There's a new smartwatch that offers 10 months on a single change thanks to solar charging.
The problem is, you have to build it yourself so you can't buy it and there are a few other caveats too.
There is no shortage of smartwatches out there these days. Whether you opt for the Apple Watch, a fitness watch like Garmin, or consider something a little different like the Pebble, you have multiple options.
Those options weren’t enough for one user, however. As posted on GitHub and reported by Notebookcheck, there’s a smartwatch on the DIY scene that looks to offer a battery life of 10 months on a single charge. How, you might ask? Well, it uses solar power to charge, but not in the same way as you’ll find on the likes of the Garmin Fenix 8 Solar.
What is the LightInk smartwatch and how can I get it?
Instead, the smartwatch, which is being called LightInk, has a solar panel at the top of its rectangular display, making it considerably more visible than you’ll find on the Garmin Fenix solar watches. Solar technology is pretty much integrated into the display on the Garmin options, making it practically invisible, whereas the LightInk makes it more of a design feature.
There is a 100mAh battery inside the smartwatch and a couple of features are supported, including LoRa and GPS. Apparently there is no accelerometer as this would consume too much power, and currently, there is no companion app either. That makes the LightInk more of a wrist watch than a smartwatch really, though it does have an E Ink display with a backlight for use when it’s dark and there is a speaker too.
The other caveat with the LightInk smartwatch is that you have to build it yourself. Those interested in it can do this using the detailed guide, but you’d need to have a circuit board manufactured by a service provider as well as access to a 3D printer. You’ll also need to be prepared to do some soldering.
As such, we suspect the latest Pebble Time 2 will be a more appealing option to many, but if you do want to build your own smartwatch with a battery life that lasts months, well the LightInk is an option.
