To supplement the YouTube video, here are additional evaluation results so that you can be a more informed consumer.
I purchased this unit with my own funds, the very same day it became available on AliExpress late July 2024. Darren and I each purchased our own units. Mine was US$18 which includes tax/shipping - I went with the "pro kit" which includes an extra set of test leads with screw-on terminal system, which was delivered in a baggie outside of the multimeter box. This included what's shown here:
This promotional image at the beginning of the post portends the capabilities of this as a 4,000 count meter, but be aware that NCV and REL (Δ) are not features of this model. These icons may be available for future models which share the LCD display. I tried to find ways to engage such modes, with no luck. The only special feature I discovered is auto-power-off disable, to prevent shutoff after 15 minutes, hold down the SEL button while turning the multimeter on.
The clock is always showing. It's interesting from a parallel processing point of view. The DMM has a different CPU than the clock/calendar/hygro/thermometer. However, they share the same screen and same audio transducer. This is noteworthy because at lower battery voltage, the contrast of the screen is different on the upper region than it is on the lower region. Also, the volume of the continuity beeper is much louder than the alarm clock. I chose to replace the 100 ohm shared current-limiter resistor of the transducer with 56 ohm, boosting up to 18 mA for continuity, so that both features are more verbose. Here is the location of that resistor:
The backlight has 4 white LED's on the left side of the screen, but only consumes about 2.4 mA, outstanding efficiency and bright enough for me. The light stays on for 1 minute after activation when the DMM is switched on, a bit longer than many other meters. The light distribution fills the screen completely as seen below:
There is a tight-fitting screen protector across the screen. This protects the base screen from scratches and provides a little bit of anti-reflectance.
This device has a sibling, the 612. It appears to have all the same features as the 613, but shrinks the screen and adds a mode selector wheel and all buttons on front. The backlight is from the bottom, not the side. The price is currently a few dollars less. Here's what an actual 612 looks like:
Here are some test results for the 613 meter.
All measurements were made in the respective Manual mode, not the Auto mode.
Clock: Lost 7 seconds in one week. I'd rather it be slow than fast; easier to adjust forward. Extrapolates to 1 minute slow every 2 months.
Thermometer: Matches other devices I own (internal sensor behind screen)
Hygrometer: Matches other devices I own (internal sensor behind screen)
Battery Voltage Minimum: 2.55V, low battery icon, <2.50 DMM shuts off and clock persists dimly. 1.2V rechargeables are not really an option. Loses clock settings during a battery change.
Test lead resistance: 110 milliohms each lead that come with the unit.
Pro-kit lead resistance: 60 milliohms each lead.
DCV Test: (0.2% high worst case)
0.180 measures 0.180 V
1.800 measures 1.803 V
10.000 measures 10.02 V
18.000 measures 18.03 V
DCV Input Impedance: 11 MΩ
DCV Measurement found to be 6,000 counts!
ACV Test: Mains US measures 121.7 V (0.6% low)
Resistance Test: (~0.5% above 10 ohms)
0.099 measures 0.0 Ω
0.993 measures 1.0 Ω
9.991 measures 10.2 Ω
100.001 measures 99.9 Ω
998.775 measures 0.997 kΩ
9,999.935 measures 9.99 kΩ
100,017.0 measures 100.0 kΩ
995,375 measures 0.993 MΩ
10,113,000 measures 10.06 MΩ
Resistance test current, short circuit: 0.195 mA
Resistance measurements found to be 6,000 counts and also measures up to 60 megohms!
DC Current: (0.3% for my few measures)
15.00 measures 15.0 mA
150.4 measures 150.4 mA
1.500 measures 1.501 A
Resistance at the 10A input jack: 0.026 Ω
Switches from 600.0 mA to 0.600A at 600 mA, not 400 mA.
Diodes:
Schottky: 0.188 V
Silicon: 0.627 V
Red LED: 1.792 V
Orange LED: 1.860 V
Yellow LED: 1.881 V
Green LED: 1.911 V
Blue LED: 2.608 V
White LED: 2.618 V
UV LED: 2.922 V
3.3V Zener: Measures 2.560V due to insufficient current to induce the zener voltage.
Diode voltage, open circuit: 3.971 V (much better than the promised 1.5V!)
Diode current, short circuit: 1.986 mA
Capacitance:
24 reference capacitors were checked. Instead of giving you a table, here is the results in an error graph. ±1% from 0.6 nF to as far as I could measure. This was way better than expected and certainly exceeds the meter's ±4% specification.
I even kludged together my largest capacitors & meter reading all the way up to 60 mF!
Extended testing reveals this is actually a 6,000 count meter
Observations:
This multimeter is very accurate and uses 6,000 counts (not 4,000) consistently through the different modes it offers (a nice surprise). The auto mode works quite well, only a few modes or ranges aren't covered by Auto as is typical with smart meters. Overall, operation/ranging was snappy and values reported came up quickly and stayed stable. The input path relay clicking sound while changing modes adds to it's decisive authority.
The clock feature could be groundbreaking if it was implemented better than a tack-on system. For instance, the clock could be promoted to the large digits when the DMM is off. The alarm beeper could be as loud as the continuity beeper. The clock could plug into USB power to constantly backlight the display overnight. There is an undocumented on-hour chime in addition to the alarm. There is also a snooze mode which I have yet to figure out, it's not in the manual.
In conclusion, I can recommend this as a multimeter with big digit display and reference environmental conditions while measuring. However, the LCD display angle is 90 degrees out of rotation, optimized for portrait reading. This means in landscape, one eye might see darker contrast than the other. Also, under certain lighting conditions the display will look gray, not as reflective. I think this ill-polarized display issue should be an easy fix for this, if you are listening ANENG! I also found the need to add rubber bumpers so the meter isn't sliding all around by the test leads.
As a calendar clock, it's a miss. It's usable - but not too serious, demoted to the bottom of the screen. By integrating it as a parallel CPU, it fails to be a coherent part of the multimeter. On the up-side, it can be set for 24hr or AM/PM and temperature C/F, and the month/date/day of week always displays. On the down-side, I don't think the alarm will wake up most people and the time is smaller than the temperature. Backlight does not work in clock-only mode.
When measuring with a multimeter in the professional world, you always want to document the reading along with temperature and humidity. This meter helps you do that all in one screen. For that, and for it's accuracy, I'm happy to have purchased this meter.
Appendix: Specifications per ANENG, scanned user manual download
Note The lowest number in the range is the lowest precision count in the lowest mode.
This does not mean the meter can resolve to that low of a value.
Short-press SEL to choose manual modes in sequence numbered below.
Long-press SEL to go back to full Auto.
Within each, the proper range is auto-selected (indicated by a small "Auto" icon).
Not possible to change the ranges on your own. I didn't find this a limitation.
"Auto" large in display (All modes except 6, 7, & 8 is auto-selected )
V,DC 0.001-600 V
V,AC 0.001-600 V (True RMS, 40-400 Hz response)
Resistance 0.1 Ω - 40.00 MΩ (actually, 60.00)
Continuity Threshold ~50 Ω, 2.0 V open circuit
Diode, 1.5V open circuit (actually, 4.0V)
Capacitance 0.001 nF - 40.00 mF (actually, 60.00 mF)
Frequency Measurement 0.001 Hz - 4.000 MHz
A,DC 0.0001-10.00 A, if >1 A then 7 seconds max & wait 7 minutes.
A,AC 0.0001-10.00 A (True RMS, 40-400 Hz response)
Accuracy is guaranteed by ANENG 1 year in typical indoor conditions.
Clock setting icons (not in manual)
"Bell" means the alarm time is currently shown on screen and can be set.
"AL" means the alarm is set to come on next time the clock rolls over to the time set.
"-)))" means the hourly chimes is on (a few short beeps at :00)
"Zz" Means snoozing (but not sure how it works?)
Thank you for the review, it was really helpful! I am thinking about purchasing the 612, hope it is as good as this one!