We go in depth on the features, battery life and availability of this budget watch

When you think of the best hybrid smartwatches on the market, Lenovo isn’t necessarily a name that springs to mind.

But while we’re seeing the fashion brands of Fossil dominating this area of smartwatches, and Garmin producing perhaps the top hybrid you can buy, it should come as no surprise to see other tech brands making their mark. And with the Watch X, that’s exactly what Lenovo has done.

Selling out rapidly in its native China, the device has gained a strong following, blending together a budget price with a traditional design and a raft of features underneath the watch face.

Since this is yet to land outside of the company’s native territory, though, you may not know just what exactly the Watch X is all about. That’s where we come in. Below, we’ve drawn up your guide to Lenovo’s hybrid smartwatch, analysing its design, features, battery life and more. Read on for everything you need to know.

Lenovo Watch X: Design

As with many hybrid smartwatches, the Watch X focuses heavily on providing a traditional timepiece look. And it appears to be one that has gathered a considerable number of fans – according to GizmoChina, the device sold out within 15 seconds of hitting the sale in China.

That’s right, 15 seconds. Fifteen. Seconds. It takes this writer literally 15 days to work up to any kind of significant purchase — 15 minutes to pick the right playlist for the gym. 15 seconds? I’ve never done anything in 15 seconds – anything.

And that includes all editions of the Watch X, of which there are four: the standard Milanese silver and black shown above, as well as two more designs under the Watch X Plus banner. From what we can tell, these Plus models are the same size and house the same specs as the regular device, though the face design is different; the Watch X appears to have digital accents and the Plus brings Roman numerals.

(Left, Lenovo Watch X; right, Lenovo Watch X Plus)

As for official design specs, well, things are a little sketchy. From what we can glean from Lenovo’s Chinese website, the bezel of both editions would appear to be 42.5mm, while the thickness rests at 12.2mm. We also know that the OLED mini-screen will rest above 6 o’clock mark.

Lenovo Watch X: Features

You’re not getting the features of regular smartwatch with the Lenovo Watch X, but, even still, it does manage to pack in an impressive amount when compared to other hybrids.

Perhaps most notable is the 45-day battery life, however it’s not clear whether this is the maximum of its potential or whether the role of the barometer, heart rate monitor, blood pressure sensor, gyroscope, gravity sensor, and geomagnetic sensor are reduced in order to reach these levels.

Meanwhile, the watch will connect to your smartphone over Bluetooth and remain water resistant up to 80 meters.

Lenovo Watch X: Price and release date

A solid design and specs sheet definitely help, but perhaps the reason why this watch is so coveted is the low price. Clocking in at 299 yuan (roughly $45) for the regular version and 399 yuan (around $60) for the Watch X Plus, the tag helps it undercut pretty much all of its rivals in the market. It’s similar to what we’ve seen in the fitness tracker market, in which Xiaomi is able to offer its Mi Band 3 for a fraction of the cost of Fitbit and Garmin’s offerings.

Now, let’s talk about the availability of the device. As we mentioned earlier, Lenovo’s initial supplies of the Watch X were depleted by hungry hybrid fans, and currently the company’s website states it won’t go back on sale until later in July.

As for a wider release, well, it looks unlikely at this stage. We reached out to Lenovo to get a gauge on any plans for an international release, but for now it looks like this is one device that’s staying in China. However, this could be open to change, so we’ll be sure to let you know if it becomes available in the US or Europe. Our minds and bodies will be in training and ready to make a lightning-quick purchase, should the opportunity arise.

(wareable.com, http://bit.ly/2u3V82F)