This Apple Watch clone is probably the best bang-for-your-buck fitness tracker

Odds are, you’ve never heard of the brand WeLoop. However, you’ve probably seen what an Apple Watch looks like and I don’t think anyone can argue that this watch and the Apple Watch are two incredibly similar-looking devices.

Well, this wearable is called the WeLoop Hey 3S and it’s one of two brand new fitness trackers that the company has launched in Malaysia through accessories distributor Olike. And, looks aside, it bleeds value-for-money.

Right off the bat, the Hey 3S has an impressive build with a stainless steel case — that’s surprisingly light — plus a ceramic bezel for better resistance to scratches. Further, it’s got built-in GPS to track your runs which is pretty rare in a fitness tracker at this price point. Even Fitbit only has one tracker that features built-in GPS and that’s more than double the Hey 3S’ price.

Despite these features, the Hey 3S boasts a battery life of up to 30 days on a single charge and even if you leave GPS on the entire time, the watch will still be able to last 25 hours — which is incredible. However, to give you such amazing battery life, the Hey 3S sacrifices on one key feature — its display.

It’s a touch-sensitive LCD panel, but next to the Apple Watch, it’s incredibly pixelated and looks like you’re watching graphics that don’t have anti-aliasing turned on. It also doesn’t get very bright which will affect its outdoor visibility. Though, one good thing is that it’s well protected as the Hey 3S supposedly comes with a protective glass layer over its screen that’s harder than Gorilla Glass 5 — it’s, in fact, a level 8 on the Mohs scale of hardness.

You can also take this watch swimming since it is waterproof up to 50 m, as well as a bunch of your usual fitness activities including heart-rate monitoring and sleep tracking. To fulfill its smart component, the wearable does notifications, reminders, inactivity alerts and also has a whole bunch of customised watch faces that you can switch between in the dedicated app. The Hey 3S will pair with Android and iOS devices via Bluetooth 4.0.

The WeLoop Hey 3S is priced at an incredibly affordable RM499 and will be available for purchase in all OPPO Concept stores and Olike sales points nationwide. If you’re on a tighter budget, you can opt for the more affordable WeLoop XH3 but you’ll have to part with that ceramic bezel and built-in GPS. The good thing is that the RM399 XH3 has battery life that goes up to 40 days on a single charge.