Sony
SmartWatch 3 is Sony's third smartwatch and the company's first Android
Wear wearable. At the moment, it's the only device on the platform that
comes with features such as a built-in GPS receiver, making it
attractive for people who're into outdoor activities like running and
cycling. Is the Sony SmartWatch 3 the perfect Android Wear watch we've
been waiting for? We try to find out in our review...
Look and feel
The Sony SmartWatch 3 looks more like a fitness tracker than a premium watch. If you're fashion conscious and are looking for a stylish smartwatch than the watch's design won't really appeal to you. It's not really discreet and doesn't look like conventional wrist watches because of the broad wrist band.
Having said that, the SmartWatch 3 has a soft, rubber strap which is flexible and comfortable to wear. It can be adjusted to fit all wrist sizes and the metal clasp makes it easy to wear.
Although the watch's combined weight(with the strap) is close to 66grams, we didn't experience any issues while wearing it for longer periods.
Sony SmartWatch 3 is dust and water resistant (IP68) and can withstand up to 4.9feet of water for 30 minutes.
Unlike the LG G Watch, this watch has a hardware button to put the watch to sleep mode or wake it up. Long pressing the button initiates the Settings menu. The metallic button has good tactile feedback. We feel it's a good decision on Sony's part even though the watch's screen is touch enabled.
Interestingly, you can easily take the watch out of the strap without needing any tools. In fact, you may remove it every time you charge the watch. Coming to the charging part, unlike other Android Wear smartwatches, you don't need any additional accessory to charge the watch. The watch has a micro-USB port at the back, protected by a flap (for water resistance), through which you can simply plug in any USB charging cable. It's a big plus since you don't need to worry about losing cradles or carrying them around.
Sony SmartWatch 3 sports a 1.6-inch Transflective display with a resolution of 320x320pixel. While the watch's display is pixel packed and even offers good outdoor legibility, it looks a little dull compared to the Moto 360's display. We did not encounter any problems while reading text on the display.
Hardware
Sony SmartWatch 3 is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core ARM A7 processor and 512MB RAM and comes with 4GB internal storage. The watch comes with ambient light sensors, an accelerometer, compass, gyro and GPS sensors. In terms of connectivity, it supports a wide range of options including Bluetooth 4.0, NFC and Wi-Fi (according to a number of reports). The SmartWatch 3 is powered by a 420mAh battery.
Using the SmartWatch 3
It's worth pointing out that you need to connect the watch with an Android 4.3 or above smartphone via Bluetooth. You need Android Wear app to connect the watch and Sony's Lifelog app to track your activity, sleep and smartphone use.
The watch runs Android Wear 5.0.1 Lollipop, the latest build of the OS. You can access the menu and navigate through the different apps and functions through the touch display or make use of voice commands (the watch has a microphone). The "Ok Google" command can help you give instructions to the watch to send text messages, set a reminder, check the weather, track your heart rate, open an app, control music or ask for directions.
Voice recognition was iffy and at most times we had difficulty invoking the voice command prompt. However, voice commands work for offline features work even if the watch is not connected to the internet.
The watch also offers notifications for calls, emails, messages, traffic alerts and other Google Now-based contextual updates. It is equipped with a pedometer but lacks an optical heart rate monitor.
The new software comes with additional options to mute non-priority notifications and turn on theatre mode to mute all notifications. You can access these by swiping down on the screen. You can now download and install third party watch faces from the Play Store and set them as default. The watch also now supports music storage and playback (without the need to connect to a phone) but you'll need a US Google Play Music account and subscription to sync music with the watch.
The watch's major highlight is its built-in GPS receiver that facilitates the use of activity tracking apps without the need to connect to the smartphone. This means that you can leave your phone at home and just wear the watch when you go out for a run. We tried the feature with apps like RunKeeper and Google's Fit app and found it worked without any problems. Not many apps support this functionality though. We wish native apps like Google Maps support the feature in the future.
Android Wear does not support Wi-Fi at the moment but the inclusion of Wi-Fi radios make the watch comparatively more future-ready.
After the last two updates, Android Wear has improved but is still feels like a first-generation platform. Third party app support is not very wide and the software still has its quirks. For instance, multitasking is not seamless and music playback stops when you're switching apps. Android Wear is still focused heavily on notifications and works well in tandem with Google Now.
In terms of battery life, the SmartWatch 3 is better than the LG G Watch and will last you one and a half days if you play music and have your phone set to display notifications from multiple apps.
Verdict
So should you buy the Sony SmartWatch 3? At a price of Rs 19,990, we feel the watch is slightly expensive especially when rivals like LG G Watch are available at highly discounted prices online. It's still a good buy if you're a fitness freak and want to track your activity (and play music if you can get a US Google Play Music account) without lugging your smartphone.
The SmartWatch 3 is also the most future-ready Android Wear smartwatch and is likely to support forthcoming updates. If you want to buy a more fashionable smartwatch and don't mind the low battery backup or absence of GPS hardware, the Moto 360 is a great alternative.
Look and feel
The Sony SmartWatch 3 looks more like a fitness tracker than a premium watch. If you're fashion conscious and are looking for a stylish smartwatch than the watch's design won't really appeal to you. It's not really discreet and doesn't look like conventional wrist watches because of the broad wrist band.
Having said that, the SmartWatch 3 has a soft, rubber strap which is flexible and comfortable to wear. It can be adjusted to fit all wrist sizes and the metal clasp makes it easy to wear.
Although the watch's combined weight(with the strap) is close to 66grams, we didn't experience any issues while wearing it for longer periods.
Sony SmartWatch 3 is dust and water resistant (IP68) and can withstand up to 4.9feet of water for 30 minutes.
Unlike the LG G Watch, this watch has a hardware button to put the watch to sleep mode or wake it up. Long pressing the button initiates the Settings menu. The metallic button has good tactile feedback. We feel it's a good decision on Sony's part even though the watch's screen is touch enabled.
Interestingly, you can easily take the watch out of the strap without needing any tools. In fact, you may remove it every time you charge the watch. Coming to the charging part, unlike other Android Wear smartwatches, you don't need any additional accessory to charge the watch. The watch has a micro-USB port at the back, protected by a flap (for water resistance), through which you can simply plug in any USB charging cable. It's a big plus since you don't need to worry about losing cradles or carrying them around.
Sony SmartWatch 3 sports a 1.6-inch Transflective display with a resolution of 320x320pixel. While the watch's display is pixel packed and even offers good outdoor legibility, it looks a little dull compared to the Moto 360's display. We did not encounter any problems while reading text on the display.
Hardware
Sony SmartWatch 3 is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core ARM A7 processor and 512MB RAM and comes with 4GB internal storage. The watch comes with ambient light sensors, an accelerometer, compass, gyro and GPS sensors. In terms of connectivity, it supports a wide range of options including Bluetooth 4.0, NFC and Wi-Fi (according to a number of reports). The SmartWatch 3 is powered by a 420mAh battery.
Using the SmartWatch 3
It's worth pointing out that you need to connect the watch with an Android 4.3 or above smartphone via Bluetooth. You need Android Wear app to connect the watch and Sony's Lifelog app to track your activity, sleep and smartphone use.
The watch runs Android Wear 5.0.1 Lollipop, the latest build of the OS. You can access the menu and navigate through the different apps and functions through the touch display or make use of voice commands (the watch has a microphone). The "Ok Google" command can help you give instructions to the watch to send text messages, set a reminder, check the weather, track your heart rate, open an app, control music or ask for directions.
Voice recognition was iffy and at most times we had difficulty invoking the voice command prompt. However, voice commands work for offline features work even if the watch is not connected to the internet.
The watch also offers notifications for calls, emails, messages, traffic alerts and other Google Now-based contextual updates. It is equipped with a pedometer but lacks an optical heart rate monitor.
The new software comes with additional options to mute non-priority notifications and turn on theatre mode to mute all notifications. You can access these by swiping down on the screen. You can now download and install third party watch faces from the Play Store and set them as default. The watch also now supports music storage and playback (without the need to connect to a phone) but you'll need a US Google Play Music account and subscription to sync music with the watch.
The watch's major highlight is its built-in GPS receiver that facilitates the use of activity tracking apps without the need to connect to the smartphone. This means that you can leave your phone at home and just wear the watch when you go out for a run. We tried the feature with apps like RunKeeper and Google's Fit app and found it worked without any problems. Not many apps support this functionality though. We wish native apps like Google Maps support the feature in the future.
Android Wear does not support Wi-Fi at the moment but the inclusion of Wi-Fi radios make the watch comparatively more future-ready.
After the last two updates, Android Wear has improved but is still feels like a first-generation platform. Third party app support is not very wide and the software still has its quirks. For instance, multitasking is not seamless and music playback stops when you're switching apps. Android Wear is still focused heavily on notifications and works well in tandem with Google Now.
In terms of battery life, the SmartWatch 3 is better than the LG G Watch and will last you one and a half days if you play music and have your phone set to display notifications from multiple apps.
Verdict
So should you buy the Sony SmartWatch 3? At a price of Rs 19,990, we feel the watch is slightly expensive especially when rivals like LG G Watch are available at highly discounted prices online. It's still a good buy if you're a fitness freak and want to track your activity (and play music if you can get a US Google Play Music account) without lugging your smartphone.
The SmartWatch 3 is also the most future-ready Android Wear smartwatch and is likely to support forthcoming updates. If you want to buy a more fashionable smartwatch and don't mind the low battery backup or absence of GPS hardware, the Moto 360 is a great alternative.
Source : TOI
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