Everything we have is now ‘smart’, from our phones to our speakers and cameras. So why would watches be any different? With their streamlined form factor and endless practicality, smartwatches are one of the most prominent pieces of tech we carry with us today.
So, with that in mind, luxury watch brands are having to pivot. TAG Heuer’s answer to this is the Connected line, and I recently got my hands on its latest addition, the TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E5. More specifically, the titanium configuration that retails for a whopping $3,700 in Australia.
Styling and customisation
It’s certainly a challenge to balance luxury with practicality and performance, yet TAG seems to have found the recipe with the Connected Calibre E5. Powered by the TAG Heuer OS, the Calibre E5 is a smartwatch first and foremost, yet it doesn’t lack the sophisticated design that TAG is known for.
The version I had the pleasure of testing was the 45 mm with all-black styling. The matte black ceramic bezel paired perfectly with the black rubber strap and black steel-coated folding clasp. I am always a suckers for mono-styled devices, and this hit the nail on the head.
Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of customisation options to play with, including the interchangeable band and a huge list of watch faces to swap out. I think changing your watch face has to be one of the huge benefits of a smartwatch. You can match your watch to your outfit, or customise the complications to suit your lifestyle. All with a few buttons pressed.
Performance and testing
With the aesthetics aside, I wanted to look into how this beauty performed. And to be honest, I was pleasantly surprised. The display really stood out to me, and this was essential. You can’t have a stylishly crafted luxury watch that has a low-res or pixelated screen. It just wouldn’t work.
The Calibre E5 comes with a 1.39-inch OLED display with a resolution of 454×454 pixels. This display was vibrant, detailed and crisp. It meant that using any of the more complex watch faces didn’t deteriorate or detract from the look of the watch. A huge tick in my book.
Taking the TAG out for a test run was a breeze. I wasn’t sure if I would run into some teething problems, needing to adjust the active displays to better replicate what I am used to with the more traditional sports smartwatch, like the Garmin Fenix 8 or the Coros Pace 4. Yet that wasn’t the case. Right out of the box, the Calibre E5 was ready to go and displayed everything you would expect to track. You can always tweak it further, yet I was happy with the baseline of what it displayed, and that isn’t always the case.
Interface, navigation and battery life
Adding to that, the watch interface and navigation were pleasant to use. There is a large crown dial for navigation, as well as the touchscreen. Two buttons flank the crown dial, and that’s it. Nice and simple. The menu system is also simple and intuitive, with one main area for all of your menu items and controls, and another for activities and tracking.
The battery life is claimed to last up to three days in low power mode, which in my experience results in about two days of general use. That’s not too bad, and roughly on par with the likes of Apple and Samsung smartwatches.
Overall, I enjoyed trying the TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E5. It’s an interesting intersection where luxury meets the modern world of smart devices. I have no doubt that this is a huge growing market and we will be seeing much more of this type of product in the future.
The post TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E5 hands-on: Luxury meets digital appeared first on GadgetGuy.
0 comments:
Post a Comment