Cherry Mobile G2 Unboxing and First Impressions

G2 is a wonderful surprise! That basically sums up everything I’d like to say about Cherry Mobile’s latest wearable. It’s a huge step from the G1 in many respects. But before anything else, check out the contents of its retail box below.

G2 Unboxing Video

The smartwatch employs a minimalist design albeit a bit bulky for people with small wrists. You can choose among 5 colors – black, blue, purple, off white and green. Everything’s made of plastic and rubber.

It has a 1.44″ TFT touchscreen, and 3 hardware buttons located on its left side. It has 9 pairs of adjustment holes so it should be able to fit to many wrist sizes. (It fits on my 2 year-old son’s wrist). Its USB connector is hidden in its buckle, and it can be accessed by simply pulling its outer layer. There’s a hinge on the buckle so expect it to be very prone in wear and tear. Please be mindful of this.

G2 runs on a simple software (Java OS), which allows you to easily connect with smartphone and act as a companion device. It is pre-installed with the following applications, and may be accessed by simply swiping its screen:

• BT Device Connection
• Remote Notifier
• Audio Player
• Step Counter
• Settings
• Call History
• Phonebook
• Camera
• File Manager
• Multimedia
• Tools (Calendar, Alarm and Calculator)

And just in case you’re wondering why there’s a camera app – the Cherry Mobile G2 rocks a VGA camera built into it. This should allow you take photos on the fly even if the watch is not connected to your smartphone.

G2 Sample Photos

The phone also has the capability to provide BT notifications. This, however, requires that you install BT Notifier from the App Store. I searched for the app, but to my dismay, I was not able to find it. It took my quite some time to find out a way to be able to enable that feature. Fortunately, there’s an app called “RWatch” on Play Store, which basically meets the requirement of the G2. Please take note though that the G2 will still be able to function as good connected watch even if this app or feature is not enabled.

[button link=”https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rwatch” align=”center” target=”_blank”]Download RWatch Here[/button]

Verdict

Forget about its camera! It’s just included in the bunch of features to increase its “coolness” factor and occasional “Oh hey – let me show you this” moments. Its pedometer is a bit inaccurate but it’s good to approximate the distance and steps you covered.

Access to notifications and phonebook are plus factors and its built in speakers may prove to be occasionally useful.

Its ability to connect to Android and iOS is noteworthy; and the applications installed are highly practical. Looking for an app that approximates the BT Notifier was a bit painstaking, but I managed to find RWatch which does the same thing. I’ve included the download button above for your reference. It supercharges the notification features of the G2, but it has the potential to be quite annoying if you receive too many notifications.

The lack of watchfaces isn’t an issue, but it would have been better had they included tons of it. There’s plenty of storage (4gb) anyway so it should be enough to house 10-20 types of watch faces.

Consider putting the G2 on your wrist. Priced at PhP1,899 only, it’s a fun first step to embrace the trend of having a wearable device.

Giancarlo Viterbo

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Giancarlo Viterbo is a Filipino Technology Journalist, blogger and Editor of gadgetpilipinas.net, He is also a Geek, Dad and a Husband. He knows a lot about washing the dishes, doing some errands and following instructions from his boss on his day job. Follow him on twitter: @gianviterbo and @gadgetpilipinas.