Skagen Jorn Hybrid HR Review: Nearly A Winning Combination
Jorn Hybrid Smartwatch HR
“The Skagen Jorn Hybrid HR combines watch-like looks with more tech features, including a heart rate monitor, for a better connected experience. However, it's often too complex on its own and hasn't cracked some of the basics either. "
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The screen adjustment is excellent
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Two sizes and different color options available
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Two weeks of battery life with moderate use
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Unstable connectivity
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Often too complex for your own good
The Skagen Jorn Hybrid HR is a new generation of hybrid smartwatches. When hybrid smartwatches first hit the market, they bridged the gap between a full touchscreen smartwatch and a traditional watch. They were smaller, thinner, and designed like a normal watch rather than a technology.
Smartwatches are now more compact, more powerful and better designed than ever before. Because of the outstanding importance of the Apple Watch, they are also more easily accepted as wristwatches. So where are hybrid smartwatches? The Skagen Jorn Hybrid HR is the answer. It uses Fossil's latest hybrid platform, which emphasizes the technical side more than ever, moving closer to a full smartwatch and moving further away from a traditional watch. I've been wearing it for a few weeks now to see if the increasing technology makes it worth buying.
design
The Fossil Q Crewmaster was launched in 2016 and remains a great looking hybrid smartwatch because of the flashy colors. It shares a design with an established and popular non-intelligent Fossil watch. It has character, weight, and welcome watch-like features, including a rotating chronograph bezel and raised indexes. The technical side was secondary, but functional, and I wore it a lot.
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Now, five years later, the Skagen Jorn HR is a step further than the simplicity of the Q Crewmaster, but still a step further than Skagen's Falster 3 and other touchscreen smartwatches. In the center of the dial is a screen under two mechanical hands. However, it is a monochrome e-ink screen rather than a full-color touchscreen. It shows three complications (although the layout can be adjusted), but it doesn't sit flush against the bezel, which means you know it's a screen when you look at the face. The glass over the dial is flat and leads into an angled edge, then down to a metal case.
The Danish brand is known for its simple, minimalist design. My test model is black with a black strap and a yellow flash on the otherwise dark hands and dial. The case has a size of 42 mm and a modest size. However, if it's still too big for your liking, there is a 38mm version too. I have a 6.5 inch wrist and the 38mm Skagen Jorn is way too petite while the 42mm version is just right.
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
On the side of the case there are three buttons that each control the watch's navigation system. They are easy to find and squeeze, but they don't have an elevated feel for movement. It's all attached to a really nice looking textured rubber strap which is one of the design highlights of the Jorn. It's not the longest strap out there, however, and there are only five holes left when it's on my wrist. The 38mm Jorn strap is tailored for much smaller wrists.
While the screen is minimalist, it ruins the illusion that this is not a smartwatch.
I struggled to really connect with the design of the Skagen Jorn. The minimalism borders on boredom, which is not supported by the completely black color scheme, but mainly by the screen. If not viewed directly, it will catch the light and ripples can be seen on the screen, ruining the illusion that this is a "watch" and not a smartwatch. The flat glass is also a let down and adds to the fundamental nature of watch design. Double tapping the glass activates a backlight. I would have liked to have it turned on when I lift my wrist too.
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
If you compare it directly to the Q Crewmaster 2016, you really see the design differences. From the curved glass to the soft-touch buttons, it feels like a far higher quality product that leans towards a watch. The Skagen Jorn's screen means it's a piece of technology and didn't grab me in the same way. If I wanted a piece of wearable technology I'd buy a full touchscreen smartwatch, not a hybrid.
Screen adjustments
Does that mean I didn't warm up at all at Skagen Jorn HR? No, as the hybrid platform has a very interesting customization feature that allows you to completely change the look and layout of the e-ink screen. This really helped make the Jorn HR my own and reduced the overly technical feel a bit. The complications can be changed or eliminated entirely as needed. Skagen offers a selection of alternative background designs in black or white. You can also choose a photo from your gallery that you want to use.
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
I've used the Oppo Find X3 Pro with the Skagen Jorn, and some of its "microscope" macro shots worked very well in the background. A macro shot of some metal satisfied the watch freak in me as the monochrome screen gave it a very weathered, almost marble-like look. Removing the complications gave him a real visual boost. It's easy to customize the screen in the Skagen app.
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
This personalization is obviously lacking in hybrid smartwatches without screens and is a key benefit for the new hybrid platform from Fossil. After days of experimenting to get just the right look, the watch took on a new identity when I found it. What is interesting, however, is that I preferred the simpler, cleaner, and less technical look I had chosen to a face with digital complications.
Features and activity tracking
Appreciation of the design will always be subjective, but what about the new functionality? Do you remember the Pebble Smartwatch? It's a bit like that because the e-ink screen isn't "instantaneous" like a touchscreen and there is a light tap or two before it reacts to your actions. Everything is only controlled via the three buttons on the side and is a bit too complicated for your own good.
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
The Skagen Jorn HR can track a small selection of general workouts and even has a heart rate monitor on the back. There is automatic exercise tracking that wasn't very reliable. So how do you choose a workout in the app? It is good that you can configure the training mode for one of the buttons, otherwise it will be a multi-button operation, made even longer by the slight pauses caused by the screen refresh rate.
This is not a smartwatch for the fitness enthusiast.
Once it starts, I like the way the hands line up and count the first minute of activity, and the screens provide information about heart rate and calories burned. Hence, it's obviously much more comprehensive than a screenless hybrid smartwatch. Except that it's nowhere near as informative as Google Fit or Apple Health.
The number of steps was slightly overestimated compared to my Apple Watch, but the heart rate sensor stayed constant. I don't find the watch comfortable enough to wear overnight, but if you do it will track sleep. The watch is waterproof to 3ATM, but not suitable for swimming. The fitness data can be synchronized with Google Fit. The Skagen Jorn is a decent training and activity partner, but not for the very keen or dedicated athlete.
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
Notifications arrive on the watch, you can view daily calendar appointments and control your music from the watch. Notifications can be read to some extent, and hands move out of the way to make this easier. However, there is no option for interaction. It took a while to get used to the operating system in general, especially a touchscreen system, as many buttons have to be pressed to navigate the menus. It feels a little dated, but once you get the hang of it it's almost quick enough not to be irritating.
App and battery
The Skagen Jorn requires the Skagen hybrid app to connect to your phone. Don't make the mistake of using Fossil's Hybrid Smartwatch app as it won't work. Annoyingly, it doesn't always work with the Skagen app either. I found the connection to the watch unreliable. I tried to refuse a consistent connection on multiple phones.
I also found that the range of the connection was pretty short, and if I simply moved from one room to another the watch would be disconnected. Worse, it often required manual reconnection rather than doing it automatically. These issues are likely software-related issues and an update may fix them. However, this doesn't stop them from making the owner experience frustrating.
It's a shame, because the app is attractive and very easy to use. It's easy to customize the watch face and buttons, as large, easy-to-use screen settings are activated with just a tap. Step count, sleep time, active minutes and heart rate are clearly displayed. There is a challenge mode where you can work on fitness goals with friends. I also like the ease of choosing which apps to send notifications and the speed at which changes to the watch are synced.
With minimal use, it's realistic to get two weeks of battery life – but tracking sleep hits hard.
Skagen expects the battery to last for two weeks, but that depends on how you use it. If you don't track exercise or sleep, this is nearly achievable as the watch is barely losing 10% per day. Add a workout plus sleep tracking each day and usage can drop to around 10 days or less. During my mixed usage, I charged it on the 12th day. It's a quick charger and it takes a little over an hour to fully charge. However, the proprietary magnetic disk is different from the one that comes with other Skagen smartwatches.
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
While the battery life is better than a touchscreen smartwatch with Wear OS software installed or the Apple Watch, it doesn't have the six months or more seen with mild hybrid watches from Casio or Alpina. Therefore, the Skagen Jorn HR has to keep up with feature-rich touchscreen smartwatches like the Huawei Watch GT2 Pro or the Amazfit GTR 2. This is a tough question because of the better usability with a touchscreen model.
Price and availability
The Skagen Hybrid Jorn HR is priced at $ 195 regardless of the size or combination of strap and case you choose. The black model shown here is complemented by a gray version with a steel mesh strap and a steel version with a brown leather strap, while the 38 mm models in gold come with a gold mesh strap or a black leather strap. They are available directly from Skagen's online store or from other retailers, including Amazon.
Our opinion
The Skagen Jorn Hybrid HR Fits between full hybrid smartwatches like the old Q Crewmaster and full touchscreen watches like the Falster 3. It eliminates the simplicity and real watch-like look of a full hybrid, but doesn't offer the convenience or speed of a touchscreen to get the added functionality activate.
The customizable screen is a highlight, but the connectivity issues are frustrating. While the battery life is reasonable, it doesn't go beyond what you get from some touchscreen watches. Wearing the Skagen Jorn HR has sometimes made me miss the days of a simple hybrid watch, and sometimes I've wondered why I didn't put on something like the Apple Watch instead, and it's unlikely to be very satisfying to own them.
Is there a better alternative?
If you're looking to spend less than $ 200 on a new smartwatch and don't need a touchscreen, the $ 179 Amazfit GTR 2 or the $ 139 GTR 2e can do it all for less. Buying a Wear OS smartwatch costs more, with the $ 300 Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 3 being our recommendation. If you own an iPhone, we recommend spending a little more and getting the $ 279 Apple Watch SE. It works perfectly with iOS, has more features and functions, and looks great too.
If you're looking for a connected watch that looks like a watch, the Withings Steel HR or Withings ScanWatch are great options. Although functionality varies, Casio's attached G-Shock range adds some related elements to a wide variety of designs.
How long it will take?
Time is on Skagen Jorn Hybrid HR's side. The lifespan of the watch is really only limited by the app support and the internal battery and shouldn't cause any problems for at least two or three years. The design is classic and is unlikely to go out of style. The splash resistance and metal case should also be secure.
Should you buy it?
No. If you're looking for a smartwatch that is more than just a simple hybrid, buy a full touchscreen model.
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