I purchased a $12 Apple Watch Series 10; it's quite strange.

      One of the aspects I enjoy most about Huaqiangbei, the most chaotic tech market in the world, is the variety of products found in its numerous stalls. If you visit this market in Shenzhen, China, you'll encounter thousands of small vendors selling a broad assortment of items, most of which are either brand-name or inspired by Apple.

      I discovered $9 AirPods Pro, which were authentic and a fantastic deal, along with an array of drones and other tech goods. The most peculiar purchase? A $12 Apple Watch Series 10 that resembles the original Apple Watch, at least until you start using it.

      Here’s the tale of a peculiar Apple Watch Series 10 that is technically an Apple Watch, yet definitely is not.

      Apple Watch by name and design

      If you spotted this on someone’s wrist, you would quickly assume it was a genuine Apple Watch. It boasts the same large display, digital crown, and power button as an official Apple Watch.

      Flipping it over, it also appears like a legitimate product, although it is missing some of the details that become apparent when placed alongside an authentic version. It has a ceramic casing, a heart rate monitor, and comes with a sport band that closely resembles an official Apple accessory.

      When powered on, there is no setup process; it goes straight to the home screen, which mimics the look of Watch OS. The app drawer even displays the same zoomed-out view as found on Apple devices.

      Numerous apps are included, all featuring icons similar to those on the Apple Watch and functioning well. Additionally, there are a few apps not typically found preloaded on an Apple Watch, such as Alipay, one of the two major super apps widely used in China for various daily activities. There are also blatant copies of many Watch OS applications, including Activity, Workout, Messages, and more.

      You might be led to believe this is an authentic Apple Watch. However, upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that it isn’t an official Apple product.

      But not in reality

      The most attractive feature of the Apple Watch is its ability to connect to your iPhone. The least appealing aspect of this Apple Watch? There's no apparent way to link it to your phone, at least from what I have found.

      To attempt pairing, you must navigate a settings menu that tries to imitate Watch OS but does so poorly. Instead of a general menu, there’s a universal menu resulting from poor translation from Mandarin to English.

      At the bottom, there's an option to pair with a new phone, generating a QR code that you need to scan with an unspecified app. Using your phone’s camera simply redirects you to a random Google search, which is the default behavior for phones unable to recognize the QR code’s URL endpoint. I spent an hour searching for a method to establish a connection, but to no avail.

      Apart from the absence of a companion app, there are a few other noteworthy features. The haptics feel unusual, engaging in two phases. The screen's touch response is significantly inferior to that of Apple's devices. There are also several bizarre apps that offer minimal functionality, including one that allows you to turn it into an "AI Watch," whatever that entails.

      Nevertheless, some individuals might be content using this as their watch, especially considering its price and some of its features.

      Apple could take notes from this imitation

      As surprising as it may sound, Apple could learn a thing or two from this watch. Firstly, the app drawer offers a kaleidoscopic view that enables users to cycle through all installed applications more intuitively than the list or grid views that are also available. Secondly, this watch seems to have slightly improved step tracking compared to the original Apple Watch Series 10 on my other wrist.

      The biggest revelation is that, aside from notifications and phone connectivity, this is fundamentally a decent watch. It accurately tells time, and its fitness and activity tracking features function properly. Although it lacks the finesse of an official product and likely won’t receive updates, it’s sold at a fraction of the price.

      Referred to as the Watch S10 Pro, it isn’t truly a Pro model and doesn’t deliver the complete Apple Watch experience, but it might serve as an excellent starter watch for a child or for those on a tight budget. After all, it costs less than 5% of a genuine Apple Watch and provides considerably more than a $10 watch available elsewhere. For most people, that’s a reasonable trade-off, even if it likely won’t make its way onto any best smartwatch lists in the near future.