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If you’re looking for an affordable smartwatch with a speaker and microphone for calls, paired with a high-quality display, this review should be useful. We’re focusing on the Kieslect Kr2 – a device that not only meets these basic requirements but also offers over 100 workout modes, tracks physical activity, monitors key health metrics (heart rate, blood oxygen, and stress levels), and includes a variety of additional features. That said, it isn’t without its drawbacks. In this review, we’ll take a closer look at the KR2, highlighting its strengths and weaknesses, and consider who might find it most appealing.
Read also: Reviews of smartwatches and smart bands, tests, user experience, comparisons
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Kieslect Kr2 Specifications
- Display: 1.43″, AMOLED, 466×466, 326 ppi, 60 fps, brightness 1000 nits, touchscreen
- Wireless modules: Bluetooth 5.3
- Processor: 2-core
- Sensors: pedometer, pulse oximeter, accelerometer, heart rate monitor
- Battery: 360 mAh
- Battery life: up to 50 days in standby mode, up to 7 days with normal use, up to 4 days in active mode
- Full charge time: up to 3 hours
- Body materials: plastic, metal, glass
- Strap: removable, width 22 mm, 2 bracelets included
- Dimensions (without strap): 46.40 × 46.40 × 11.65 mm
- Weight: 39 g without strap, 58 g with strap
- Additional features: IP68 protection rating, built-in speaker and microphone for calls, Amazon Alexa support, 100 training modes, 4 mini-games
Price
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The Kieslect KR2 is generally priced around $90 / €75. However, at the time of this review, the model was available in the official AliExpress store at a significant discount – just $36.50, more than half the usual price. If the smartwatch catches your interest after reading this review, it’s worth acting quickly to take advantage of the deal. With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at what the device has to offer.
Package contents
The watch arrived in a compact, visually appealing box featuring a list of the model’s key features and an image of the device itself. Inside, the package includes the Kieslect KR2, a magnetic charging cable, accompanying documentation, an additional protective glass, and a set of two watch straps.
The first strap is a classic option: black, made from either silicone or rubber, with a standard buckle. The second strap is more distinctive: a two-tone black-and-yellow design with a magnetic clasp, thinner and softer than the first. I personally preferred the second one, as it can be worn with either the yellow or black side facing up, and the magnetic clasp feels more convenient. Additionally, the Kieslect KR2 uses a standard 22 mm strap attachment, so you can easily swap in any strap of your choice, including those designed for regular watches, allowing full customization to your taste.
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What Kieslect Kr2 can do
The smartwatch has quite a wide range of capabilities, but still with certain limitations. Kieslect Kr2 excels at:
- tracking daily activity, sleep quality and the female cycle
- setting personal goals – from steps to desired weight
- monitoring heart rate, oxygen levels and stress throughout the day
- receiving and making calls (paired with a smartphone) – it has a microphone and speaker for this purpose
- monitoring notifications
- controlling music and the camera on your smartphone
- supporting over 100 types of workouts – from martial arts to dancing and fitness
- acting as a handy flashlight (the screen is flooded with white light)
- entertainment in your spare time, as it has 4 mini-games.
There’s little point in detailing standard features like the timer, stopwatch, weather, or calendar, as these are common across most smartwatches. However, a few additional functions are worth noting. For instance, the watch allows interaction with notifications – you can read and dismiss them – and includes GPS tracking, which is useful for outdoor sports. Even without these extras, the KR2 remains a fairly practical device for everyday use.
Design and materials Kieslect Kr2
The Kieslect KR2 has the appearance of a classic wristwatch, with minimal decorative elements that will likely appeal to fans of a clean, minimalist design. Despite being a 46 mm model (slightly larger, with official dimensions of 46.40 × 46.40 × 11.65 mm), it does not appear overly bulky on the wrist. Given the current trend of wearing relatively large watches among both men and women, the KR2 can be confidently classified as a unisex model. This is further supported by its female cycle tracking feature, reinforcing its versatility. The watch itself weighs just 39 g, and approximately 58 g when paired with a strap.
The watch case combines a metal base with a practical matte finish, which resists fingerprints, matte and glossy plastic on the back (where the sensors are located), and glass covering the display. On the right side, there are three buttons designed in the style of traditional crown knobs. The central button not only presses but also rotates, providing a convenient way to navigate the menu. Detailed discussion of the controls will follow in the next section.
On top, the watch features a fairly large 1.43-inch display. There are no decorative bezels or additional markings, giving the KR2 a clean appearance, though the borders around the screen are fairly noticeable – approximately 5 mm by eye. The protective glass also features a smooth, rounded edge along the perimeter.
Flipping the Kieslect KR2 over, you’ll find the sensor windows, technical markings, and charging contacts. A closer look at the junction between the back cover and the metal case reveals a dual speaker grille on the left and a small microphone opening on the right.
The design of the KR2 is indeed quite minimalist – nothing superfluous for the sake of aesthetics, just a simple and functional layout. In terms of protection, the smartwatch meets the IP68 standard. This means it can handle brief exposure to water, but it isn’t designed for water sports. The list of supported water activities confirms this: it includes surfing and fishing, but not swimming or diving. This is an important consideration if you’re looking for a watch for extended water use.
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Kieslect KR2 Display
The KR2 features a high-quality 1.43-inch AMOLED touchscreen with a resolution of 466×466 and a pixel density of 326 ppi. The display supports touch input and reaches a maximum brightness of 1000 nits, making it readable even in direct sunlight. Brightness adjustment is smooth rather than limited to a few preset levels, allowing for precise control to match different lighting conditions. This makes the screen both versatile and comfortable for daily use.
In addition to brightness, you can adjust the active screen time, enable raise-to-wake, and, of course, use Always-On Display (AoD). The AoD settings are limited – you can choose between a constant mode or a scheduled one, and enable automatic deactivation when the watch is removed to save battery. Customizing the AoD style isn’t possible, but the watch offers dozens of watch faces to choose from, including animated, static, themed, information-rich, or minimalist “classic” designs.
There’s also a flashlight function, which works by turning the screen completely white. Given the display’s high brightness, this can be genuinely useful in certain situations.
Overall, the KR2’s display deserves top marks. The AMOLED panel, combined with its adequate resolution, delivers high contrast and sharp detail, keeping both images and text clear. The brightness is sufficient for comfortable outdoor use, and the animations are smooth and pleasant, thanks to the 60 Hz refresh rate. In terms of screen quality, the KR2 performs very well and doesn’t fall short of expectations.
Interface and Controls
Control of the KR2 follows a standard approach, using both the touchscreen and functional buttons. The central button opens the main menu and, in addition to being pressable, supports a rotating gesture for convenient navigation and quick switching of the home screen “wallpapers.”
The top button functions as a “Home” key, returning the user to the main screen. It also controls the display backlight, effectively acting like a smartphone’s power button to turn the screen on and off.
The bottom button provides quick access to workouts. The most popular activities are displayed at the top, while less common options can be found under “Other Sports,” ranging from squash to waltz or tai chi. All collected statistics are displayed at the top of the screen for easy reference.
Kieslect has kept the interface straightforward, following familiar patterns for most users. Swiping down from the top opens a “control panel,” similar to a smartphone. This panel provides quick access to various watch modes – such as Do Not Disturb, brightness adjustment, phone search, and menu appearance settings – as well as battery level and connection status.
Swiping in the opposite direction (from bottom to top) opens the notifications menu. Unfortunately, interaction is limited – you can only read or dismiss notifications, with no additional actions available.
Swiping to the right allows you to switch between the main screens, including general activity, heart rate, blood oxygen, and stress measurements, as well as sleep quality monitoring, music control, and the weather widget.
Interestingly, the main menu isn’t “circular” – navigation between screens only moves to the right. Swiping left opens a side panel instead. This panel is semi-transparent and overlays the main screen, similar to the feature found on some smartphones, such as Samsung models. You can place up to four frequently used functions here for quick access, along with shortcuts to notifications and the main menu.
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Kieslect App
The watch offers additional functionality through the companion app. Installation is straightforward – there’s no need to search for it manually. When you power on the KR2, a QR code appears on the screen, directing you to the installation page on the App Store, Google Play, or for downloading the APK file. Once installed and after logging in or creating a new account, the app provides access to the full range of settings and features for the smartwatch.
The app has four main tabs. The first, Activity, functions much like other smartwatch apps: it tracks daily activity, including steps, calories burned, distance, heart rate, blood oxygen, stress levels, and sleep quality. It also includes a female cycle tracker and the option to set a weight goal. Any items you don’t need on the main tab can be hidden for a cleaner view.
The next tab is Workouts, which focuses on outdoor activities using GPS tracking, such as running, cycling, and walking. It’s worth noting, however, that the KR2 does not have a built-in GPS module, so a smartphone is required for this functionality.
The Device tab gathers the main and additional settings for the watch. Here, you can update the system, install extra watch faces, enable reminders (ranging from stretching to drinking water, or create custom reminders), set a lock password, control your smartphone camera, locate the smartwatch, and more. You can also configure tracking for key metrics (heart rate, blood oxygen, stress) and set the measurement frequency. Screen settings can be duplicated here, system settings can be reset, and the interface language can be selected.
Finally, the User tab allows you to set fitness goals, grant necessary permissions, and link to third-party apps (currently only Google Fit). Overall, even with the imperfect translation, the app is functional and usable. However, the simple interface combined with occasional delays or ambiguities when hovering over menu items can feel slightly inconsistent and detract from the overall experience.
Kieslect Kr2 Battery life
The KR2 is equipped with a 360 mAh battery. According to the manufacturer, it can last up to 50 days in standby, up to 7 days with typical use, and up to 4 days in active mode. In practice, this is fairly accurate. During testing, the battery level dropped by roughly 20% per day with frequent menu navigation, notifications enabled, and Always-On active – but without continuous heart rate or stress monitoring. For everyday use, you can reasonably expect around 5 days of battery life.
Conclusions and Competitors
So, what stands out about the Kieslect KR2? Its main highlight is the excellent and very smooth display. The watch also benefits from intuitive controls that combine a touchscreen with three functional buttons, a solid package including two straps and protective glass, respectable battery life, and fairly broad functionality.
However, there are some drawbacks. Some users may also miss additional features, such as built-in GPS or the ability to respond to notifications directly from messaging apps. In my view, at a price range of $30–40, the KR2 is a solid everyday smartwatch. At full price, however, there are more compelling alternatives worth considering.
For comparison, the Black Shark GS3 Ultra offers similar core features but adds GPS, an altimeter, a barometer, and higher protection standards (5 ATM and MIL-STD-810). The Amazfit Active 2 is also noteworthy, with a brighter display (2000 nits), NFC, GPS, and synchronization with popular fitness apps. Among Kieslect’s own lineup, the Kieslect Actor, an earlier model, may be more appealing at a similar price point. It features a larger 1.6-inch screen, 5 ATM water resistance, a ceramic bezel, 2 GB of internal storage, and a built-in GPS module.
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