My pre-teen son tested the Garmin Bounce 2 to see if it's really the top smartwatch for kids

Date:
Thu, 16 Apr 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Description:
The Garmin Bounce 2 is a smartwatch designed for kids that features location tracking, two-way calling, and chore management.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Garmin Bounce 2: One minute review Most of the best smartwatches are designed for adults, but every so often a smartwatch brand will release a dedicated offering for children. Theres the Fitbit Ace LTE and the Xplora X6Play, but the newest kid on the block is the Garmin Bounce 2. With calling, text messaging, real-time location tracking features, and some fun games, the Bounce 2 is a device that keeps kids connected without needing a smartphone. Designed for 6-12 year olds, the Bounce 2 is fun, cool and colorful. It
boasts a bright 1.2-inch AMOLED touchscreen that delivers clear graphics and vibrant colors, elevating the smartwatch experience beyond that of most kids' smartwatches. The Bounce 2 also includes a range of child-friendly features, such as activity tracking and games, although my sons interest in the watch began to wane after a couple of months. He would still wear it if we asked
him to, but he has ceased pestering me to let him wear it. Beyond
connectivity that is primarily for parents' peace of mind, the watch doesnt include a huge amount to keep the child glued to it.

If youd like a smartwatch with more features at a similar price, then the Apple Watch SE 3 is our recommended option. With a full set of features, including health tracking and a robust ecosystem, the Watch SE 3 offers much more longevity. This watch can be set up under a family plan which enables parents to control access and functionality and ensures the child is only
able to access appropriate content for their age.

But if youre looking for a locked-down smartwatch for your pre-teen, then it doesnt get much better than the Bounce 2. Its easy to set up, enjoyable to use, and has onboard GPS. To help with testing, I enlisted my ten-year-old son. Much of this review features his observations and opinions. (Image credit: Future / Paul Hatton) Garmin Bounce 2 at H Samuel for 259.99 Garmin Bounce 2: Specifications Swipe to scroll horizontally

Component

Garmin Bounce 2

Price

$299 USD / 259 UK / $479 AUS

Dimensions

43 x 43 x 12.4 mm

Weight

26.5g without strap

Case/bezel

Fiber-reinforced polymer

Display

1.2-inch AMOLED Screen

GPS

Multi-GNSS

Battery life

Up to 2 days

Connection

Bluetooth, ANT+, Wi-Fi, LTE (with subscription)

Water resistance

5 ATM Garmin Bounce 2: Price and availability $299 USD / 259 UK / $479 AUS Additional subscription required for access to all features The Apple Watch
SE 3 offers more features at a similar price At $299 USD / 259 UK / AUD$479, the Garmin Bounce 2 is at the pricey end of smartwatches for kids. It ships
in Slate Grey, Light Purple, and Turquoise colorways.

It is priced similarly to the Apple Watch SE 3, which offers more features
but is much more distracting for a younger child. It also doesn't have the same functionality for chore management. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

As well as the upfront hardware cost, the Bounce 2 requires an LTE subscription for access to two-way calling, messaging, and tracking. This costs $9.99 / 9.99 / AUD per month or $99 / 99 / AUD$17 per year, with the plan being managed through the Garmin Jr. app. Value score 3.5/5 (Image credit: Future / Paul Hatton) Garmin Bounce 2: Design Simple, kid-friendly
and not too flashy A small but responsive AMOLED touchscreen Comfortable fit with silicon strap The Bounce 2 is a basic smartwatch with a kid-friendly design. Its nothing revolutionary, but my son wore the watch with pride and thought it looked like a fashionable accessory. Constructed of a fiber-reinforced polymer and at just over 40g with the strap, the Bounce 2 is light enough for all-day wear, even on the small wrist of a child. The silicone strap also has the benefit of being sweat resistant and easy to clean. It fits wrists between 115-180 mm.

From a parents point of view, one of the best things about the design is that it doesnt particularly stand out. Its therefore unlikely to attract any unwanted attention that could cause problems for your child. (Image credit: Future / Paul Hatton) The 1.2-inch AMOLED touchscreen with a resolution of 390390 pixels delivers clear graphics and vibrant colors. Swipes and taps are accurately detected, and the interface responds quickly and as expected. The screen is also chemically strengthened, which is ideal, as my child wasn't
the most careful with it! The downside to this, is that the screen seriously drains the battery with my son having to charge the watch most nights.

Other features include physical buttons and a 5ATM water resistance rating that enables the watch to withstand water from splashes, showers, and pool trips. It also has a proprietary charger rather than USB-C, which is far from ideal if your child is prone to losing cables! Design Score: 4/5 Garmin
Bounce 2: Features Location tracking and geofencing Two-way calling and messaging Basic activity tracking and chore management With an LTE subscription, parents can view their child's real-time location via the
Garmin Jr. app. The child can also manually ping their location to their approved contacts if theyre in an emergency situation. My son loved pinging his location when he arrived at a friends house, and even though it wouldnt constitute an emergency, I appreciated receiving the update.

The GPS hardware can also be used to geofence areas so that parents receive notifications when their child enters or leaves a designated area. This is ideal for the journeys that your child will most commonly make, such as between school and home.

The first Bounce smartwatch was limited to voice and text messages. The
second iteration builds on this by including a built-in speaker and
microphone for conducting phone calls with parent-approved contacts. For messages, the watch now supports voice-to-text transcription and a full
QWERTY keyboard. My son took great pleasure in texting me funny jokes as well as humorous emojis and sound clips. (Image credit: Future / Paul Hatton) The Bounce 2 includes a range of sports profiles, including running, walking, cycling, and more niche activities such as racket sports and even motor sports. Children can unlock games by meeting daily activity goals, which acts as a motivation towards fitness.

Another feature for rewarding behavior is the chore tracking feature, which enables parents to assign chores and virtual coins through the app, which
kids can redeem for agreed-upon rewards. These rewards might be screen time,
a chocolate treat, or a new toy or game.

As the Bounce 2 is primarily a communication and safety tool, there's no
heart rate sensor for health tracking, something that my son was rather disappointed about. Features Score: 4/5 Garmin Bounce 2: Performance Mixed results for GPS signal Fun and engaging games Very short battery life We experienced variable results with the GPS signal, with a significant tail-off in signal within rural areas. Despite being able to successfully access signals in dense urban areas, the same wasnt true when we were out in the country. There were a number of times when I couldnt determine the location
of my son, and even though it was never an emergency, it didnt fill me with much confidence.

The GPS and LTE connectivity are always on, which means the battery drains very quickly. The advertised two-day battery life is definitely the maximum, with real-world experience being just over a day. My son said, I didnt like having to keep on top of charging and would have liked it to last at least a full school week. (Image credit: Future / Paul Hatton) He spent a lot of time playing the simple games, with his favorite being the Tamagotchi-style
digital pet that you have to keep alive. I was surprised how much I found myself caring about the little thing. In reality, I think the appeal was in the challenge of keeping it alive. Either way, theyre pretty addictive in the short term, but he lost interest after a few weeks.

The day-to-day operation of the smartwatch was considered smooth and enjoyable. I loved using the voice commands to set an alarm or check the weather, although it was a little frustrating having to speak specific commands. For example, "Tell me the weather didnt work, but "Show me the weather did. Some AI help here would certainly improve the user experience. Performance score: 3.5/5 (Image credit: Future / Paul Hatton) Garmin Bounce
2: Scorecard Swipe to scroll horizontally

Category

Comment

Score

Value

More affordable alternatives exist, and the subscription makes it a high long-term cost.

3.5/5

Design

A kid-friendly design with basic materials.

4/5

Features

A fantastic set of communication and connectivity features.

4.5/5

Performance

Mixed GPS results and short battery life between charges.

3.5/5 (Image credit: Future / Paul Hatton) Garmin Bounce 2: Should I buy? Buy it if... You need to keep track of your children but dont want them owning a phone

With built-in GPS you can track your childs location from your phone. You
want a digital way to motivate your child to do their chores

Assign chores and let your children earn virtual coins by completing them Don't buy it if... You need a subscription-free GPS tracker

At $9.99/9.99/AUD$17 per month, a Garmin LTE subscription quickly adds up You want an effortless communication tool

Anyone who wants to contact your child needs the Garmin Jr. app which makes the experience a little too locked in Also consider Apple Watch SE 3

This is the best Apple Watch for most people, especially if your children are breaking into their teen years. With more smart features, you'll be breaking away from the more child-friendly vibe of the Garmin Bounce 2.

Read our Apple Watch SE 3 review Samsung Galaxy Watch 6

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 improves on many of its predecessors features. Its well designed, and shines when teamed with a Samsung phone. Its battery life isnt bad day-to-day; it's easily comparable to its competitors, but still not where Id like it to be.

Read our Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 review Fitbit Ace LTE (US Only)

Built-in games, activity tracking, a rewards system, and parent-approved messaging. Requires a US-based Google account for setup and an "Ace Pass" subscription for LTE connectivity.

Read more about the Fitbit Ace LTE How I tested The Garmin Bounce 2 is targeted at 6-12-year-olds, so I thought it would be a little disingenuous if I, a 40+ year-old, were to carry out the lion's share of testing. As soon as it arrived, I therefore handed it to my son, who spent a couple of months
with it, testing it while out and about with his friends and at various midweek clubs. Ive taken his experience and written the review, but most of the observations are his. Im not entirely redundant, though; the Bounce 2 is designed to have parental oversight, so Ive been proactive in that area of testing. First reviewed: April 2026 Garmin Bounce 2: Price Comparison 259 235 View Low Stock 259 View 259 View 259.99 View 259.99 View Show more We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices powered by



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/health-fitness/smartwatches/garmin-bounce-2-review


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