When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Heres how it works.
I just went hands-on with the Bark smartwatch for kids and its seriously easy to set up and use.
Best of all, unlike competitor devices from Fitbit and Pinwheel, theres no added software bloat.
Games and apps are non-existent, instead, its all about safety and communication.
Here’s everything you gotta know.
After two years, when the watch is paid off, it drops back to $15 a month.
ThePinwheel Watch, meanwhile, is $159 for the unit and $15 a month for connectivity.
But that also means that the AMOLED touchscreen is decently sized at 1.6 inches and fairly responsive.
That should be enough protection for sledding, running through sprinklers, jumping in puddles and other childhood hijinks.
However, the screen lacks any sort of bezel protection.
So, I do worry about its impact-resistance.
There are two physical buttons on the side of the case, a power button and and SOS button.
Theres also a Bark app that displays your childs name and phone number.
Pressing the power button returns you to the homescreen.
Outside of those options, theres little more to the Bark Watch.
That said, Ive stumbled across numerous forum posts complaining that the battery barely makes it through a day.
It’s priced similarly to the competition and just as functional where it counts.
Screen aside, my biggest hesitation about the Bark Watch is the size.
The case is 42mm x 50mm and 15mm thick with a weight of 50 g. Thats pretty darn chunky!
Meanwhile, the Fitbit Ace LTE is 41 x 34 x 13mm and 28g.
If not, it could be a dealbreaker.
If that appeals to you, too, then it might be the kid-friendly smartwatch for you.