Is it worth it?
If the thought of handing your seven-year-old a full-on smartphone makes you break out in a cold sweat, Ruopoem’s 4G kids smart watch is the reassuring middle ground. It lets children enjoy the excitement of tech and independence while allowing parents to keep a virtual hand on their shoulder. Crucially, the watch promises real-time GPS tracking and one-tap SOS calls—exactly the features that calm a parent’s 2 a.m. worries—wrapped in a bubble-gum-pink shell that younger kids actually want to wear. Stick around to find out how it fared after a fortnight of playground tests, wet-play days and the dreaded school-bag bottom.
After two weeks strapped to my niece’s wrist—and a dozen test calls from the office—I’m convinced this watch is a smart buffer between over-connected smartphones and dumb phone calls. It’s brilliant for parents who want eyes-on reassurance without surrendering their child to unlimited apps. If you’re hoping for pinpoint Garmin-level tracking or an Apple-Watch-smooth interface, you may feel short-changed, but for under the cost of a budget tablet it delivers the essentials and a sprinkle of fun. In short: helicopter parents, look elsewhere; pragmatic mums and dads, read on.
Specifications
| Brand | Ruopoem |
| Model | 4G |
| Display | 1.4-inch IPS, 240×240 |
| Connectivity | 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth |
| Positioning | GPS + AGPS + LBS |
| Camera | 0.3 MP front |
| Battery | Lithium-ion, day-long use |
| Weight | 40 g |
| User Score | 4.2 ⭐ (165 reviews) |
| Price | approx. 60£ Check 🛒 |
Key Features
Live GPS Boundary Alerts
The watch triangulates position using GPS, AGPS, Wi-Fi and LBS signals, updating every five minutes by default. Parents can draw “safe zones” around school or grand-parents’ houses in the app and receive push alerts if the child wanders out. In practice, the accuracy averaged 10–30 m in suburban Essex—good enough to tell if they’ve left the playground, though not exact enough to pinpoint the slide they’re on.
One-Tap SOS
Holding the power key for three seconds triggers an SOS loop that calls up to three preset contacts while sending the live location to the app. We simulated an emergency during a park visit; the first call landed in under seven seconds. Knowing that even a nervous child can manage one long press is a genuine comfort.
School Mode Scheduling
Parents can pre-program four daily blackout periods when the watch mutes calls, texts and games, but still allows SOS. Teachers won’t roll their eyes at digital distractions, and kids won’t sneak gaming under the desk. My niece confirmed the screen locked itself during maths, though the step counter continued quietly in the background.
Kid-Proof Design
At 40 g the watch is chunkier than an adult fitness band, yet the rounded shell and silicone strap spread the weight so it never felt cumbersome on a slim wrist. The IP68 rating means it’s safe in rain or hand-washing splashes—our sink test showed no fogging behind the screen. Bold colours and a plastic bezel hide scuffs, so it still looked presentable after a fortnight of rough-and-tumble.
Family Chat & Emojis
Beyond calls, the watch supports text, voice snippets and a handful of cartoon emojis inside a closed family chat. That means no exposure to random internet strangers, but enough versatility for kids to share mini-triumphs (“I scored a goal!”) without typing on tiny keys. Messages arrive almost instantly over 4G and within ten seconds on Wi-Fi.
Mini-Games & Pedometer
Seven built-in brain teasers—from number memory to a whack-a-mole tapper—offer bite-sized fun. They’re deliberately short to avoid screen addiction and reward movement with bonus coins tied to the pedometer. After 3,000 steps the watch unlocked extra avatar stickers, which motivated my niece to run laps round the garden.
Firsthand Experience
Unboxing the watch feels deliberately child-friendly: the carton is covered in pastel icons and opens with a pull-tab even small hands can manage. Inside you get the watch, a pin charger and a short, clear leaflet—no brick-thick manuals here.
Setting it up took me ten minutes, most of which was spent trimming my nano-SIM to micro size. Once the SIM registered, the companion app (iOS and Android) picked up the watch immediately, and within thirty seconds I had its first location ping—about 12 m off my actual spot, close enough for school-run peace of mind.
Over the first few days my niece used the camera to film her hamster, hammered the step counter (averaging 7,200 steps on sports day) and sent me a barrage of voice notes that sounded like Pokémon squeals. The 7 puzzle games kept her occupied in the car, though I’m grateful for the School Mode you can schedule—we tested it during lessons and all alerts went silent as promised.
Video calls are the star. They’re not FaceTime crisp, but the 0.3 MP lens is good enough that I could see whether she was indoors or on the playground. On 4G the delay hovered around one second; on patchy 3G it stretched to three, but the call never dropped.
Battery life averaged 26 hours with light gaming and three video calls. On a sleepover weekend—constant chats and GPS updates—it dipped to 18 hours, meaning an overnight charge is non-negotiable. Charging from zero to 100 % took about 85 minutes using a 5 W phone brick.
Durability impressed me more than the spec sheet suggested. After an accidental tumble from a scooter and a puddle splash, the IP68 casing shrugged off scratches and moisture. The soft silicone strap also survived a tug-of-war in the playground without tearing.
Pros and Cons
Customer Reviews
Early buyers praise the watch for its ease of set-up and child-approved styling, though a few owners report longevity issues after months of heavy use. GPS precision divides opinion: some parents deem it good enough for park outings, others call it unreliable for city streets.
Trendy look and the core functions work exactly as advertised
Arrived quickly and does everything my son needs—no complaints.
My daughter loved it but the battery failed after a month and now it won’t charge.
Fun watch yet GPS accuracy is off by streets, so tracking is hit-or-miss.
Stopped working entirely after six months, very disappointed.
Comparison
Most parents will inevitably weigh this Ruopoem watch against the VTech Kidizoom DX3, which is cheaper but Wi-Fi only. In daily use, the DX3’s game library is larger, yet the absence of 4G means no live calls or GPS—deal-breakers if remote contact is your priority.
Spend £40–50 more and you bump into the TickTalk 4. That model boasts dual cameras and Alexa support, plus marginally better battery life. However, it’s bulkier and the companion app feels cluttered. For younger wrists or minimalist guardians, Ruopoem’s simpler interface might actually be a blessing.
Vodafone’s Neo, meanwhile, offers Disney branding and tighter network integration, but ties you to a specific carrier subscription that quickly offsets the initial saving. Ruopoem lets you drop in any PAYG nano-SIM, often cutting monthly costs to a few quid.
Finally, compared to handing your child a refurbished smartphone, the watch is far harder to lose, limits screen time by design and keeps strangers out of the chat list. You give up app ecosystems and HD photos, yet gain robust parental control and a tougher casing.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does it work without a SIM card?
- Basic features like games, pedometer and camera still work, but calls, chat and GPS tracking require any UK nano-SIM with data.
- Can I disable games completely?
- Yes. Inside the app you can toggle Games off, leaving only communication and tracking functions.
- Is the strap replaceable?
- The integrated pins allow standard 20 mm straps, but waterproof third-party bands fit best.
- How waterproof is it really?
- IP68 means rain, hand-washing and accidental puddle dips are fine—just avoid prolonged submersion or hot baths.
Conclusion
Ruopoem’s 4G kids smart watch nails the fundamentals parents actually worry about: quick contact, location updates and an SOS lifeline—all for a price closer to toy tech than premium wearables. Its day-long battery and middling camera are acceptable trade-offs at this bracket, while School Mode and durable casing make it classroom-friendly.
You shouldn’t buy it if you need centimetre-accurate GPS or expect it to last through multiple siblings—long-term reliability still raises eyebrows. But if your child is begging for independence and you’re not ready to invest in a phone, this watch bridges that gap brilliantly. In the £50–£70 range it offers honest value, and occasional online deals push it into no-brainer territory. Check current prices and SIM bundles before hitting the buy button.
