imoo is a consumer technology brand primarily known for its smartwatches and connected devices designed specifically for children. The company positions itself around the concept of using technology to help children stay connected with their parents while providing parents with communication, location, safety, and supervision features.

Founded in 2012 by an electrical engineer identified by the company as Mr. Kimi, imoo emerged from his difficulty in finding a product that adequately met his son’s needs. After years of research and experimentation, the company launched its first imoo Watch Phone in 2015. 1

The brand’s origin story is central to its identity: unlike conventional smartwatch companies that adapt adult technology for smaller users, imoo states it was conceived specifically around children and parent-child communication. 2

Note: Public-facing materials do not provide a conventional corporate profile with details such as annual revenue or employee count typically found in listed-company encyclopedias.

2012: Foundation

The story of imoo begins with Mr. Kimi, who was both a father and an electrical engineer. While travelling for business, he sought a product for his son but felt existing children’s products did not meet his expectations. Rather than continuing to search, he decided to create a solution himself. He subsequently worked with other parents to found imoo in 2012. 2

2015: First Watch Phone

After several years of research and what the company describes as thousands of experiments, imoo launched its Watch Phone in 2015. The concept combined a wristwatch with mobile communication, allowing parents to communicate with children via a wearable device instead of giving them a conventional smartphone. imoo notes this period marked its entry into—and contribution to—the emerging kids’ smartwatch category.

2016–2018: Differentiation

imoo concentrated on features that differentiated children’s smartwatches from ordinary fitness watches. Claimed milestones during this period included:

• Class Mode, designed to limit interruptions during school.
• Improved water resistance.
• Cellular connectivity and calling.
• GPS/navigation capabilities.
• Video calling.
• Camera technology designed specifically for a child’s watch.
• Qualcomm chipsets in some generations.
• A 5 MP wide-angle camera for video calls.

Dual-Camera Innovation

One of imoo’s recognizable hardware concepts became its flip-style dual-camera design. Instead of a conventional front-facing camera, imoo developed a mechanism allowing the camera system to change orientation. The company describes this as the world’s first flip-style dual-camera children’s smartwatch. During a video call, a parent can see the child, while the child can flip the camera to show the parent their surroundings.

Expansion

More recently, imoo has expanded beyond its original Watch Phone concept. Its global website lists products such as the imoo Smartwatch X10 and imoo Openbuds E5, indicating a move toward a broader smart-device brand. Regional markets continue to carry different Watch Phone generations.

Children’s Smartwatches

This remains the company’s central category. Depending on the model and market, an imoo smartwatch may combine:

• Cellular connectivity
• Voice and video calls
• Cameras
• GPS/location functions
• Messaging
• Emergency/safety functions
• School/Class Mode
• Activity and health-related functions
• Water resistance
• Parent-controlled settings

Specifications vary considerably between generations.

The “Watch Phone” Concept

The term “Watch Phone” is associated with imoo’s earlier product positioning. The basic philosophy is: A child gets something that feels like a watch, while the parent gets some of the connectivity and supervision capabilities of a phone.

Wireless Audio

imoo has moved into other consumer smart hardware, listing the Openbuds E5 on its global site, showing the company is no longer exclusively a children’s smartwatch manufacturer.

Parent-Child Communication

The fundamental selling point is keeping parents and children connected without necessarily giving the child a conventional smartphone. The smartwatch remains physically attached to the child’s wrist, making it harder to lose than a standalone phone.

Video Calling

Video calling is a signature feature. Hardware historically incorporates cameras specifically to support communication between children and parents, including a 5 MP wide-angle camera intended to create a more natural video-call experience.

Location and Safety

Depending on the model and region, imoo watches incorporate location-related technologies and safety functions so parents can maintain awareness of where their children are. This gives the product a dual identity: a children’s gadget + parental safety/communication device.

School/Class Mode

imoo claims to have pioneered Class Mode, which reduces distractions from the watch during school hours. This reflects a design philosophy where the device provides connectivity without turning into a miniature smartphone that constantly demands attention.

imoo puts substantial emphasis on hardware rather than treating the watch as simply an app-connected accessory. Company materials emphasize dedicated hardware development, child-oriented ergonomics, water resistance, drop/pressure testing, cellular connectivity, camera innovation, dedicated manufacturing, and extensive quality testing.

The company states its watches undergo more than 160 quality assessments, including waterproof, pressure, and drop testing. It also states that it operates dedicated manufacturing capabilities and describes its production as 100% in-house manufacturing. These are company claims rather than independently audited conclusions.

Water Resistance

Water resistance has been a major part of imoo’s product development. The company highlights improvements involving IPX7 ratings and swimming-oriented water resistance. Exact ratings depend on the particular model; historical materials mention swimming water resistance for certain Watch Phone generations.

Health and Activity Features

Newer generations have incorporated features beyond communication, including sensors capable of monitoring:

• Heart rate
• Blood oxygen
• Exercise intensity
• Temperature

These features turn the product into a more conventional wearable technology platform, although capabilities and medical significance vary by model and should not be interpreted as medical diagnostics.

Privacy is particularly important for a children’s wearable because the device handles sensitive information such as location, voice communications, video, contacts, activity information, and account details.

imoo states it uses data encryption and privacy-protection practices, claiming compliance with GDPR-related requirements. The company also says data on its devices is securely stored locally. Parents should review the privacy policy and permissions for specific models and regions before use.

imoo’s branding is centered around parental love and responsibility. Its current slogan is built around the idea of “Create for love.” The company states its children are among the first users of its products and aims to develop products that bring both joy and safety to children’s lives.

Stated values include:

• Integrity
• Teamwork
• Quality
• Customer-driven thinking

The mission is described as “Enlightening childhood with technology.” From a branding perspective, imoo positions itself as a child-focused technology brand rather than just a general technology company.

imoo occupies a position between several industries:

Compared with Apple Watch

An Apple Watch is primarily a general-purpose wearable. imoo’s products are designed around the specific needs of children and parents, placing considerable emphasis on parental controls, child safety, location tracking, School Mode, and kid-oriented design.

Compared with Smartphones

A smartphone offers broader functionality but introduces complexity and distractions. imoo’s proposition is to give the child communication and useful technology without necessarily giving them a full smartphone.

Compared with Inexpensive GPS Watches

imoo tries to differentiate through hardware quality, cameras, video calling, cellular connectivity, industrial design, and a more sophisticated software ecosystem.

• 2012: imoo founded.
• 2015: First imoo Watch Phone launched.
• 2016–2017: Expansion of children’s smartwatch capabilities and water resistance.
• 2018: Greater emphasis on camera/video-call experience.
• Later Generations: More sophisticated cellular, GPS, camera, processor, and safety capabilities.
• Current Generation: Advanced children’s smartwatches plus expansion into other smart devices such as Openbuds.

The company’s official history describes this progression as “Innovation, Inspired by Love.”

On its website, imoo describes itself as the “world’s No.1 kids’ smartwatch brand” and states it is trusted by more than 50 million users. Historically, imoo has also cited IDC data when claiming leading positions in children’s wearables and the broader wearable-tech market. 3 These figures represent company marketing claims.

Strengths

From a product/brand perspective, main strengths include:

• Strong specialization in children rather than adapting adult products.
• Parent-child communication as a central purpose.
• Video calling and camera innovation.
• Cellular connectivity on appropriate models.
• GPS/location and safety-oriented functions.
• School/Class Mode.
• Child-oriented hardware design.
• Water-resistant products.
• Mature product history dating back to 2015.
• Emphasis on manufacturing and hardware quality.

imoo’s contribution extends beyond making children’s smartwatches; it helped establish the idea that children’s wearables could be their own product category, rather than simply smaller versions of adult smartwatches. The company’s product philosophy combines wearable technology, mobile communication, and parental safety. That combination is essentially the identity of the modern children’s smartwatch. imoo’s history explicitly describes itself as helping create the children’s smartwatch industry and developing a smartwatch capable of worldwide calling.

imoo is a consumer electronics brand founded in 2012 that specializes in connected technology for children. It is best known for its cellular smartwatches/Watch Phones that combine communication, video calling, location, and parental-safety features in a child-oriented wearable. The brand strategy focuses on providing fun and gadgets for children, while offering location, communication, and supervision tools for parents. It competes within the broader category of kids’ connected devices, where the buyer is usually the parent but the actual user is the child.

1. imoo History | Smart Children’s Products & Values | imoo
2. Official imoo website
3. imoo: Innovative Smart Wearables for Every Lifestyle