Our honest Gizmo Watch 3 review after real-world testing. GPS tracking, video calling, and 5MP camera -- but is the Verizon lock-in worth it? Full breakdown.
Gizmo Watch 3
$149.99· 3.7/5 rating
Disclosure: The link to the Gizmo Watch 3 in this article goes directly to Verizon's website. It is NOT an affiliate link, and we earn no commission if you purchase through it. The Gizmo Watch 3 is a Verizon exclusive and is not available on Amazon. All opinions are 100% our own -- we tested the Gizmo Watch 3 with our own Verizon line and have no sponsorship relationship with Verizon or Qualcomm.
The Gizmo Watch 3 is a solid kids smartwatch that does a lot of things well -- video calling, parental controls, water resistance -- but it comes with one massive asterisk: you must be a Verizon customer to use it. That single requirement will immediately disqualify it for a large portion of families, and for everyone else, it means committing to at least $10 per month on top of the $149.99 purchase price.
If you are already on Verizon, the Gizmo Watch 3 is genuinely worth considering. The GizmoHub parent app is one of the most comprehensive control panels we have seen on any kids smartwatch. The 5MP front-facing camera enables video calling that looks better than most competitors. And the IP68 water resistance rating means it can handle pool splashes, rain, and the general chaos that comes with being strapped to a child's wrist.
But we have real concerns about GPS accuracy. In our testing and across thousands of user reviews, the Gizmo Watch 3's location tracking can be wildly unreliable at times -- sometimes reporting locations that are nowhere close to where the child actually is. For a watch that parents buy primarily for safety and peace of mind, that is a significant problem. If GPS precision is your top priority, the TickTalk 5 with its AI SmartPin GPS delivers noticeably better accuracy in our testing.
Here is everything we found after putting the Gizmo Watch 3 through its paces so you can decide if it belongs on your kid's wrist.
The Gizmo Watch 3 is designed for children ages 3 to 11 and is specifically built for families who are already on Verizon's wireless network. This is not a watch you can pick up at Target and activate on any carrier -- it runs exclusively on Verizon's 4G LTE network, and it requires a Verizon wireless plan to function.
That makes the target audience fairly narrow. You need to check two boxes: you have a child in the right age range, and you are willing to pay Verizon $10 per month for the watch's cellular plan on top of your existing family plan. If both of those apply to you, the Gizmo Watch 3 becomes a strong contender, especially if your child is on the younger end of the spectrum and you want tight parental controls without giving them a smartphone.
Families with kids in the 3 to 7 range will probably get the most value here. The interface is simple enough for a preschooler to operate, the parental restrictions are granular enough to lock things down as much as you want, and the school mode feature means teachers will not have to deal with a buzzing wrist during class. For older kids approaching 11 or 12, the 20-contact limit and GizmoHub-only messaging may start to feel restrictive compared to watches like the TickTalk 5 or Xplora X6Play that allow broader communication options.
For a full comparison of monthly costs across all the major kids smartwatch brands, check out our kids smartwatch monthly plans compared guide.
The Gizmo Watch 3 looks like a chunky, kid-friendly version of a modern smartwatch. It measures 1.81 inches tall by 1.65 inches wide by 0.58 inches deep and weighs 1.75 ounces -- not the lightest kids smartwatch out there, but comfortable enough that our testers did not complain about it during all-day wear. The 1.41-inch touchscreen display is bright, responsive, and easy for small fingers to navigate.
The watch body is made of durable plastic with a silicone band that comes in multiple color options. It feels built to survive kid life. We did not notice any cracking, scratching, or major wear during our testing period, and the band clasp held firm even during active play.
The standout design feature is the IP68 water and dust resistance rating. This means the Gizmo Watch 3 can be submerged in up to 1.5 meters of water for 30 minutes. That is among the best ratings in the kids smartwatch category. In practical terms, it means handwashing, rain, sprinkler play, and accidental pool jumps are all covered. We do want to note, however, that some users report degraded speaker quality after prolonged water exposure -- so while it can survive a dunk, we would not recommend intentional swimming sessions with it.
The front-facing camera sits above the display, positioned well for video calls and selfies. There is a physical side button for quick SOS activation, which is an important safety feature that we always want to see on kids watches. For more on why SOS buttons matter, see our kids smartwatch safety features explained guide.
This is where the Gizmo Watch 3's story gets complicated. On paper, the GPS tracking capabilities are exactly what parents want: real-time location tracking through the GizmoHub app, customizable safe zone boundaries with entry and exit alerts, location history, and an SOS button that sends an emergency alert with the child's location to designated contacts.
In practice, the GPS accuracy is the Gizmo Watch 3's weakest link. Across thousands of user reviews and in our own testing, the location tracking can be inconsistent. Sometimes it pinpoints the child's location accurately. Other times, it reports locations that are off by a significant margin -- occasionally showing positions that are nowhere near reality. This is not a problem unique to the Gizmo Watch 3 (GPS on any wrist-worn device can struggle indoors or in dense urban areas), but the Gizmo Watch 3 seems to have more frequent accuracy issues than competitors like the TickTalk 5 or Garmin Bounce.
The safe zone (geofencing) feature works as expected when the GPS is cooperating. You can set up multiple safe zones in the GizmoHub app -- around your home, school, a grandparent's house -- and receive notifications when your child enters or leaves these areas. This is a feature we strongly recommend setting up on any GPS-enabled kids watch, and we walk through how to do it in our how to set up kids smartwatch guide.
The SOS button is straightforward and reassuring. A long press on the side button triggers an alert that sends the child's current GPS coordinates to up to four emergency contacts. During our testing, the SOS alerts came through reliably and quickly. This is one area where the Verizon network advantage genuinely shows -- the nationwide coverage means the SOS function is more likely to work in rural or remote areas compared to watches that rely on smaller carriers.
One important caveat: live GPS tracking drains the battery significantly. If you are checking your child's location frequently throughout the day, expect the battery to last well under the advertised 48 hours. We recommend using the safe zone alerts as your primary monitoring tool and saving live tracking for when you actually need it. For an in-depth look at GPS tracking options across all kids watches, visit our best GPS smartwatches for kids roundup.
Communication is where the Gizmo Watch 3 shines brightest. The watch supports voice calls, video calls, and text messaging -- all managed through the GizmoHub parent app. Parents have complete control over who can contact the child and who the child can reach out to, with a maximum of 20 approved contacts.
Voice call quality is good. Audio comes through clearly on both ends, and the watch's speaker is loud enough to hear in moderately noisy environments. Video calling is the real highlight -- the 5MP front-facing camera produces noticeably better image quality than many kids smartwatches in this price range. Video calls are limited to three minutes per session to prevent overheating, which is a reasonable trade-off. Kids can also use the camera to take selfies and record short video messages to send to approved contacts.
The messaging system is both a strength and a weakness. On the positive side, kids get a full touchscreen keyboard (not just preset messages), voice-to-text, emoji support, and fun voice effects like robot and monster filters for voice messages. That is a genuinely rich messaging experience for a kids smartwatch.
The downside is that all messaging runs through the GizmoHub app. This is not standard SMS texting. That means every contact who wants to message your child needs to download the GizmoHub app on their phone. Friends who have other smartwatch brands -- a TickTalk, an Xplora, a Garmin -- cannot exchange messages with the Gizmo Watch 3. This creates a walled garden that works well within the Verizon ecosystem but becomes frustrating the moment your child's social circle extends beyond it.
For families where the primary communication need is between parents and child, this limitation is not a big deal. But if your kid is at the age where they want to text friends independently, the GizmoHub requirement becomes a real friction point. Our guide to the best kids smartwatches with calling covers alternatives that offer more flexible messaging options.
Verizon advertises up to 86 hours of battery life for the Gizmo Watch 3, which translates to roughly 3.6 days in standby mode. In real-world use with regular calling, messaging, and GPS checks, we found the battery consistently lasted about 48 hours -- approximately two full days. That puts it solidly in the upper tier of kids smartwatch battery life and means most families can get away with charging every other night rather than every single night.
The watch enters a power-saving mode at 30 percent battery, automatically limiting functionality to extend the remaining charge. This is a smart design choice -- it means the watch will still be able to make an emergency call even when the battery is getting low, rather than just dying outright.
Charging is handled through a magnetic charging cradle. It is simple to use but proprietary, so if you lose the charger, you will need to order a replacement from Verizon. We recommend buying a spare charger up front if you are the type of household that loses small electronics accessories (and if you have kids, you are that household).
Heavy GPS usage will cut the battery life dramatically. If you are using the live tracking feature frequently throughout the day, expect the battery to last 12 to 18 hours at most. We found the best approach is to rely on safe zone notifications for routine monitoring and reserve live tracking for specific situations where you need to know your child's exact location right now.
Step tracking can also be disabled in the settings to preserve battery life, which is a useful option if you prioritize communication and safety features over fitness tracking.
This is the section that will make or break the Gizmo Watch 3 for most families, so let us be completely transparent about the costs.
Upfront cost: The Gizmo Watch 3 retails for $149.99. Verizon also offers a 36-month installment plan at $4.17 per month with zero percent APR, which lowers the barrier to entry but commits you to three years of payments.
Monthly plan cost: The watch requires a Verizon NumberShare or standalone connected device plan, which runs approximately $10 per month. This is in addition to your existing Verizon family plan.
Total cost of ownership over two years: $149.99 (device) + $240 (monthly plans at $10/month for 24 months) = approximately $390. That is a meaningful financial commitment and something every family should factor into the decision.
Activation fee: Verizon typically charges a $35 to $40 activation fee for adding a connected device to your plan. This is a one-time cost but worth knowing about upfront.
The Verizon exclusivity is both the Gizmo Watch 3's biggest advantage and its biggest limitation. On the positive side, Verizon's 4G LTE network has the best nationwide coverage of any US carrier. That means the watch is more likely to maintain a signal in rural areas, during road trips, and in buildings where other carriers struggle. If you already pay for Verizon service, adding the Gizmo Watch 3 at $10 per month is a relatively painless addition.
On the negative side, if you are on AT&T, T-Mobile, or any other carrier, you simply cannot use this watch. Period. There is no workaround. And if you ever switch away from Verizon, the Gizmo Watch 3 becomes a $150 paperweight. That lock-in risk is real, and it is the primary reason the Gizmo Watch 3 loses points in our rating compared to carrier-flexible alternatives.
For a side-by-side breakdown of what every kids smartwatch costs per month, see our kids smartwatch monthly plans compared guide. It is one of our most-read articles for a reason -- these ongoing costs add up fast and deserve careful comparison shopping.
No review is complete without context, so here is how the Gizmo Watch 3 stacks up against the three watches families ask us about most often.
Gizmo Watch 3 vs. TickTalk 5
The TickTalk 5 costs $159.99 -- ten dollars more -- but works on both AT&T and T-Mobile networks, giving it far broader carrier compatibility. The TickTalk 5's AI SmartPin GPS is noticeably more accurate than the Gizmo Watch 3's GPS in our testing. Both watches have 5MP cameras and video calling, and both deliver roughly 48 hours of battery life. The TickTalk 5 also includes iHeartRadio streaming, which kids love. The Gizmo Watch 3 wins on water resistance (IP68 vs. IP67) and network coverage quality (Verizon's network is hard to beat in rural areas). If you are on Verizon and do not plan to switch, the Gizmo Watch 3 is the logical choice. If you are on any other carrier, the TickTalk 5 is the better watch.
Gizmo Watch 3 vs. Garmin Bounce 2
The Garmin Bounce 2 takes a different approach. It is built by a company with decades of GPS expertise, and the location tracking shows it -- the Garmin's GPS accuracy is significantly better than the Gizmo Watch 3's. The Garmin Bounce 2 does not have a camera or video calling, so if those features matter to your family, the Gizmo Watch 3 wins that comparison easily. The Garmin also works on multiple carriers. For families who prioritize GPS precision above all else, the Garmin is hard to beat.
Gizmo Watch 3 vs. Xplora X6Play
The Xplora X6Play at $189.99 is the pricier option, but it brings carrier flexibility, a 5MP camera, an excellent school mode, and the GoPlay reward system that motivates kids to be active. The X6Play is heavier than the Gizmo Watch 3 and requires nightly charging, while the Gizmo Watch 3 can go two days on a charge. Both have IP68 water resistance. The Gizmo Watch 3 has the edge on battery life and price; the X6Play wins on GPS accuracy, carrier flexibility, and extra features. For a comprehensive look at all your options, check out our best kids smartwatches 2026 roundup.
What we love:
What could be better:
The Gizmo Watch 3 is a capable kids smartwatch that we can recommend -- but only to the right family. If you are already on Verizon, want strong parental controls, appreciate the ability to video call your child, and need a watch that can survive water exposure, the Gizmo Watch 3 delivers good value at $149.99 plus $10 per month.
The GPS accuracy issues give us pause, and the Verizon lock-in is a genuine long-term risk. We would not recommend this watch to anyone who is not firmly committed to staying on Verizon's network. And we would not recommend it to families who prioritize GPS precision as their number one requirement -- the TickTalk 5 and Garmin Bounce 2 both do that better.
But for Verizon families with kids in the 3 to 8 age range who want a secure, parent-controlled communication device with video calling and solid battery life, the Gizmo Watch 3 earns its place on our best kids smartwatches with calling list. It is not the best kids smartwatch for everyone, but it might be the best one for your family.
No. The Gizmo Watch 3 is a Verizon exclusive and requires a Verizon wireless plan to function. It will not work on AT&T, T-Mobile, or any other carrier. If you are not a Verizon customer and do not plan to become one, this watch is not an option for you. Carrier-flexible alternatives include the TickTalk 5 (AT&T and T-Mobile) and the Xplora X6Play (multiple carriers).
The monthly plan runs approximately $10 per month, added to your existing Verizon account. The watch itself costs $149.99 upfront (or $4.17 per month over 36 months with zero percent APR financing). There is also typically a one-time activation fee of $35 to $40. Over two years, the total cost of ownership is approximately $390.
The Gizmo Watch 3 has an IP68 rating, meaning it is protected against dust and can be submerged in up to 1.5 meters of water for 30 minutes. That makes it resistant to rain, handwashing, splashes, and brief accidental submersion. However, some users report reduced speaker clarity after prolonged water exposure, so we would not recommend using it as a dedicated swim watch.
No. Messaging on the Gizmo Watch 3 runs exclusively through the GizmoHub app, not standard SMS. Every contact who wants to message your child must download the GizmoHub app. Friends with TickTalk, Xplora, Garmin, or other smartwatch brands cannot exchange messages with the Gizmo Watch 3 directly.
This is an area where we have to be honest: GPS accuracy on the Gizmo Watch 3 is inconsistent. It sometimes pinpoints locations accurately, but other times it can be off by a significant distance. Live tracking is more reliable outdoors with a clear sky view, but it drains the battery quickly. We recommend relying on safe zone notifications for routine monitoring rather than constantly checking live location. For families where GPS precision is the top priority, see our best GPS smartwatches for kids guide for alternatives with more reliable tracking.
No. The Gizmo Watch 3 is sold exclusively through Verizon's website and retail stores. It is not available on Amazon, Best Buy, or any third-party retailer. You can purchase it directly at verizon.com.
Verizon markets the Gizmo Watch 3 for children ages 3 to 11. In our experience, it is best suited for kids in the 3 to 8 range. The simple interface and tight parental controls work perfectly for younger children. Older kids approaching 10 or 11 may find the 20-contact limit, GizmoHub-only messaging, and lack of additional apps too restrictive. For older kids, check our best kids smartwatches 2026 guide for options with more features.
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