Xplora X6Play and XGO3 Kids Smartwatches Review

The Xplora company has developed a variety of kids smartwatches over the years, and they were among the first to use digital games and prizes to encourage movement and play. Today, Xplora offers two watches: the XGO3 and the X6Play.

Xplora sent me both watches for a hands-on review. I discovered each one has an incredible battery life, but the XGO3 stands out as the best choice for location accuracy and timely geofencing alerts. However, when compared to other kids smartwatches, even the XGO3 is a little lacking.

Let's take a closer look at both models and figure out of they're right for your family.

The following features are available on both Xplora watches.

Communication features:

• Audio calling
• Preset text messages
• Emojis
• Voice messages

Emergency features:

• SOS button
• SOS mode calls second guardian if first doesn't answer

Location-tracking features:

• Live location tracking
• Safe zones (geofencing)
• Location history

Fun and practical features:

• Camera and photo sharing
• Step counter
• Alarm clock
• Stopwatch
• Calculator

Parental control features:

• No communication with unknown numbers
• Remote alarm scheduling
• School mode
• Remote shutdown

The X6Play offers a little bit more than the XGO3:

• Video recording and sharing
• Noticeably better camera quality
• Larger screen, but the watch is larger too
• Calendar app
• Weather app

Xplora watches stick to the basics. That can be a good thing, because it naturally limits how much time your kids spend messing around on the watch. But some kids might find it frustrating that there's no full text keyboard, and some parents might prefer a watch with video calling. 

Here's what you won't find in Xplora watches, plus my recommended alternatives.

The XGO3 is a fairly reliable kids smartwatch, but it wouldn't rank quite in my top three because others are offer more precise location tracking. The X6Play is less reliable, and at this point I hesitate to recommend it to anyone who wants solid location tracking. 

Let's start with the good news. Calls went through without issue, and the audio sounded perfectly fine. School mode also worked exactly as expected, and I wasn't able to call either watch with an unapproved number. 

Both watches also completely exceeded my expectations in terms of battery life. With typical use, Xplora says both can last up to 48 hours. The XGO3 lasted more than 86 hours with minimal use, and the X6Play lasted about 71 hours. I received low battery alerts when the watches reached 20%, plus another alert when the watches shutdown completely. 

But GPS tracking and geofencing weren't as reliable as I was hoping they would be.

In my open field test — where there are no obstacles like roofs or trees between the watch and the GPS satellites — the parent map showed the XGO3's exact location. However, I couldn't get the Xplora X6Play's location to refresh.

When I introduced some obstacles by sitting in my car while parked under a tree, the XGO3 was off by about 20 feet. This is a pretty good result. The X6Play finally updated at this time, but it showed my previous location (about 100 feet away), not my current one. Despite multiple refreshes, I couldn't get the app to display that watch's correct location. 

Both watches showed the same location during the indoor test. They appeared to be across the street inside the neighbor's house, or about 50 feet away from their true location. 

While setting up the safe zones (geofence boundaries), I was surprised that the minimum boundary is a 990-foot diameter. In my neighborhood, that's three to four blocks. That's the largest minimum boundary of any kids smartwatch I've tested, and it means your child could roam quite a large area before you would get a notification that they've gone too far.

The XGO3 outperformed the X6Play during the geofence test. It pinged my phone two minutes after I crossed the boundary line. While I prefer a more immediate response, that's actually not too bad for a kids smartwatch. (To date, only the Bark Watch has provided a near-instant notification.) The X6Play took twice as long to ping me (four minutes). Both watches also alerted me when I re-entered the boundary, but not immediately. 

As a result of these tests, I believe the XGO3 is more reliable than the X6Play.

Here are the retail prices listed on the Xplora website:

• X6Play: $169.99
• XGO3: $129.99

Sometimes you can find a better price on Amazon. Shop and Klarna offer payment options.

The required data plan costs $12 per month for either watch. 

Standard shipping is free when you buy an Xplora watch, or you can pay $9.99 for two-day shipping. 

An optional Goplay Premium account provides full access to the Goplay platform, where steps turn into virtual currency. It costs $2.99 per month, with discounts for paying every 6 months ($16.50, or 8% off) or every year ($32.28, or 10% off). If you have more than one child, they'll each need their own Premium subscription. You can redeem some prizes with a free Goplay account, but others will be off limits. 

Xplora Goplay is a website where your child can spend coins to play arcade games, download watch faces or ringtones, access educational content, and even bid on real-life toys like LEGO sets and Hot Wheels tracks. 

Your child earns one coin for every 1,000 steps logged on their Xplora watch. Parents can also join in the fun and log steps on their phone. 

Here's how many coins you typically need for certain prizes on Goplay:

• Arcade games: 1 coin per turn or life
• X6 Play watch faces: 30 coins
• XGO3 watch faces: Free
• Watch ringtones: 30 coins
• Auctions: Varies, but you typically need thousands of coins. For example, a bid of 46,000 coins recently won an auction for a remote-controlled Monster truck. 

The learning side of Goplay doesn't require coins, but it does require a Premium plan. Kids can access age-appropriate ebooks, videos, and podcasts, plus download coloring pages.

It's a neat way to motivate kids to stay active, balance screen time, and wear their location-tracking watches. It's fun to play the arcade games, but because coins run out pretty quickly, your child will have to get off the computer and go run around before they can play more. I know I would've loved something like this, especially in elementary school.

If you're looking for a device that will get kids excited about logging their steps, either Xplora watch would be a great choice. The unique Goplay platform offers diverse games and auctions to keep your child coming back for more.

Meanwhile, the watches' batteries almost break the record for the longest-lasting run time on a kids smartwatch. Calls sound great, and the parental controls work.

The main downside is that neither watch offers precise location tracking. You may have to wait a while for the location to refresh, and the map pin will usually show your child's general whereabouts — not their precise location.