors on a sunny day.

Despite the noticeable brightness modulation with a frequency of about 120 Hz, flicker is not visually noticeable due to the phase differences of the modulation across the entire screen area. The luminance versus time graph demonstrates this significant modulation, but does not produce flicker as shown in the figure below.

This screen is based on OLED technology, which uses an active matrix based on organic light-emitting diodes. A full-color image is formed by subpixels of three colors: red ®, green (G) and blue (B) in equal proportions. This is confirmed by a microphotograph of a fragment of the screen.

The blacks on this screen are just perfect black from any viewing angle. Viewing angles are excellent, with minimal drop-off in brightness when tilted, making the quality far superior to LCD screens.

The smartphone application that interacts with the watch is called Smart-Timepro. During the initial setup, it is easy to determine its origin from the list of social networks and instant messengers from which notifications will come: WeChat, Weibo, QQ and others. The developers apparently lived in the southeastern regions, far from Tyumen.

One of the signs of foreign origin of software is deficiencies in localization. Some settings items remain in English, despite the fact that the rest have been translated into Russian. Moreover, even translated items can cause confusion. For example, “Health” turns out to be associated with the female cycle.

Ultimately, the most important thing is to evaluate the functionality of the device and its software. As for the watch's capabilities, they are quite standard: displaying notifications from a smartphone, the ability to make phone calls (via the smartphone's SIM card), sleep and activity monitoring, including heart rate, workouts (they will be discussed separately), measuring oxygen levels in blood (SpO2), control music on your smartphone (downloading music to the watch is not available), track stress levels, perform breathing exercises, alarm clock, timer, stopwatch, weather display, ability to search for watches, activate voice assistant (Siri on iPhone), display stocks ( It’s worth paying attention: tickets of interest must be added through Smart-Timepro, and not through the “Promotions” section on the iPhone), as well as smartphone camera control.

In addition to the listed functions, another unusual feature caught our attention — the ability to measure blood pressure. Unlike top models from Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi and Huawei, which still don't have this feature (with the exception of the Huawei Watch D model with a built-in cuff in the band), having a cuff is key. Without it, the accuracy of the data obtained is questionable. Did the Tyumen company succeed?

To test this, we used an Omron medical blood pressure monitor and took three consecutive measurements on it and on the watch. The results are summarized in a table.

According to the data presented, it is clear that the measurements of the watch do not at all coincide with the results of a medical tonometer and differ significantly from each other for different measurements, while the scatter of the Omron device is much less. It should be noted that the author of the article has a slight low blood pressure, which makes the Omron results more plausible. However, the results provided by the CaseGuru CGWatch Round seem too low.

Although we cannot say for sure that the blood pressure function on CaseGuru watches is pure fiction and the numbers were pulled out of thin air. They may be calculated based on your heart rate data. However, it is clear that these results cannot be relied upon or taken seriously, especially for people with blood pressure problems.

There are also questions about training. It is important to note the lack of water sports, which is due to insufficient moisture protection. This is especially strange considering that the company’s website claims “moisture protection without compromise.” If IP67 is not a compromise, then what is? But even with existing workouts, the watch provides the user with minimal useful information. Of course, we couldn't help but test skiing in such conditions. Here is a brief overview of one of the trips (the others were not more informative).

As you can see from the results, the CaseGuru CGWatch Round limited itself to only measuring heart rate and probably estimated the number of calories burned based on this information and the training time. Despite having a smartphone, the watch did not use its navigation data. However, even if they couldn't get the directions, why don't they at least measure the number of steps and the approximate distance? In addition, while riding, the watch notified about each kilometer traveled, although this information was not displayed in the application.

As a result, we can conclude that this watch is not intended for serious sports use. At best, they can replace a simple fitness bracelet, but without full water protection that allows them to be used in water.

It's also worth noting problems with sleep tracking. The watch does not detect daytime sleep, and when the user wakes up at night or early in the morning and continues to sleep, the watch does not understand this, considering that the dream is completed after the first awakening.

It is also worth noting that the device does not provide any additional information, for example, about the quality of breathing during sleep. Overall, it's reminiscent of the cheap fitness bands that were released five years ago.

In addition, the watch does not constantly monitor blood oxygen levels — this only happens when commanded by the user. This is also an outdated solution compared to modern models.

When it comes to battery life, the watch (and its manufacturer) have no problems. The promised 10 days are quite realistic with average use (that is, without telephone conversations and numerous training sessions). With more active use, you can count on 7-8 days. In any case, you won't need to charge the watch too often. However, it is worth noting that the charging procedure itself takes some time — about three hours from a 5 V 1 A power supply.

Although the external characteristics look promising, testing revealed a number of real shortcomings in the CaseGuru CGWatch Round model. Poorly implemented workouts, inaccurate sleep tracking, inability to continuously measure SpO2, and lack of navigation modules are all serious shortcomings. In addition, the manufacturer's relentless marketing and exaggerated claims are cause for concern. However, despite these shortcomings, the device in its price category seems to be quite a worthy option. Finding a round watch with a large AMOLED screen, a metal case and long battery life is not so easy. In addition, the presence of Russian origin, although with certain reservations, is also a pleasant fact.