IMars digital desktop clock on test bench

We have reached the next stage of our collaboration with Gearbest, now the focus is on testing.

Let’s start right away by telling us the main reason for our choice; now we want to test Gearbest's products that have gained popularity for a great price / value ratio for a few trials. It can be filtered out of this, these will not be premium offers, we will certainly not pay for the brand and the advertising here, but the good customer feedback is encouraging. Then come first a digital desktop clock.

Unpacking

Better than it looks based on the box. 

It cannot be said that the packaging of the product would be scandalously ostentatious; in addition to the model number, we can read the basic functions of the stuff on the box, and that's it. It's an interesting thing, because the list doesn't mention the whole repertoire, and Gearbest has already written too much, let's just look at:

• Digital clock with alarm clock and snooze (grace last 8 minutes)
• Measurement of internal temperature and humidity
• Sound-activated backlight (for 5 seconds)
• Show temperature trend and comfort
• Weather forecast

Main features

We'll start from the last point a little later, for now. The support structure is not overcomplicated, the stand should simply be inserted into the groove of the upper element. Luckily, it works pretty well, so it’s guaranteed not to slip out of it. The watch can be powered by two mini pencil batteries (not included) or an AC adapter - I stayed with the former. I admit, I had my doubts about the size of the stuff, before turning it on, I thought a larger display would be more practical. The color display, on the other hand, is surprisingly easy to read, so the exact time can be seen quite easily from a distance.

The numbering was a bit chaotic - yes, I put the 12th point in retrospect.

1. Weather forecast
2. Temperature changes
3. Comfort indicator 
4. Time
5. Nap
6. humidity
7. Stop alarm / light
8. Setting
9. Time format / Activate alarm
10. ° C / ° F switch
11. Show maximum and minimum temperature / humidity
12. Temperature

Of course, the commissioning starts with setting the date and time: as usual, you can start the configuration by pressing and holding the “mode” button, then the keys next to it are used for scrolling (see the two pictograms). The pressure sensitivity is perfectly fine, if I’m very strict, I can’t even find anything to complain about. Temperature (-10 to 60 ° C) and humidity (20% -99%) are measured every minute (in principle), so it can take up to 10 minutes to accurately detect environmental data - this could be a little more agile. The authenticity of the temperature measurement was checked with a mercury meter, there was no problem with it.

Exact dimensions: 14,0 × 9,0 cm.

1. Turn the sound sensor on and off
2. Stop backlight and alarm
3. Reset
4. Speaker
5. AC adapter connector
6. Battery compartment

Here are some more exciting points. It is a matter of judgment whether we take these as sweat-smelling exertion, or as pleasant, so to speak, humorous little things. In fact, the watch wants to provide a few points more than expected; for example, an emoticon for “comfort” falls into this category.

The display (also) performed more than expected.

It is not possible, but it is not necessary to take the weather forecaster too seriously (it does not have an external sensor), although the barometer is still an important tool in the hands of meteorologists today, it is certainly not enough in itself. In any case, during the few days of testing, the pictogram weather forecast was very (!) Just not fired next to it.

A little extra

What was better, but also more practical, was the built-in backlight with sound sensor. This is surprisingly good, it sharpens to a cough from a distance of 60-70 cm, but of course it is enough for him to tap one on the table. This option can be turned off on demand, I think it might come in handy in the evenings. I would say I would have adapted to this in the first place; by regulating the operation between 18 and 8 o'clock, it would be possible to avoid unnecessary lighting during the day. 

The stand before sliding. You can see the three rails, the top element slides in there.

The alarm function uses the classic “beep-beep” noise, with a more and more frequent beep over time. Its volume is satisfactory, however, I don't consider its use to be lifelike, because the sole is not very big, so we can easily push it in half-sleep - and it will definitely not be well tolerated by the watch. I didn’t conjure the nap out of it, not least because of the former. We will be able to provide information on energy demand later, so it is certain that the combination of speaker and display lighting will thoroughly floor the batteries; even with the two fresh Energizer batteries, the brightness decreased slightly when the speaker was activated.

The quality of the buttons is perfectly fine.

In the end, I can say with a calm heart that the watch met all the expected requirements quite well. He has no roaring fault, all I can blame him is that the sole could be a little bigger. The display can still be read from a distance of 2-2,5 meters without lighting, so I don't think you should be ashamed of it. With backlighting, it reaches / exceeds 4 meters, which I dare say is completely optimal. It is questionable how long it takes to suck off the two pencil batteries, this can obviously only be said in months.

Evaluation

The relative length of the list on the right is explained by the fact that since the stuff performed really well, I switched to “hair-splitting” mode, so we can talk about nuances at (almost) every point. 

The digital desktop clock in the article is currently available for purchase on Gearbest (click on the picture!) For only $ 8,99. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!