Noise Junior Explorer 2 Review

Quick Summary

The Noise Junior Explorer 2 is a 4G kids' smartwatch from Noise that lets a child aged roughly six to twelve call home, be found on a map and send an SOS alert, all without carrying a phone. It sells for about ₹5,999. Its strength is the complete safety package: video and voice calling, live GPS tracking, geo-fencing and School Mode, all controlled by parents. Its weak spots are battery life and the consistency of calls and location, which matter a lot in a watch bought for peace of mind.

Design & Build Quality

The square body is chunky at 15.6 mm thick and 56 g, which is noticeable on a small wrist, but the soft 20 mm silicone strap keeps it comfortable through a school day. The four playful colourways, including Frost Pop and Lava Blast, are clearly designed with children in mind. IP68 protection means rain, spilt water and hand-washing should not cause trouble, which is reassuring for a watch that will be knocked about in playgrounds.

Display

The 1.4-inch IPS screen at 240 × 240 pixels is not sharp, but it is bright enough and large enough for big, easy touch targets. For a child dialling a parent or reading a short message, that matters more than resolution. Video calls look small and soft on a screen this size, so they work best as a quick check-in rather than a long conversation.

Calling, Tracking & Connectivity

This is the heart of the watch. It takes a SIM or an eSIM and works on 4G with VoLTE, so your child can make two-way voice and video calls through the 2 MP camera, but only with contacts you have approved. Built-in GPS feeds real-time location to the parent app on Google Maps, and geo-fencing alerts you when your child leaves a safe zone such as school or a tuition class. Wi-Fi support is also built in.

On paper the package is complete. In practice, how well it works depends on mobile coverage in your area and on GPS signal, so locations can be off by some distance indoors or among tall buildings, and calls can occasionally fail to connect. Remember to budget for a monthly SIM plan.

Safety & Parental Controls

A one-touch SOS button sends an emergency alert, School Mode locks distractions during class, and auto-pickup lets a parent connect to the watch when needed. A family chat hub, a habit-building scheduler and reminders add useful structure to a child's day. These are well-chosen features, and parents who want control without handing over a smartphone will find them reassuring.

Battery Life & Charging

The 950 mAh battery is listed for up to five days, but that figure assumes light use. A 4G watch that keeps reporting its location and handles video calls uses power quickly, so many families will need to charge it every night, and heavy video calling can drain it within a day. Magnetic charging takes about two hours, which fits easily into an evening routine.

What Buyers Say

Buyers most often praise the Explorer 2 for the peace of mind it gives: parents value the safety features, the parental controls and video calls that work well. Many say their children find it easy to use. The most common complaints are about consistency. Normal voice calls sometimes fail to connect, and both battery life and GPS accuracy draw mixed reports, with some finding them good and others reporting fast battery drain and wrong locations. A smaller group received faulty units or saw parts such as the power button fail, and opinion on value is split.

Features Assessment

Everything here serves safety and communication, which is the right focus for a kids' watch. Calling limited to approved contacts, live tracking, geo-fencing and SOS are the features parents will use daily. Step counting is the only fitness tracking, and there are no games, which many parents will see as a plus. The 2 MP camera is there for video calls rather than photos.

Ease of Use

For the child, the interface is simple, with big icons and few menus. For parents, setup needs a little more effort: you must activate a SIM or eSIM, install the companion app and add approved contacts before the watch is useful. Families moving from an older Noise kids' watch should note that it uses its own app, so the setup starts again. It works with Android 7.0 and above and iOS 16.0 and above.

Value for Money

At about ₹5,999 plus a monthly SIM plan, the Explorer 2 costs far less than a child's first smartphone and offers most of the safety benefits parents want, without social media or games. That makes the idea good value. The concern is reliability: if calls drop or the battery runs out by mid-afternoon, the safety promise weakens. It is fairly priced against other 4G kids' watches, but buy from a seller that makes returns easy.

Who Should Buy It?

Parents of children aged about six to twelve who travel to school, tuition or play on their own and need a way to stay in touch without a smartphone. It suits families in cities with good 4G coverage who are happy to charge the watch every night.

Who Should Consider Alternatives?

Parents who only want learning, routines and fitness tracking, without calling or tracking, can save money with a simpler Bluetooth kids' watch. Families in areas with weak mobile coverage should check signal first, since calling and tracking depend on it. Parents of very young children may find the 56 g body too large for small wrists.