First impression of the Lenovo HW02
Design, workmanship and delivery
The Lenovo HW02 is a fitness bracelet made of TPU (Thermoplastic Polyurethane) and TPE (Thermoplastic Elastomer), which is available in 4 different colors. The inside of the bracelet is highlighted in color. The dimensions of the bracelet are 20 cm in length and 1.6 cm in width. The bracelet is closed with a two-point snap fastener.
The tracking unit was at Lenovo HW01 still clearly recognizable. The Lenovo HW02 cleverly hides the tracking unit and display under the TPU + TPE surface. The sheathing is translucent so that the display cannot be seen when switched off, but when switched on it is translucent. A capacitive and multifunctional control button is located below the display.
The heart rate sensor is located on the inside of the bracelet. Instead of a micro USB charging socket, as is the case with the Lenovo HW01 is found, the Lenovo HW02 uses a 4-pin charging connector. A big advantage of the HW02 is that it is protected against dust and temporary immersion in accordance with protection class IP67. In comparison, this is Lenovo HW01 only protected against dust and water jets in accordance with protection class IP65. Showering and swimming are therefore no problem! The processing is not objectionable. The scope of delivery includes the fitness bracelet, the charging adapter and a multilingual quick start guide.
Display
The display is of the OLED type and has a diagonal of 0.42 inches in 40 x 72 pixels. The display is limited to the color white, which, however, has a slight bluish glow. There is no touchscreen, which is why it is operated purely via the capacitive control button below the display. Using an OLED panel means that no background lighting is required. Each individual pixel lights up by itself, which means that pixels that are switched off do not consume any energy and thus better energy efficiency is achieved.
The legibility of the Lenovo HW02 display was disappointing in practice. The display was barely legible, especially outdoors and in sunshine. In order to be able to see anything at all, you had to keep your hand over the display. If you use the fitness armband purely indoors, the readability is not objectionable. Due to the moderate brightness of the display, the bracelet can also be worn at night without any problems, without sleep being disturbed by an unexpected lighting up of the display.
App and features
Like the HW02, the Lenovo HW01 uses the so-called “Smart Bracelet” app, which can be downloaded for Android devices from the Google PlayStore and for iOS devices from the Apple AppStore. To use the app, a user account must be created, which requires a valid email address to be created. The connection between the app and the bracelet is via Bluetooth. The language of the app depends on the system language. If the smartphone is set to German, the app will also be translated into German.
Date and Time
As soon as you pair the smartband with a smartphone or tablet for the first time, the time and date of the connected device are automatically adopted. Depending on how the smartphone is set, the time is displayed in 24 or 12 hour format. There is no way to set the time or date manually within the app and the fitness bracelet itself. Gesture recognition activates the display as soon as you raise your arm and look in the direction of the bracelet. This practical feature worked perfectly in the test and can also be deactivated if necessary. A time measurement cannot be started using the fitness bracelet.
Steps, distance and calories
The step counter of the Lenovo HW02 is one of the most precise step counters that are built into inexpensive fitness bracelets. The false detection rate is comparatively low, so that almost no steps are counted, especially when driving a car or doing other activities that have nothing to do with running or walking. An individual stride length cannot be set! Personal data, such as gender, weight and body size, are recorded via the app's user account. An individual daily goal can be set in a number of steps. If you have reached your goal, you will be notified by a short vibration.
The fitness tracker provides information on the current number of steps, the calories burned and the distance run. All data obtained are synchronized with the app and graphically displayed in daily, weekly or monthly statistics. A running mode can also be started via the app, which uses the smartphone's GPS to collect even more precise data on the route run.
Heart rate measurement and sleep monitor
On the inside of the wearable there is a combination of photodiode and LED that measures the blood flow under the skin and thus determines the heart rate. It should always be noted that this measurement method cannot replace a professional heart rate monitor. The values measured with the Lenovo HW02 appear plausible. The bracelet measures the heart rate every quarter of an hour and also synchronizes it with the app. Unfortunately, the automatic heart rate measurement cannot be deactivated. A manual measurement can also be triggered via the bracelet.
As with the predecessor, the Lenovo HW02 could not score well in terms of sleep monitoring. The sleep monitor is automatically activated between 18 and 10 a.m. and begins with the sleep measurement as soon as a longer movement stop is detected. For example, if you lie in bed and read, or if you just sit a little too quietly, sleep detection already starts. The sleep monitor cannot be started manually, so it is difficult to get accurate results. The collected data is in turn synchronized with the app. The duration of deep sleep, light sleep and the waking phase as well as the heart rate measured are displayed.
Notifications
Notifications received on the smartphone can be transmitted directly to the bracelet. For example, if you receive a call or a text message, you will be notified automatically by vibrating and flashing briefly. Notification contents cannot be displayed. Which app notifications are transmitted can be specified within the app. Receiving notifications worked flawlessly in the test and was easy to configure. The vibration strength is sufficient.
Alarm function and settings
The Smart Bracelet App also offers the possibility to configure several alarm times. You are woken up by the vibration of the bracelet, which is more or less reliable. The vibration strength can, however, be adjusted in 3 stages within the app settings. Overall, the Lenovo HW02 offers far fewer setting options than the predecessor. Firmware updates are received by the app and automatically played on the fitness tracker.
Battery
The battery has a capacity of just 60 mAh, but still scores in terms of battery life. Despite regular heart rate measurement, incoming notifications and active gesture recognition, an average runtime of 11 days was achieved with just one battery charge. The charging time is 1 ½ hours.
Lenovo HW02
Simple design
Good workmanship
Dust and waterproof (IP67)
Precise pedometer
GPS run mode
Very good battery life
Difficult to read display outdoors
Sleep monitor is not convincing
Predefined app notifications
Automatic heart rate measurement cannot be deactivated
No stop watch
The Lenovo HW02 is another Lenovo fitness wristband that impressed in the test. A big advantage over the Lenovo HW01 is the dust and water protection according to IP67. However, there are compromises on the display, which is difficult to read outdoors. The pedometer works precisely and the heart rate sensor also delivers plausible results. Less convinced the sleep monitor, which proved to be barely usable. The fitness bracelet once again scored points over the battery life, which is comparatively lush with about 11 days. Considering the price / performance, the Lenovo HW02 is a good fitness wearable. Those who value IP67 protection should take the HW02. Who prefers a better and larger display, is better served with the HW01.
