DTNO.1 DT8 Ultra smartwatch review – More appearance than reality

At first glance, DTNO. 1’s DT8 Ultra looks confusingly similar to an Apple Watch Ultra – that won’t be a coincidence. The strap of the original also comes in bright orange.

DTNO. 1 also advertises with the claim Adventure Explorer on its website – which fits the Apple Watch Ultra’s prey. However, the manufacturer classifies the model as a fashion smartwatch in its own ranking.

However, the DT8 Ultra also has an MSRP of 70 Euros (~$75), while almost 1,000 Euros (~$1072) are due for the Apple Watch Ultra. The DT8 Ultra is only available in one configuration, and it always comes with an orange silicone strap. However, the manufacturer offers other models with a similar look, such as DT8 Max, DT8 Ultra +, DT8 Pro or DT8 Ultra Max.

There is no LTE version. The WearPro app is required to set up and operate the smartwatch. The program is available for both Android and iOS devices.

After the installation, the software searches for available devices in the vicinity, and the DT8 Ultra was immediately recognized and paired. Afterwards, the app has to be granted some rights so that it can send notifications and phone calls to the watch, for example. Some functions of the watch can only be used when another connection is established as an audio device in addition to the Bluetooth connection for data transfer.

Only then are phone calls with the watch possible, and only then does the voice assistant work. However, all media tones are then also output via the watch’s speaker. In the test, there were many disconnections between the smartwatch and the smartphone.

With a Google Pixel 5 there were significantly more disconnections than with a Honor Magic4 Lite . However, the connection was never stable for days. In some cases, the connection had to be actively re-established in the app.

In some cases, only resetting the clock helped. The app is clearly structured. It provides an overview of the collected body data in the Health tab, an overview of completed sports units under Sports, and settings for the smartwatch under Device.

However, the customization options are limited. It is mainly about basic permissions, such as call forwarding, transferring app notifications or changing the watch face. The integrated voice assistant only works when the watch is connected as a Bluetooth media device in addition to the normal connection.

Access via the double tap on the display is convenient and works reliably. When the assistant is activated, Google Assistant opens on the smartphone. The request is received and the answer is displayed on the smartphone screen.

However, the smartwatch’s microphone and speakers are used for voice commands and speech output. The DT8 Ultra’s fitness data is collected in the WearPro app. Under the Health tab, the software prominently displays the steps currently taken and the step goal, the distance covered, and the calories burned.

It also provides an overview of sleep, pulse, blood pressure, blood oxygenation, and temperature. In the sports section, completed workouts are displayed. The list can be sorted by days, weeks and months, and the software also differentiates between different sports.

The DT8 Ultra does not offer automatic training recording. Synchronization with Google Fit or other services like Strava or Komoot is not possible without third-party software. The DT8 Ultra displays the activity targets in the familiar circles.

The watch displays the circles partly directly in the dial, but in any case in the side-swipeable cards. Confusingly, the circles displayed on the map are only an example and do not show the current data of the day. They are only visible in the submenu, but then displayed as bars.

The watch tracks steps, distances and calories burned. However, the stress level, floors climbed or VO2max are not displayed. There is also no activity reminder after long periods of sitting down – at the desk, for example.

The DT8 Ultra offers ECG, pulse, temperature, blood pressure and blood oxygen measurements. To better classify the values, we compared them with those of reference devices. To measure the pulse values, we took the DT8 Ultra on a bike tour together with a Polar H10 chest strap.

The smartwatch showed an enormous deviation of 20. 75% in the resting pulse compared to the chest strap. Pulse values during the sports session could not be determined or are not stored in the app.

The smartwatch is more accurate in measuring blood oxygen. On average of three measurements, the DT8 Ultra shows a deviation of 1. 68% compared with the values of the Braun Pulse Oximeter 1.

The accuracy of the smartwatch drops significantly again for the skin temperature values. The deviation is 24. 1% compared to the Voltcraft IR-260 reference device.

The values of the blood pressure measurement are also not very useful. While the DT8 Ultra measures a blood pressure of 103 to 67 mmHg with a pulse of 76, the Medisana BU510 reference device shows a blood pressure of 121 to 72 mmHg with a pulse of 60. There is no option to calibrate the blood pressure measurement, such as with the Samsung Galaxy Watch5 .

When measuring the ECG, the software only displays the recorded curves on the paired smartphone, but does not provide an evaluation. Except for the values of the blood oxygen measurement, the health data is unusable with such large deviations. The recording of a workout can be started directly on the watch.

However, the information displayed during the workout is sparse. When walking or running, the watch only displays the total time, the steps taken, the calories burned and the heart rate. The information is displayed on one page, there are no multiple training screens.

All three buttons can only be used to pause the workout, they do not offer more functions. The app displays additional data after the workout, such as the average speed or the cadence. However, the speed values are implausible.

The recording of a bike ride did not succeed at all in the test. The software also displays the cadence and steps when a bike workout is started, and the menu is not adapted to the sport. The DT8 Ultra cannot establish its own GNSS connection.

Therefore, recording routes is only possible with a paired smartphone. The DT8 Ultra has a 2-inch rectangular IPS display. The manufacturer DTNO.

1 advertises a peak brightness of 2000 nits, which is supposed to make the smartwatch the brightest display on the market. Our measurements are very far away from this value. Our measurement shows a maximum brightness of 219 cd/m², which is not record-breaking.

The smartwatch also lacks an automatic brightness adjustment. The DT8 Ultra should get brighter especially in the sun, where the readability of the display is not particularly good. The smartwatch has an always-on display, although the function is limited.

This is because the watchface gives way to a reduced display of the time after a few seconds, and the style can be adjusted. However, this display is not really permanent, but the display goes out completely after a few minutes. In return, the lift detection works quickly and reliably.

The display can also be activated by touching the screen. The resolution of the display is 321 PPI. The resolution looks grainy in parts, and single pixels are visible up close.

DTNO. 1 promises a battery life of five days for the DT8 Ultra. This value is realistic when the always-on display is not used.

However, it is just under four days with activated AoD when the watch is worn continuously. The smartwatch is charged wirelessly via the Qi standard. However, the charging times are quite long.

The smartwatch charges from 0 to 40 percent in one hour. It takes two hours and 30 minutes for a full charge. A special feature of the watch is that it only indicates the battery level very inaccurately in 20 percent increments.

At some point, the display jumps from 20 to 0 percent. The DT8 Ultra then continues to run for a certain time until it eventually goes out. To extend the runtime, the smartwatch offers both an energy-saving mode and a pure watch mode without notifications.

The DT8 Ultra is unfortunately only visually Ultra. The feature set is very good on paper, but the smartwatch cannot deliver on most promises. The display is rather dark instead of industry-leading.

The readings for pulse and skin temperature are so inaccurate that they are unusable. The need for a separate Bluetooth connection for audio signals is also annoying. Even worse, however, are the constant disconnections to the smartphone.

As a result, the DT8 Ultra is no good as a reliable smartwatch for notifications. However, DTNO. 1 keeps one promise – the DT8 Ultra is a fashion smartwatch.

It looks like an Apple Watch Ultra and is well made. Those who wear a smartwatch primarily for its looks and otherwise mainly want to know the time are in the right place. Others should rather look at fitness trackers like the Huawei Band 7 or the Xiaomi Smartband 7.

They offer more features for a similar price. .