If your little one is getting a little older but still needs keeping an eye on, you can outsource your helicopter parenting anxiety to Funkyfing's JR 2 smartwatch. That won't stop you from camping outside their school, but it will let you stare at a screen instead of a classroom window. It's lightweight, fairly durable, and packed with enough features to turn it into a smartphone. One without unfettered access to the internet. That's at least one worry off your plate.
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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
It’s been some time since South African wearables brand Funkyfing last graced our desk. This time, it’s the sequel to the company’s original kids’ smartwatch, the Funkyfing JR 2. Because what else are they going to call it? The box and branding are aimed at slightly older kids this time around, with the blue or pink shades replaced with a more versatile black unit.
It’s also a shade more advanced this time around, with one glaring flaw kicked out of the equation. Each device arrives with a Melon Mobile SIM card. The inclusion of a SIM still isn’t optional, but at least parents don’t have to suddenly acquire one when the wristband turns up.
JR 2: The Sequel
The Funkyfing JR 2 is… well, it’s a smartwatch. The strap is smaller than it would be for an adult. We tried to slip it onto a grown-up wrist and it’ll just barely fit. It’s not especially secure, however. It’s designed for smaller humans, though sticking one onto a toddler will prove challenging. That’s not the band’s fault so much as it is the face. It is a fair bit larger than the Huawei Watch Fit 4 Pro.
Considering what’s stuffed inside the Funkyfing JR 2, the size isn’t surprising. So don’t be surprised if your little human appears to be toting a miniature tablet around on their arm. For all its bulk, though, it’s not heavy. The aforementioned Huawei wearable is heavier, even if it’s on a smaller footprint.
Otherwise, the external features for Funkyfing’s kids watch are minimal. There’s a single button, the strap (decorated like a certain brand of plastic footwear), the AMOLED touchscreen display with a little camera sensor tucked inside, and a SIM card slot that’s impressively difficult to access. Which is the point. The whole thing, strap included, weighs 53 grams.
Baby smartphone
It really is a smartphone in miniature, which is surprising considering Funkyfing has kept its R3,200 price point for these. It’ll make and receive calls, including video calls via the onboard 2MP camera. Images and videos can be shared remotely with a parent using the app.
8GB of storage and 1GB of RAM are on board. There’s definitely a processor, though we’ve got no idea what it is. It doesn’t have to be particularly quick. The Android 8.1 OS has been redesigned to work like a less complex version of your average smartwatch. GPS is integrated into the Funkyfing JR 2’s body, so there’s no companion phone needed, and there’s also a decent suite of fitness sensors in the watch. Heart rate, movement, and blood oxygen measurement are covered.
All of these measurements and functions can be controlled by the wearer, but they’re really intended for parents. The tracking may not be up to the standards set by Garmin, but it’ll do the job. Having a decent fit on your kid’s wrist is the more critical part of this equation. Parents really only get involved when it comes to using the companion app. Or when marvelling over the cutesy animated watch face or the images the kiddo snapped at school.
Prepwork
The app is the important bit for parents. With it, they can set geographical safe zones, determine which people the little one can call (video or voice), and perform all the other fiddly setup steps required. First, though, parents will have to activate a new SIM card. The Funkyfing JR 2 comes with a Melon Mobile card installed. Before anything works as it should, that card has to be a) activated and b) loaded with data. The Funkyfing app may be free; buying data for its functions isn’t. Still, it’s a small (monthly) price to pay for added security.
Clear that hurdle and the device must be paired with the app. There’s a small QR code that allows this — rather easily — through the Funkyfing app. When it’s all done and connected, parents get geographic position updates via the app, a typed chat function (the watch allows for typed messages — these are best done with small fingers), and the ability to call the wearer via the app. Health metrics are also updated to mom or dad’s phone, so you can see just how much energy a six-year-old really has.
It’s… a chore, but so is everything else you do with a child. Chores aren’t necessarily bad, of course. The inital setup takes some time to iron out, unless you’ve done this before. Once it’s done, though, it’s just a matter of keeping the 680mAh battery and the SIM card’s data topped up. Only the second can be done remotely. Funkyfing’s pin-connector charging cable will have to handle the rest.
Funkyfing JR 2 verdict
As with most things involving kids, a decent amount of effort at the beginning tends to pay off well. We can’t picture a teenager being happy about wearing the Funkyfing JR 2 (at least, not much past the age of thirteen), because it’s, technically, spying. You’ll always know where the kid (or kids) are, what their heart rate is doing, and you’ll make or receive calls to the little ones at any point. Unless you’ve activated Classroom Mode, in which case they’re out of contact unless an SOS is sent. Yes, you have to set that up too. It’ll call up to three numbers in sequence when activated — it’s a handy little backstop for all the other things you’re worrying about. At least here, you’re worrying about them technologically.
