Sony SmartWatch 3 Review: Our Complete Review – Watches / Bracelet smart health connected

Introduction

The world of smart health connected watches, and especially when they operate on Android Wear, is both praised for its initiatives and disparaged for sometimes limited features and youthful flaws. Nevertheless, the "big builders" take turns in this niche. This is also the case for Sony, which is releasing its SmartWatch 3 just a stone's throw from the end of the year. And the Japanese manufacturer makes a bet dared by the times: offer a smart health watch for athletes.

The promise

With its Smartwatch 3, Sony launches its turn on the segment of the smart health connected watches, yes, but under Android Wear. It is the fourth manufacturer to offer a product (available), after LG, Samsung and Motorola. As a major player in the smart health connected objects market, with the previous SmartWatch or SmartBand, the Japanese firm had every interest in not being left behind. That's why it offers its own idea of ​​the Android Wear watch, but with a slightly different customer target. It's not the watchmaking and technology lovers Sony wants to seduce, but the sportsmen above all else.

For the argument, just go to the site of Sony, where all the promotion around this SmartWatch 3 is based on the sport. The marketing arm makes athletes understand that if they like Android Wear, it's towards this object that they should turn to. Witness the repeated presence of the application Lifelog, pure product of Sony, on the screen of the watch on the visuals, or scenarios, where the actors have their arms bare, and the sneakers on their feet. With its Gear Live, Samsung has opted for the same credo, at the risk of attracting some thoughts on design. Does Sony take the same risks?

To run, not to go out

main Features
Screen: 1.6 inches in transflective technology
Dimensions: 36 x 51 x 10 mm
Weight: 46 grams
smart health connected: Bluetooth 4.0 LE
Storage: 4 GB
Resistance to water: Yes, IP67-
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 @ 1.2 Ghz, 512 MB of RAM

Yes. This watch will certainly be debated, and it has nothing to do with what can be seen in terms of finishes on the Moto 360 or the LG G Watch R. But it does not seek to shade them because it does not fit in the same market segment. Nevertheless, the mere name "watch" affixed to the object may disappoint some. It's an unconscious and unintentional process, but the marketing approach is hard to do with such a product, and it would be interesting to see, in the near future, how Sony is doing in terms of sales.

In short, who says sports, says plastic. This watch is a piece of metal (dial) set with a rubber strap that marries the entire object. It is also a family with the Apple Watch in its sports version, and particularly because of the rectangular shape of the screen, and its thickness.

On the other hand, this construction gives it an increased lightness, and it does not exceed the 46 grams. However, the difference is minimal since the other Android Wear watches are 49 grams (Moto 360) or 60 grams (Samsung Gear Live). And as it was said previously, with its centimeter thick, it is the biggest of the band.

To break with this plasticized mass, the frame is made of metal. It seems solid enough, and has the distinction of being waterproof, thanks to a cache for the microUSB port located at the bottom of the inner part, glued to your wrist.

We issue some reservations on the attachment of this bracelet. While the rigid frame gives a sense of security but it is feared that the watch comes off with this type of attachment rather than something more conventional. Well, at the same time, it's part of the sports aesthetic. Note also, in the category of defects, that the bracelet hangs a lot of dust on this bracelet, but also, in the category of benefits this time, that this bracelet can be adjusted and therefore adapts to the smaller wrists.

Screen

The screen of this SmartWatch has a diagonal of 1.6 inches. This is perfectly normal since the Gear Live, in this same rectangular format, is 1.63 inches, while those of the round screens are smaller: 1.5 inches for the Moto 360 and 1.3 In theory, it is thought that this larger size for rectangular screens provides improved readability, but in reality it depends on the software integration. There is really no difference.

More annoying: the screen borders. They are not uniform, that of the bottom making 7 mm while the top one is at 3.7 mm and those of right and left are at 3.5 mm. This gives the strange impression that the screen is relatively small.

A very yellow white, right?

The interesting thing about this screen is that the technology is called transflective. You should know that a screen transflective combines two technologies: transmissive, through internal lighting behind the screen slab, and reflective, capturing ambient light in front of the slab. With this method, some readability problems due to high brightness are adjusted, and the higher the outdoor brightness, the brighter the screen. This makes it possible, in theory, to have a better display in full sun.

However, this screen displays very average colors. We find the screen very yellow, and when compared to other smart health connected watches, it is even more obvious. It's a disappointment. For the rest, we have a display of 320 by 320 pixels, and therefore the same (good) display quality than what is done in competition.

Performance: classic, but with a GPS

In terms of performance, the SmartWatch 3 plays in the same yard as its competitors. It is equipped with a processor Snapdragon 400, with four cores Cortex-A7, and coupled to 512 MB of RAM. A combination that we know well since it is the one found on the two LG watches, the Samsung Gear Live, and the Asus ZenWatch. Only the Moto 360 integrates a TI OMAP 3 processor.

More interesting is the integration of a GPS, which makes this watch more autonomous. This is once again a choice oriented "sport" since it is for the moment the only one to integrate a localization tool. But as long as you do in sports, why not put a heart rate sensor for such a product? Mystery.

The other interesting element of this watch is therefore its water resistance and IP 68 certification. It is quite possible to take a shower with or go for a swim. In addition, with a plastic bracelet, there is no reason why it falls too far.

One day Lifelog will come

The software, you know it, it's obviously Android Wear and what we know about it. The version on the SW3 is the same as the other watches, and there is nothing new on this side.

Sony honors its health home application, Lifelog, with a teasing based on the product and the application, but that's without counting on an annoying problem. Indeed, Lifelog is unable to sync with Android Wear while the watch is already released commercially. In fact, it's as if Sony's application has never been compatible with the object. It's still a shame, especially since it must allow to record sports data, such as steps and calories burned, without the need for the smartphone is obediently placed next. When Lifelog is finally available, we'll be curious to see if watch users prefer this app to Android Wear: Google Fit. Each manufacturer seems to want to propose its own vision of the health application, and there is a risk of traffic congestion shortly.

The absence of compatibility with Lifelog makes for now the less useful GPS. Even with other sports apps, like Runtastic, as soon as the relationship between the phone and the watch is cut off, nothing happens. Only a few titles, such My Tracks or View Ranger therefore take care to record your GPS tracks without connection to the smartphone. It's pretty light-level features, though the View Ranger app is actually well-done and well-integrated, with data on position, altitude record, position change, and speed. Moreover, if the Nippon decides to make compatible all its ecosystem, this watch could really gain interest.

Finally a correct autonomy

With 420 mAh of battery capacity, it was obviously expected that this watch be better than its competitors in the field of autonomy. This is indeed the case since this watch is more than 2 days in moderate use. This is a definite plus, as many people do not want to have to recharge their watch every night.

When we use it, the watch has therefore held two days each timealthough it has been tested by several people. The most diverse uses do not seem to affect this autonomy. It is time that all manufacturers, and the next generation of watches, take into account this criterion of autonomy that is essential for the consumer. Sony has done a bit better than others.