Martian Notifier Smartwatch Review

Introduction

Within the last year, we’ve seen a healthy stream of multi-functional smartwatches. All of them, of course, adhere to delivering “smart” functions that complement our smartphones – such as discrete notifications, act as remote viewfinders, and even double as fitness trackers too. Scoping out the current batch of popular smartwatches, there’s no denying that they bear similar designs, as their fancy touchscreen displays are profoundly featured. Going back to the basics, the Martian Notifier Smartwatch is a very different product – one that adheres more to being a watch first, with smart functions being the secondary.

The package contains:

• microUSB cable
• Quick connect guide

Design

Elegant and classic are two words that best describe it, as it really looks more like a premium-made watch.

Talk about having a classic, timeless design! In an age where smartwatches stand out due to the glow of their fancy touchscreen displays, especially in the dark, the Martian Notifier opts for a conventional watch design. And boy is it a refreshing change of scenery! Most people wouldn’t even begin to think it’s a smartwatch!

The choice of materials is pretty good too, seeing that it’s constructed out of mostly resin plastic – while the frame is supported by a stainless steel bezel. Obviously, there’s no trying to hide the fact that the focal point is its timepiece, which is an analog quartz watch with Japanese movement, protected by an anti-scratch acrylic crystal. Finally, the stock wrist strap included with the packaging is a rubbery feeling silicone band. In keeping this uniform, the band matches the black paint job of our particular unit – albeit, the watch is also available in red and white.

Fortunately, we’re given a small amount of personalization because the silicone band is interchangeable.

For those of you wondering, the bands from Martian are all silicone based, but they’re available in a variety of colors at $20 a piece. Better yet, it actually uses the same 22mm width bands that are compatible with Samsung’s line of Gear smartwatches – so swap away!

In keeping that timeless design, the Martian Notifier features two buttons on its left – the bottom “select” button scrolls through the different options, while the top “command” button is used to launch your phone’s respective voice service. Furthermore, there’s a dial on the right side that’s used to manually adjust the time. Now, we’re ecstatic to find a standard microUSB port on this thing, as opposed to the proprietary connections of other smartwatches, but it won’t accept your ordinary microUSB cable, since the port itself is recessed deeply in there – so a longer tipped cable, which comes included, is required.

Normally, today’s smartwatches flaunt designs that would match the geeky demeanor of its wearer. Bucking the trend, it’s refreshing to see that the Martian Notifier is different in the way that it discretely blends all of that geeky tech gear into something sophisticated and elegant looking. Despite that, you don’t want to swim with this on, seeing that it’s only splash-resistant.

Display

You’re probably wondering what more can we say about the display, aside from the obvious that we have minute and hour hands pointing to the time? Interestingly enough, there’s a small rectangular area below the hands that tucks away a tiny 96 x 16 pixel OLED display. Yes it’s miniscule, but it’s where we’re presented with our notifications, as they scroll accordingly towards the left. The lighting is pretty potent, which makes it relatively easy to make out under sunny conditions – while still giving the smartwatch a pleasant glow in the dark.

Performance

You’ll never miss a notification with this, but don’t expect the same level of diversity with its features set.

Supporting iOS and Android (version 2.3.3 or later), the Martian Notifier Smartwatch places its attention mostly on one specific thing – discrete notifications. Unlike the features rich tally of other smartwatches, the Martian Notifier delivers timely notifications from your connected phone (in our case, an HTC One M8). Its Bluetooth 4.0 range is pretty good, since it’s able to maintain a connection for more than 30 feet.

Downloading the accompanying Martian Notifier app for Android, its purpose is to initially set up the watch, and also customize the settings. Not only can we select what app notifications we want the Martian Notifier to receive, but we can also set up alarms, view the world clock, get weather information, and set an hourly repeater. With each notification, we can also select what kind of vibration pattern we want to have activated on the Martian Notifier.

When those notifications are pushed over to the smartwatch, not only do we visually see it pop up in the tiny OLED strip, but the LED notification light nearby turns on – and of course, there’s the ample buzz from its “light touch” vibrating motor that accompanies it. From text messages, to email, Twitter mentions, and much more, the Martian Notifier is a great tool in keeping up with those notifications – without making us overly distracted. The anti-scratch acrylic crystal panel is also touch sensitive, as tapping the watch’s glass allows us to dismiss a notification, or alternatively, tap it within 5 minutes of receiving it to view the notification again.

There are other functions too that are available, like launching the phone’s voice service via pressing the top left button, viewing world clock/date/weather, a camera mode that allows us to remotely snap a shot using our phone’s camera, and a find my phone feature, that extend its feature slightly. All in all, it might not offer as nearly as many functions as other smartwatches, but it manages to deliver notifications in a very appropriate, discrete manner.

Battery Life

Don’t be alarmed, but there are two batteries powering this thing. First, there’s a replaceable button watch battery that powers the watch portion of the Martian Notifier, which is rated to provide up to 2 years of juice. Meanwhile, a lithium polymer rechargeable battery powers the smart part of the watch (like its OLED display, Bluetooth connection, and various notifications), which manages to get us a healthy 5 days of normal usage.

Conclusion

The Martian Notifier is one of those unknowns in the smartwatch world, one that’s being dominated by other tech heavy models. However, those geeky smartwatches might have the upper hand when it comes to features, but as we’ve come to realize, they lack the sophisticated design of a classic timepiece – so that’s where the Martian Notifier has an edge over its techy rivals. Attached with a price point of $129.00, it’s not as grossly exorbitant as other smartwatches, which generally hover around the $200 price point. Indeed, it’s more affordable and easier on the pockets, but some folks might be turned away because of its limitation to receiving notifications – and a few other secondary functions. Regardless of that, we can’t deny that it has a stylish appeal over its smarter competitors.