Fossil Group continues its new found tradition of a new Wear OS watch every year. This time, it is an upgrade to its Connected range dubbed as Emporio Armani Smartwatch 3. Since the fashion house entered the race, it has been loyal to Googles Wear OS smartwatch. We saw an expansion of ranges offered by Armani in recent years, new redesigns and addition of many smartwatch features with last years release.The new watch goes by many names, Connected 2019, Matteo or ART5024 - or the makers favorite, Smartwatch 3. The names may not be a crowd puller, but for the premium market they target, it does not matter either. The designer also retains the price tag of 28,000 INR. Thats a bit cheaper than the latest Apple watch, if it is any comfort.It definitely belongs to the expensive/premium segment as the price is also 20,000 INR more than the Watch Series 3 from Apple, out prices Fossil Gen 5 and even Samsungs affordable Galaxy Watch Active 2.

For those Who want to Taste a Whole New Class: Design

One of the biggest drawbacks of tech companies making a watch is their poor taste in design. This is one of the biggest drawbacks of popular Wear OS smartwatches currently in the market as well. Being a fashion brand, Emporio Armani made a new statement in this desert, plagued by lack of diversity in design and features to choose from.Each edition of watches from Armani, in partnership with Fossil Group offers a futuristic and modern take on still evolving smartwatches. This time though, Armani seems to have settled for a look closer to its previous iteration, but with minor touches here and there. They are definitely a touch of Midas, adding further elegance to a watch which was already a gold standard in design.

In Armani Smartwatch 3, an aluminum casing and silicone straps replace the metal counterparts of its last generation. You also get a number of accents to choose from. But it has not lost the magic of the 2018 edition, including the elegant gap between bezel and strap, or the crown button with the classic Armani logo.It weighs less, feels light on the wrist, and yet retains the style statement it made in 2018. We are greeted by a 1.28 inch AMOLED display, with 328 ppi pixel density and 390 x 390 screen resolution - familiar from its previous edition. It is all packed in the 44 mm body. The casing is simply 12 mm thick, adding to its astounding look and comfort when worn.The always on mode sets this watch a class apart from its competitors - who have skipped that feature, for better battery life. It keeps the screen minimal when it is set to always on, with more details lighting up with a touch on the screen or raising your wrist. Some Armani watch faces take a couple of seconds to light up to full screen from the dimmed, always on face, while some others do it instantly.

Users may want to keep that as their first criteria when choosing their active Armani face. You would notice a new addition to the left of the bezel, an on-board speaker. It does not pack 4G/LTE capabilities, but you can now answer calls to the paired phone from your watch.Since Bluetooth requires phones to be nearby to stay connected, you might prefer picking up the phone rather than speaking through your watch. But the speakers add more to the watch - voice guidance during workouts and Google Assistant responses.The rotatable crown button simplifies navigation through the app list, and also lets in and goes back from the app screen with a simple press. The buttons are smooth, and pack a premium click when pressed. With just slight touches to an already classic design, the design is the strongest suite of this smartwatch. Lightweight and classic, this watch can take from your workouts to your office.

Performance

The watch is quick and lag free, thanks to the new Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 3100 chip at its heart. This chip is optimized for wearables, promising battery and performance improvements.You need to download two apps - Wear OS and Google Fit - to draw the best from your watch. The rotating crown button adds a smooth touch to navigation through the menu, like Samsungs signature clicking bezel. Wear OS comes packed with features, like Google Pay, notification support and watch face customizations.The phone comes pre-installed with a couple of apps, including Spotify, letting you control music playing on another device. You can install more from the wide choice of apps available in the Play Store.

Emporio Armani Smartwatch 3: Tracking

It is time to take a look at the fitness and tracking features of Armani Smartwatch 3, advertised as a spotlight specialty of Gen 5 line-up from Fossil Group.The Armani Smartwatch 3 quickly establishes connection through the GPS of the paired phone. The heart rate sensor under the watch shows reliable results. On the software side, Google Fit summarizes your data neatly on the watch and the app on mobile.

Emporio Armani Smartwatch 3: Battery life

Wear OS smartwatches are not well known for battery life, but it shows significant improvement with this device. The battery expectancy is anyway dependent on the mode of use. The watch gives you a choice to trade longer battery life with performance, thanks to the battery modes and extra processing power provided by the Snapdragon Wear 3100 chip in the newer edition.The battery stands strong for a day with heavy usage including always-on display and active heart rate monitor. Obviously, by limiting these features, you can extend the battery life considerably. The Essential battery mode for example keeps the Bluetooth on only between 6:00 am and 10:00 pm, functions related to speakers are turned off and the device stops tracking your location.There is an option for a custom battery mode setting, letting you select between features you want enabled/disabled according to your use at the moment. The Time Only mode is a welcome addition that disables all other features than time, and helps the device to stay afloat for weeks on a full charge.

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