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Tag Heuer Connected (2020) Review: Go ahead, treat yourself

"The Tag Heuer Connected is a desirable smartwatch that is easy to love at first glance."

• Nice design and comfortable to wear

• Sapphire crystal over the screen

• Good battery life

• Heart rate sensor and custom fitness app

• Naturally expensive

• No way to make or receive calls

Is there a difference between putting on and wearing a Tag Heuer smartwatch compared to another WearOS smartwatch? The answer is yes – but it has nothing to do with technology. With the Tag Heuer Connected we get a Swiss smartwatch that is not only suitable for loyal watch freaks, but for everyone who has a piece of disposable income to spend something special.

design

It is so pretty. So, so pretty. The Tag Heuer Connected shown here has a stainless steel case, a solid ceramic bezel made of brushed steel and a rubber strap. It is reserved and yet noble, fits stylistically to everything and is obviously still a Tag Heuer. You can buy versions with metal bands and with a matt black PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) coating. I was a little worried about the size of the new version before seeing it in real life as it is a substantial 44mm wide and 13.5mm thick case, but my worry was not necessary.

Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com

It is exactly right. This is the minimal bezel thanks to the nice screen, the slim buttons and the reasonably large horns. Sapphire crystal covers the screen and fits directly into the bezel. This is important for ergonomics, as this makes the touchscreen more comfortable to use. There is no bezel on the screen itself and the display takes up the entire dial.

The sapphire with its characteristic sheen is wonderful to look at and offers scratch protection. The strong metal buttons – new for a Tag Heuer Connected Smartwatch – have a positive effect. The strap is thick, yet soft, strong but pliable, and I like the bevelled edge of the bezel, which gives just the right amount of shine in sunlight. The rubber coating on the crown is a great move as it increases grip as you scroll through the menu system.

Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com

However, the watch is quite thick, which is optically balanced by a clever rejuvenation of the heart rate sensor. It does not stop that it is painful to fit under tight shirt sleeves. The heart rate sensor protrudes from the body to ensure good contact with your wrist and increases the profile of the watch when worn.

At least it's not a heavy watch and the rubber band stays comfortable. I happily wore the smartwatch all day without feeling uncomfortable. It feels close to a traditional high-end luxury watch.

Tag Heuer has given up modularity, which means that none of the main components are interchangeable, including the horns. It has accepted that this is a smartwatch and therefore has to be suitable for everyone, not for an additional purchase that will be picked up by its established customers alongside a Tag Heuer Monaco Golf worth $ 6,350. This gives the watch more focus and makes it nicer to own, not only for those who want to have the cache with the name, but also for those who want to wear a luxury smart watch and use it every day.

software

The last WearOS watch I wore for a long time was the Suunto 7, and the software experience was better than many others. I am happy to say that the Tag Heuer has been similarly improved over older (and cheaper) WearOS watches. General use, such as notifications, the use of Google Assistant and fitness tracking, is smooth and fast, making the watch comfortable to use every day. There are some delays when using online services like the Play Store, but I haven't used them regularly enough to notice this.

Tag Heuer orbital face

Tag Heuer carbon face Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com

Tag Heuer 01c face Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com

Tag Heuer 02 face Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com

Tag Heuer's watch face collection is pleasantly diverse, but strangely limited. There are two classic Tag Heuer faces that look great, but I'd like to have more options than abstract faces. These graphically heavy faces, called carbon and orbital, look fantastic, especially the way the moving stars on the orbital face represent the second hand. but they're not exactly saying Tag Heuer, which is probably important for anyone who buys this watch.

The initial WearOS setup process is slow and cumbersome. You need to enter passwords, agree to various agreements, and install updates. It takes up to 45 minutes. In many cases, the watch must be in the charger. Compare this to the faster and less lengthy setup required for an Apple Watch, and the introduction to your Tag Heuer watch isn't ideal.

However, this is more of a problem with the software than with this watch and occurs regardless of the WearOS model purchased. After that, you still need to install some important apps, including Google Maps and Google Fit, which are not standard, but will significantly improve the user experience.

Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com

There are several pre-installed Tag Heuer apps. The excellent golf app, previously seen on the Golf Edition Tag Heuer watch, now uses the buttons on the case for faster navigation on the watch. It takes the Tag Heuer Golf app on your phone, and I've found that the course list is still out of date. It shows my local course as open but has been closed for many years. Apart from that, the app is a great companion on the golf course.

There's also a beautifully designed custom timer and stopwatch app, as well as a new sports app. It offers settings for golf, running, cycling, walking, fitness and a general fitness tracking mode. As with the Golf app, the physical buttons are active to make stopping and stopping easier, and the display shows time, calorie and heart rate data.

However, the app still needs to be polished. For example, the rotating crown does not work when entering your personal data, but somewhere else in the app. Otherwise, it is well designed and can be quickly synchronized with the Tag Heuer Sports app on your mobile phone. The data are not complete and are only intended for occasional fitness fans.

Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com

Google Fit is available, but again, the crown doesn't work with the software. By default, the hardware buttons are configured to enable the Tag Heuer apps. However, they can be changed to the apps of your choice. I like the helpful Google Assistant screen, which is swiped from the left and clearly shows the weather, appointments and other assistant functions such as delivery dates.

Notifications can be answered with predefined responses or with a tiny keyboard. The former is preferable. I received fewer repeated notifications than some other WearOS smartwatches, but found that some notifications were not delivered at all. Again, the inconsistency of notifications is more of a problem with WearOS than with this special smartwatch. WearOS works well here, but even then it doesn't come close to the robust reliability of Apple's WatchOS.

Screen, connectivity and performance

The 1.4-inch OLED screen has a resolution of 454 x 454 pixels, so you can see information clearly. The lack of a bezel gives it an ultra-modern style, especially when reading text. The detail is razor sharp, the colors are striking and the visibility of the sunlight is good. This is supported by a decent automatic brightness function. It quickly adapted to indoor and outdoor lighting conditions and stuck to its choice, rather than accidentally increasing or decreasing the level like some other WearOS watches. The constantly active screen is another success. It shows the time with an animated second hand at a glance, without you having to lift your wrist and without noticeably affecting the battery life.

Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com

This comes in part from the Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 3100 platform that powers the watch. This is a massive improvement over the old Snapdragon Wear 2100 platform, and the advantages in terms of efficiency and speed are obvious. There is almost no stuttering, and even connecting to the Google Play Store – often a speed issue – is acceptable. Google Assistant is easy to use with your voice and is activated after a long press on the crown. It answers the same questions you would easily ask your phone. However, I would still not use it in public.

You cannot make or receive calls from Tag Heuer Connected. When a call comes in via the watch, you are notified, but the answering machine immediately switches it to your phone. While speaking with your watch is the same social acceptance issue as speaking with Google Assistant, it is sometimes a practical feature. Given the price of the Tag Heuer Connected, it's a shame it isn't included. The vibration is subtle but strong enough to be felt.

Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com

It is also the first Tag Heuer smartwatch with a heart rate sensor. Compared to the Apple Watch Series 5, it constantly reads two or three beats faster. I trust the Apple Watch for several reasons, but mainly because my heart rate is the same for many months, while others vary more.

battery

Compared to the watch itself, the included charging base is rather shabby and made of plastic. It attaches magnetically to the back of the watch and takes up to an hour and 30 minutes to fully charge. It feels very slow, now we have smartphones with significantly larger batteries that can be charged in an hour or less.

The 430 mAh battery easily lasted a whole day with moderate use and recorded about 45 minutes of training with Google Fit or the Tag Heuer app. Movement restrictions have made it impossible to test the effects of using more extensive fitness features. Without fitness tracking and just notifications, the Tag Heuer Connected took one and a half days. Not that bad.

Price, availability and guarantee

The Tag Heuer Connected is not expensive for luxury watch standards, but expensive for smartwatch standards. The steel case and black rubber strap model shown here costs $ 1,800 or £ 1,495, but you could pay at least $ 2,350 or £ 1,950 for the titanium versions. The collection is now available in Tag Heuer's own online shop. Tag Heuer grants a two-year guarantee, which however does not cover the battery or the crystal.

Our opinion

With the new Tag Heuer Connected, Tag Heuer is fully committed to developing a real smartwatch. Forgetting the modular functions has resulted in a better made, more focused, and more portable smartwatch than any other version before. While it doesn't offer any additional functionality over many other WearOS smartwatches, its design, construction, and materials outperform everything else and ensure that it offers the luxury required by a Tag Heuer. WearOS is not frustrating and also performs well. All of this surpasses the ownership experience of many smartwatches under $ 300.

Is there a better alternative?

There are two ways to look at this question. If you're looking for an alternative luxury smartwatch, there are few options available to you. The $ 995 Montblanc Summit 2 Plus is a similarly compact, beautifully designed WearOS smartwatch. Apple's Apple Watch Series 5 Hermés Edition, worth $ 1,400, is also something special, especially because of the beautiful bracelets and unique dials. Then there is the Movado Connect 2.0 for $ 795 and even the Alpina AlpinerX, which is characterized by the fact that it does not use WearOS.

If you want a smartwatch and don't really care if it comes from a luxury brand, there are many more options. We like the $ 295 Fossil Gen 5, the $ 280 Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2, and the awesome $ 275 Diesel On Fadelite.

These are all WearOS watches that work with Android and iOS phones. However, if you have an iPhone, you should only buy a smartwatch – the Apple Watch Series 5 for $ 400.

It should be noted here that the functions of all WearOS watches are largely identical, regardless of whether you buy a luxury smartwatch or not. When you choose a luxury model, you pay more for the materials, the build quality and the brand name than for additional functions.

How long it will take?

A smartwatch should last for about two to three years, and that goes for any smartwatch, luxury, or otherwise. This is due to the deterioration of the battery, technological advances and the availability of software updates. The Tag Heuer Connected itself is water-resistant to 50 meters, has a stainless steel case, sapphire crystal and a ceramic bezel, which means that it is very hard-wearing.

Tag Heuer has also reduced modularity so that you cannot swap the smartwatch case for a mechanical case, which will keep your strap and horn options when the digital part is no longer optimal. The cost was high, but it may have added value to Tag Heuer collectors and justified the initial price.

Should you buy it

Yes, but just know what you're buying. You buy a Tag Heuer smartwatch and have to accept the enormous additional cost and importance of it compared to spending around $ 300 on another smartwatch.

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