Balancing the cost with the adult supervision that the Funkyfing Jr 1 provides is up to your wallet but if you'd like to remain in contact with your offspring but don't want to give them unfettered access to the internet, this wearable is a solid choice. Video calls on-wrist, facilitated by a non-optional SIM card, are bolstered by a collection of location-based safety features.
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Design
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Features
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Battery
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Tracking
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Value
There’s no denying the utility of smartphones, but giving one to a kid? Yeah… no. You could slap the Funkyfing JR 1 on their wrist, though. It’s essentially an Android smartphone in (very) miniature, with Android 8.1 at its heart and a very familiar interface. It’s been customised to suit a wearable device, with a focus on tracking – both health and positional – and the ability to video call with your little one.
A chunk off the old block
The Funkyfing JR 1 is as chunky as you’d expect a smartwatch to be, though it’s as light as anything. The plastic band uses the same buckle as the average wristwatch and should take some force to wrench off a wrist. That’s not something you’d like to think of in connection with a small child, but kids do silly things sometimes. If Junior attempts to backflip his BMX over a raging storm drain, the watch will probably remain in place in the event of a failure.
A large knob on the side helps with navigation but there’s also a 1.78in touchscreen display for swiping through the available menu options. The display could be brighter, but it also hosts a notch with a 5MP camera that takes snaps – there’s 8GB of onboard storage – and facilitates the above-mentioned video calls.
SIM-ulation
The Funkyfing JR 1 assumes you want to use all the location calling features and is structured accordingly. A lack of Bluetooth confines you to WiFi outside the SIM card connection. A SIM is essential, since much of the detailed setup won’t work without it.
READ MORE: Smartwatches for smaller wrists – The wearables you should consider for your kids
One major benefit to the JR 1’s kiddy-tracking is the notifications sent when your youngster wanders somewhere they don’t usually go. Geofencing your significant other might be a problem, but a six-year-old? That’s kinda acceptable. Weird, but acceptable. The Funkyfing JR 1’s user-triggered Emergency function that contacts parents in the event of a problem. Kiddo has crashed his bike and broken something? You’ll know right away.
Parental guidance is advised
Everything is heavily curated, with control of the device and its associated SIM card handled through an app. Parents can set usage limits for school time, but these can be overridden by the device’s Emergency function. Once it’s all set up, you’ve got tracking and messaging functions that you can specify, meaning your offspring is never far from communication with their ‘rents.
IP68 water protection means that anything your kids get up to should prove survivable. Heart rate, steps, and SpO2 are all tracked, as is their GPS location. This all depends on the SIM, but there’s Wi-Fi access too. Pity that there’s no Bluetooth to go along with it, but that would also make these devices less secure, so…
Funkyfing JR 1 verdict
Old timey gumshoe Dick Tracy had a lovely little radio watch that helped him solve crimes. This won’t work quite the same way, but it is for those meddling kids. On-wrist video calls, emergency contacts, and GPS tracking are all spy-worthy features, but the Funkyfing’s size makes it better suited to primary-school-aged kids. It’s a solid alternative to giving them a smartphone, with parental control baked in and no risk of unfettered access to the internet causing trauma to a ten-year-old. That could well make it worth the R3,200 entry price.
