Smartwatches have become a very common accessory for adults, and kids are beginning to sport these devices too. While you can do a quick search on Amazon or any other retailer, and you'll likely find a sizable list of watches that claim to be for children. Some will be more of a toy, and others will offer connectivity, but you need to be wary of the latter since they can be quite unsafe. However, there are plenty of excellent smartwatches for kids, and the latest Gizmo Watch 3 from Verizon is one of them.

As the name suggests, this is the third version of this device, and it remains a Verizon exclusive. The Gizmo Watch 2 was a fantastic smartwatch for kids, but it was also very basic. The new model adds some new features and a bit more flair. One of the most significant additions is the camera, so parents can now video call with their children. If you've ever had a young child try to describe something to you, you'll love having visual help in conversations. What hasn't changed are the excellent parental controls and long battery life.

About this review: XDA received a Gizmo Watch 3 provided by Verizon and tested it for two months. The company did not have input into this review.

Pricing and availability

The Gizmo Watch 3 was announced in January 2023 with exclusive availability at Verizon stores and its website. The device comes in two color choices: Teal Mint and Blue Clay. Unlike other smartwatches, computers, and phones, the Gizmo Watch 3 has one version that comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 4100 processor, which powers some of the best smartwatches for grown-ups, 1GB RAM, and 8GB internal storage. Pricing for the watch is either for the full price of $150 or broken into 36 monthly payments of $4.16. Other costs to consider are the $35 activation fee and the $10 cost for the cellular connection, which only works on Verizon.

Design and hardware

A familiar look with new features

The new Gizmo Watch 3 doesn't feature any major design changes over its predecessor. The most obvious changes are the camera at the top of the watch face and the switch from a two-tone color scheme. The Gizmo Watch 2 offered a black frame that took up the top two-thirds of the watch, but the rest of the case was one of four colors. The new model is a single case color in Teal Mint or Blue Clay with a black bezel around the watch face, which houses the camera.

There are two buttons on the right side of the watch. One is round and protrudes from the case a bit more than the other. This button has three functions: it acts as a home button, turns the screen off if on the home screen, and will bring up the power off option when held for three seconds. However, you can disable the ability to power off the watch from the device in the parental controls in the phone app. The other is the SOS button, which does nothing unless held for three seconds. At this point, there are two sliders — one to call the emergency contact and the other to show emergency medical information. It's a great feature to allow kids fast access to calling their emergency contact without swiping through a different of screens.

The physical SOS button is a great feature to allow kids fast access to calling their emergency contact without swiping through a different of screens.

On the right side of the watch is a slit that houses the loudspeaker, which comes in handy during calls as it's always a speakerphone call. The microphones are in the small pinholes on both ends of the watch tucked behind where the standard 20mm silicone watch band connects. Around the back, you'll find the Verizon branding and the POGO pin charging point.

Battery life

The Gizmo Watch 3 uses a similar magnetic-type connection that the previous model did. It's nice because it ensures the dock is properly lined up and connected for charging, which makes it easy for kids. The downside is two-fold. One is if you lose the cable, you can't just grab any other charger. The other issue is the indention on the watch where the pins can pick up debris and grime quite easily. So you'll want to keep an eye on it because if not cleaned out, the charger won't work. The watch will even mention cleaning the connection with rubbing alcohol when you begin charging.

When plugged in, you'll be charging a 510mAh battery that's rated for up to 3.6 days on standby, according to Verizon, and up to 4.45 hours of call time. In my time testing it with my 7-year-old, we were getting about two days of use. That was with intermittent messaging, a call or two, step tracking, and location services enabled. So, depending on you and your child's use, you should have no worries about getting a full day out of the Gizmo Watch 3, and likely more.

These numbers are great compared to many other kid's smartwatches I've reviewed. Most of these devices offer similar battery life as most of the top smartwatches on the market for adults, which is about one day. The Garmin Bounce has similar battery life but also tracks sleep, a feature the Gizmo Watch 3 does not have.

Features for kids

Communication with a touch of entertainment

When most kids are looking at electronics, it's usually the entertainment and gaming features that interest them the most. Well, they won't be 100% disappointed in the Gizmo Watch 3, as it does have some basic games. There's a Simon Says-like game called Gizmo Says, Tic-Tac-Toe, and a slider puzzle game — that's it.

Well, technically, there is another game that is an activity challenge. It's called Jumps, and it gives your child a jumping goal and counts each time they jump. Level 1 is 40 jumps, then 60, and so on. It's basic but a fun way to get kids a bit more active. While it doesn't have a game specifically tied to it, there is a step counter on the watch where you set a daily step goal, and when the child reaches it, there's a little celebration. Fun Sounds is also an entertaining feature, with 12 different sounds in four categories that can't be shared or anything. They're just fun sounds.

Even though the Gizmo Watch 3 isn't offering any complex games or streaming music, there are still a few ways to provide some self-expression.

While the Gizmo Watch 3 isn't a gaming watch, it does offer a few ways to provide some self-expression. There are five watch faces to pick from, including one that changes based on the time of day and the seasons. Your child can also pick between light and dark themes. Lastly, kids will definitely enjoy the addition of the camera for taking pictures, sharing video messages, and of course, making video calls.

Features for parents

Hitting most of the right notes

Where kids are usually most interested in the fun things they can do with their devices, parents care more about the safety features. Thankfully, the Gizmo Watch 3 has a pretty good set to help put parents' minds at ease. There's a companion app for parents to install on their smartphone of choice, whether that is Android or iPhone. That's all you need to both set up the watch and manage the different parental control options. The Gizmo Watch 3 has a solid set of parental controls. While not vast, they are accurate and easy to use.

On the GizmoHub app home screen, you'll see your child's current location with a few buttons for additional location-based features. The default view of the map has basic shapes and colors with road names. But there's a button to enable a satellite view for better details as to where your child is. You can see the watch's location history and then make an on-demand location request. Otherwise, the map will update automatically every hour or when your child arrives at a saved location, which you can add to the app.

The Gizmo Watch 3 has a solid set of parental controls. While not vast, they are accurate and easy to use.

One of my favorite safety features for any connected device for a child, whether it's one of the best kids' smartphones or smartwatches, is geofencing, and I'm so glad it's on the Gizmo Watch 3. If you're unfamiliar with what this is, it's essentially where you can create a virtual area around a specific location. This could be your home, a friend's house, school, or wherever your child may be, and you want to know when they arrive there or leave. When that happens, you'll get an alert on your phone saying they are at the location and when they aren't.

A less vital but still great feature is the ability to create to-do lists for your child. These can be a specific task like repeating daily chores or a one-time reminder. Aside from giving the task a name, you can also set a duration, give it a time of day to occur, offer a congratulatory message when completed, and have the watch play an alarm until it is turned off, so your child won't accidentally miss the reminder.

One feature that is a bit more important than setting tasks is School Mode. Because the chance that a child gets distracted by their watch during class is likely quite high, this feature lets you create a time frame where the watch makes no sound and is simply a watch. Now, should they need to reach you in an emergency, your child can still call the emergency contact you've set up. However, I experienced a weird glitch where School Mode will re-enable itself after I've disabled it. But there is a quick toggle to turn on or off School Mode at any point.

Managed contacts are a great way to ensure your child isn't communicating with people you don't know or want them to.

One of the most vital features of the Gizmo Watch, or any other connected device for kids, is managed contacts. This means your child can't add any contacts without you adding them via the app, and nobody can contact your child unless you've added them. The one exception to this is if another kid with a Gizmo Watch is nearby. Then the watch will let them "buddy" up, but you'll still need to approve it before they actually connect.

There are 20 slots available for you to add contacts to the watch, and there are different permissions. The basic option of Calling Contact means just that, this number can only call or be called from the watch. A Gizmo Buddy is a contact made via two Gizmo Watches who can both call and message the watch. The Caregiver option allows for all communication methods as well as the ability to locate the watch, get other location information, and enable the auto-answer feature for calling the watch. Finally, there's Guardian, which has all the permissions previously mentioned, along with contact management and making changes to the watch and power settings

Gizmo Watch 3: Should you buy it?

You should buy the Gizmo Watch 3 if:

• You want a smartwatch for your child with excellent location services in parental control
• You need the watch to have long battery life
• You want the ability to make video calls with your child

You shouldn't buy the Gizmo Watch 3 if:

• You don't want to use Verizon
• You want a watch with more features on it for your child

Verizon's Gizmo Watch 3 is a very capable smartwatch that provides a nice set of safety features for parents and a few fun bells and whistles for kids. The styling isn't anything special, but the colors may suit older kids. You won't find streaming music or dual cameras as you will on the TickTalk 4, and you won't get temperature measurements like on the Angel Watch Series R (review coming soon). What the Gizmo Watch 3 does offer is reliability, easy-to-use settings for the parents, and a simple interface that kids can navigate.

Though you can only purchase the watch and use it on Verizon, which happens to be one of the best carriers in the U.S., it isn't perfect, and for those who don't reside in an area that Big Red covers, the Gizmo Watch 3 won't be an option. But if it is, the excellent battery life will be great for going on overnight trips or when your child forgets to charge the watch at night. Also, the addition of video calling and video messaging brings a new level of communication to the reliable kids' smartwatch that should be on your list of considerations if you and your child are ready for them to have their own smartwatch.