Introduction to the Tag Heuer Connected
If you wanted any more proof that smartwatches are a genuine 'thing', you're looking at it. Tag Heuer, one of the most established Swiss watch brands, has waded into the segment with its very own Android Wear-powered device.
The wearable was unveiled last month at an event in New York, and it's being sold as the 'most premium' Android Wear watch to date, but is it any good? Luckily for you (and me) the Tag Heuer Connected has been firmly strapped onto my wrist for a while now to find out.
Let's start with the cost, the Tag Heuer Connected is a whopping £1,100 (US$1,500, around AU$2,100). That's not a patch on the £10,000+ Apple Watch Edition, but it's far more expensive than most of the smartwatches currently available, which hover around the £250 (US$229, around AU$320) mark.
What do you get for that cash? First off you get a body made from grade II titanium, the strap is rubber, and it comes running Android Wear.
The Tag Heuer Connected is the first to make use of Intel's new Atom processor made for a wearable. It clocks in at 1.6GHz, and also comes packing 1GB of RAM, and a 410mAh battery, which beats the competition on paper.
On the surface it sounds like Tag Heuer could be onto a winner, but there are some less well thought out aspects of the Connected, such as the jarring mix of premium build and cheap-ish feeling of Android Wear, and the sub-standard screen, which I'll get onto now…
Display
The screen on the Tag Heuer Connected is slightly disappointing, it's not incredibly sharp or vibrant. This is probably due to the fact it's a transflective LCD panel, this gives is a dull matt look. This was probably a conscious decision made by Tag to make it appear more like a mechanical watch face, and in that respect, they've succeeded.
But place the Connected next to other high-end smartwatches, the Huawei Watch, Apple Watch and Samsung Gear S2 in particular, and you can't help but feel disappointed by the Tag Heuer's screen.
This is partly due to the transflective display, which doesn't require a backlight in sunlight, and therefore should save battery life. It also makes viewing in sunlight easier, and I certainly didn't have any problems with that.
The screen is by no means terrible, it measures 1.5-inches in diameter and has a resolution of 360 x 360 pixels, giving a pixel density of 240 ppi. To put that in perspective the Huawei Watch has a ppi of 286, and the Samsung Gear S2 and 42mm Apple Watch have 302 ppi. It's a shame the Tag's screen isn't as sharp as some rivals, especially considering the price.
At 1.5-inches, it's one of the biggest circular smartwatch displays I've seen, larger than the Moto 360 and Huawei Watch's, both with 1.4-inch displays, although, the extra 0.1-inch doesn't add much to the usability.
In a reversal to how Android Wear usually works, the 'Ambient' screen mode is turned on by default with the Tag Connected. This means after several seconds of inactivity the screen will dim, but still display the time with a reduced interface. It's a useful feature, which allows you to check the time without flicking your wrist to wake the screen.
Design, Comfort and Battery LifeDesign and Comfort
If anyone is going to design a comfortable, attractive watch, it should be an established Swiss brand with 155 years worth of experience. Thankfully, Tag Heuer have delivered. The design is based on their Carrera collection of watches, looking very similar to the Heuer 01.
The Connected comes in one size, and it's rather chunky at 12.8mm thick with a 46mm diameter. It's clearly designed for male wrists, and would probably look out of place on more slender arms.
The body is manufactured from grade II titanium, so it's reasonably lightweight at 52 grams (81 grams including the strap). That's the same metal Tag uses for its mechanical watches, so it should be hardwearing and durable. Certainly, in the time I've spent with the watch, I didn't manage to scratch or dent it.
The case only comes with one colour/material, but the watch does come with a variety of strap options. All of them are vulcanised rubber, but there are several colour choices, including, green, blue, orange, red, white, black, and yellow.
These straps are proprietary, so you can't swap them for any old strap, and if you would like to change straps, you'll have to visit a Tag Heuer shop so they do it for you.
I'm still undecided whether the lack of design options is positive or negative. On one hand, it's nice to have the option to design a really personal wearable, on the other, Tag knows more about designing watches than you. The Connected will be rare, so it's unlikely you'll come across someone else wearing one.
The vulcanised rubber strap does give it a sporty feeling and aesthetic. It looks and feels okay, but it certainly doesn't feel like it cost £1,100 (US$1,500, around AU$2,100). Whereas the Huawei Watch straps and more-expensive Apple Watches straps feel luxurious and premium, the Tag's just doesn't evoke the same feeling, for me.
The Tag is however the most watch-like smartwatch I've seen to date. Unlike the Apple Watch or Samsung Gear S2, which clearly resemble tech products strapped to your wrist, the Tag Heuer could easily be mistaken for a traditional, mechanical watch, especially with the numbered tachymeter around the bezel (which doesn't rotate).
In terms of interacting with the device, most will take place through the large, circular touchscreen. There is a large crown-esque button on the right-hand side featuring a Tag Heuer logo. This is the power and home button. It protrudes quite a way, and feels like it should rotate similar to Apple's Digital Crown, but doesn't.
On the rear of the watch, where you'd expect a heart rate sensor to be, you'll find a plastic back and nothing else. This is both surprising and disappointing, especially given the Connected's sporty-styling. Now, this isn't a big deal for me, or many others who aren't interested in health and fitness monitoring, but it's a big let down for sporty-types. It's also a shame the rear is made from plastic, considering it's a £1,100 watch.
In a way, the design sums up the company, because although Tag Heuer is an established Swiss watch maker, their motto is "Swiss Avant-Garde Since 1860". In fact, TAG is an abbreviation of Techniques d'Avant Garde. So the company is based around experimental or innovative thinking, not necessarily the most 'traditional' watch brand.
The Tag Heuer Connected is rated IP67, which means it's splash-proof water resistant. You don't need to worry about it in a rain shower, but take it off before you go swimming.
Battery Life
The Tag Heuer sports a 410mAh battery, which is above average for a modern smartwatch (most have around 300mAh).
Tag Heuer claims this is good for around a "minimum 25 hours battery life, based on typical usage". That's pretty spot on, I managed to eek out two full days usage when wearing it.
That's a bit disappointing, especially considering the Samsung Gear S2 manages to last between two and three days with a small 250mAh battery. Presumably this is because the screen is always on (although, that can be turned off), and powerful Intel chip (although that's purely speculation).
In short, battery life is not a stand out feature.
The charging dock is a magnetic disk, the Tag Heuer sits in there securely, but because the strap doesn't fully open, the watch can't sit flat on the desk. It's not wireless, also, there are gold contacts on the charging disk and rear of the watch.
It's a pleasant enough dock, and features a standard microUSB connection, which cuts down on the number of wires you need to carry around, if you're an Android user.
Interface, Specs and PerformanceInterface
As our recent reviews of the Moto 360 and Huawei Watch show, Android Wear has really improved of late. Thanks to frequent updates from Google, the OS is maturing, and getting slicker.
Google doesn't usually allow hardware manufacturers to apply their own UI skins, but Tag Heuer has managed to persuade the search giant to allow them to darken the menus slightly. It's a small change, and probably only noticeable when viewed back-to-back with other Android Wear devices, but it's an attractive addition none-the-less.
Apart from that, the on-screen experience is almost to every other Android Wear watch. This has both benefits and disadvantages, it creates a seamless experience, but also makes them feel too samey, and especially in the case of the Tag Heuer Connected, not overly 'special'.
That's not a problem on the Sony Smartwatch 3 or Asus Zenwatch, which are relatively cheap, but on the Connected it means you're just not getting the premium experience you're expecting. The luxe feel is limited to the titanium casing and a few Tag-specific virtual watch faces.
If you compare this to Apple's Watch OS 2, the Cupertino company's software simply feels more flashy and premium, it's equally at home on their £299 as the £13,000 model. Android Wear's great, but it doesn't have that scalability. It's the wearable OS of the people, if you will.
In terms of functionality, the Tag Heuer Connected runs the most recent version of Android Wear, 5.1.1. This includes some of the most important features, including Wi-Fi, watch-to-watch communication, gesture support and iPhone compatibility.
The UI is your familiar Google Now information card layout. These pop up vertically from the bottom of the screen. You can scroll through these cards with a flick of your finger or by quickly rotating your wrist.
The cards can be expanded to view additional information, or dismissed if they're not relevant.
The improved UI means contacts and apps can be viewed by swiping from the left, and swiping down will reveal quick settings.
It's an intuitive layout, and quickly becomes second nature, but it certainly isn't perfect. For example, I think there is too much swiping, tapping and flicking involved (however, I also find the Apple Watch UI too fiddly, so it's an improvement over that). The best smartwatch OS that I've used is Tizen on the Galaxy Gear S2, it's a perfect mix between the two.
Android Wear's voice control really stands out, with the watch constantly listening for the command 'OK Google'. It then works like voice control on your smartphone, except it's easier, because it's on your wrist. Very useful when you're driving or running etc. as long as you don't mind looking slightly crazy, having a conversation with your wrist in public.
One area where manufacturers can really stand out is with custom apps and watch faces, obviously, thanks to Tag's considerable experience, this is where the Connected really stands out.
The watch comes with four pre-installed watch faces, three designed by Tag Heuer: GMT, Chronograph, and a traditional three-hand face. They're all attractive faces, look very traditional, and come with the option of black, blue or white colour schemes. The idea is that you shouldn't be able to tell the difference between the Connected and a mechanical watch. At a glance, I'd say they have succeeded.
These watch faces are also interactive, the Chronograph face has a stopwatch second hand, which is a lovely little touch.
Specs and Performance
The Tag Heuer Connected comes packing a brand new Intel 1.6GHz processor and 1GB RAM. That's more powerful than any other recent Android Wear device, most of which have 1.2 GHz processors and 512MB RAM.
That extra power makes swiping around the operating system and opening apps quick. I certainly didn't have any problems with lag during our review.
The Connected has 4GB of storage on board for music and apps, which is plenty (as long as you don't attempt to save the entire Whitney Houston back catalogue on it).
In terms of sensors, Tag Heuer has included an accelerometer and gyroscope for activity tracking, but no heart rate sensor. That's not a big deal, if, like me you're not bothered about fitness tracking, but for some that'll seem like a big omission. There's also no GPS, so it's not going to serve as a real running watch alternative.
Seriously though, would you want to wear a hefty, expensive watch to the gym and when running? Of course, it'll still count your steps throughout the day, which can then be viewed on the Google Fit app on your smartphone.
Connectivity-wise, the watch will connect to your smartphone with Bluetooth 4.1, and it also has Wi-Fi, which allows you to receive notifications even if your phone is elsewhere, as long as both have a connection to the internet. There's no NFC.
Apps and CompatibilityApps
Google Play is full of Android Wear apps now, it's just as well populated as the Apple Watch app store. There are big names such as Whatsapp, Endomondo, Tinder, IFTTT, to name a few. But the quality varies dramatically, some are ugly, some don't work on certain watches, and surprisingly, some are pretty decent. In that respect, Android Wear still lags behind the Apple Watch in terms of top quality, big name apps. However, if you need to do something on Android Wear, there's probably an app for it.
Android Wear does come with some preinstalled apps from Google, including a calendar, Hangouts, Maps, and Google Fit. All work well, exactly how you'd expect.
Tag Heuer has also designed some apps for the Connected, these are mostly timing apps, such as an alarm, stopwatch and timer. Functionality is pretty basic, but they are very attractive applications and a pleasure to use.
Compatibility
Naturally, as the Tag Heuer Connected runs Android Wear, it's compatible with all Android smartphones. But as it runs the latest version of the operating system, it's also compatible with iOS devices running iOS 8.2 or higher.
However, iOS compatibility is currently limiting – you certainly don't get the full smartwatch experience. You do get notifications from your iPhone, including texts, Facebook notifications, reminders and calendar alerts. But you won't be able to interact with these notifications. For example, you can read a text, but you won't be able to reply to it.
How to use Android Wear with iPhone
In short, the Tag Heuer Connected works with both Android phones and iPhones, but if you are an iPhone user, it's no Apple Watch replacement.
Deeper iOS integration may come in the future, but only if Apple makes changes to its APIs. Of course, that may never happen, especially considering Apple will want to sell as many Watches as possible.
Verdict
The Tag Heuer Connected is a very desirable smartwatch, but it's clearly not perfect. Here are our final thoughts on the device.
We Liked
There's a lot to like about the Tag Heuer Connected, and most of that centres around the physical design. The Connected is the most watch-like smartwatch I've ever seen. As soon as you put it on your wrist it feels natural and looks great. It's also clearly a well-made watch, the titanium feels solid and the details, such as the tachymeter and crown, are nice touches.
The pre-installed watch faces are also the best I've seen included with a smartwatch. They're stylish, and reminiscent of a mechanical watch. The interactive elements are useful additions.
If you like to argue over specs then the Connected should be your go-to smartwatch. With a 1.6GHz processor and 1GB RAM, it's currently the most powerful smartwatch on the market, at least on paper. It certainly all runs very smoothly.
It's also important to take into account the 'special' feeling the Tag Heuer Connected evokes. If you put a Moto 360 on your wrist, it's very clearly a piece of disposable technology, which, once becomes obsolete will likely get flogged on eBay. The Tag Heuer feels much more like a piece of jewelry, making you feel more important when you wear it – like you're ready to walk into a boardroom and fire someone for losing your company millions.
We Disliked
The Connected is such a premium watch, it highlights everything wrong with Android Wear which is less apparent in cheaper watches. Google's OS is far from perfect, but it's generally perfectly serviceable. However, it simply doesn't feel premium enough in this context, and jars with the cost of this watch.
There are two hardware problems with the watch – the relatively low-res screen is quite major, and the lack of a heart rate sensor will bother some prospective purchasers.
The screen is low resolution, which takes the polish of the watch slightly. Pixellation is detectable, which is a shame, because if you're spending so much on the device – you'd expect the screen to be the best available.
Although they're not the last word in reliability, most other smartwatches include heart rate sensors. The fact that it's missing from this, rather more expensive, one seems odd, then. Even if you wouldn't wear it to workout, things like tracking your resting heart rate over months can be interesting and even useful. Oh well.
Verdict
Ultimately, I like the Tag Heuer Connected, not because it's a great piece of technology, but because it's a desirable item to wear. A lot of tech companies seem to forget that's an important thing when designing wearables.
As much as I like the Tag Heuer Connected, there's still a lot to dislike, the low-resolution screen, Android Wear and missing heart rate sensor in particular.
If you're looking for a desirable smartwatch and can spend £1,100 (US$1,500, around AU$2,000) without blinking an eye, then you should consider this watch. However, if the thought of spending that much money fills you with dread, then this watch is not for you, especially as there are better smartwatches that can be bought for a lot less money.
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Original source: Review: Tag Heuer Connected.
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