Sony SmartWatch 3 Review – Great Hardware Meets Lackluster Android Wear

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Sony has always been, at its heart, a hardware company. During the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s when the Japanese giant ruled the consumer industry, it was because of their amazing hardware which defined the analog world. After all, we all had access to the same TV feed or cassette tape but it was the hardware that gave your unit a design that begged to be shown off or the extra clarity during the World Cup. In the early 2000’s, much of this began to change as the world shifted away from hardware at the forefront to software being the key differentiator. After all, Apple was not the first to the MP3 market, but thanks to the integration of iTunes, they were able to create a device far more compelling than their competitors.

Fast forward to today and many of the well-known and multi-billion dollar tech companies that we know of, like Facebook and Netflix, don’t even make a single piece of hardware yet they’re with us at all times. With Sony unable to adapt to a software-driven world, the company began to fall behind well over a decade ago, which is coincidentally the last time they were properly profitable. In that time, we’ve seen Sony’s dominance in tech (excluding PlayStation) fade all but away. So what does this have to do with the SmartWatch 3? Quite simply everything. Imagine a modern product in a hot and growing market that Sony could develop and solely focus on the hardware while a company known for their software could develop the UI that makes the essence of that product.

The Sony SmartWatch 3 is that device. Hardware that is pure Sony and software that is totally Google in the ever-growing wearable category.


Sony_SmartWatch_3_Review_Different_FaceBefore we get into the meat of our Sony SmartWatch 3 review, I should point out that I haven’t been a ‘wearable’ guy in the sense of owning a FitBit or similar unit. What I have been for well over a decade is a watch guy. Since I was in high school and even before that with more ‘toyish’ units, I’ve had some sort of watch on my wrist. I view watches as a fashion accessory with a highly-focused purpose, which is to tell you the time in the fastest means possible. Go ahead and try. You have your smartphone in your purse or pocket and I’ll have a watch on my wrist. Guess who’ll tell the time the fastest? I only point this out because if I had told anyone of you that pocket watches would be making a comeback, you’d likely think me crazy but by us needing to take our phones out of our pocket and flicking some form of button in order for our screens to light up and tell the time, do we not just have a modern pocket watch?

But of course the world has evolved in the last 10 years and our expectations and needs have changed. In a digital world where our Nike FuelBand can give us such detailed information about our day, a watch on its own that only tells time feels quite antiquated. To that end, I’ve been eagerly waiting for the wearable market to mature so I can sport a unit that’s not just cheap looking yet, at the same time, expensive pedometer-looking device on my wrist. And in this connected world, our wearable shouldn’t just be a mesh of some health information and a digital clock. We’ve had the watch calculator already, where it crammed to functions together without any elegance; we don’t need that.

Instead, in today’s world, we need a device on our wrist that, first and foremost, can tell you the time easily (and trust me, a lot of devices fail on this) while bringing together information about our day, be it the number of steps you’ve taken, what the temperature is, or the biggest necessity of them all, where the nearest Starbucks is.


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Hardware

For our review, we tested the Sony SmartWatch 3 with a black rubber strap, though as a watch enthusiast and having had hands-on time with it at CES 2015, the Sony SmartWatch 3 Stainless Steel is the one I’ve had my eye on. Perhaps for another review. As it stands, the Sony SmartWatch 3 is offered in three different wristband styles. Those include:

  • Rubber straps – Pink, Yellow, White, Black $249
  • Leather – Brown, Black $299?
  • Stainless Steel – $299

It’s worth noting that at the time of this review, Google has a $50 discount with free shipping on the black rubber band version of this, bringing your price down to $199.

As I alluded to in our intro, hardware has always been the soul of Sony and it’s no different with the Sony SmartWatch 3. Starting things off, we have perhaps the most important part of the unit, if not the most prominent part: the 1.6-inch square display with a 320×320-pixel resolution. While the screen isn’t the most beautiful display ever from Sony, it gets the job done on a day to day basis and frankly the higher res the screen, the lesser the battery life so it might be a trade off that makes a lot of sense. After all, this watch is not meant to replace your phone. Powering all of this is a Quad ARM A processor running at 1.2 Ghz with 512 MB RAM, and 4 GB eMMC onboard memory. That last sentence is frankly in here for the spec geeks and for most people shouldn’t mean a thing. What matters is that, when using it, the SmartWatch 3 does not disappoint. Screens, apps, and notifications load about as fast as you’d expect them to, and that should be your takeaway.

When it comes to sensors, there are plenty of those as well which include:

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  • Ambient light sensors
  • Accelerometer
  • Compass
  • Gyro
  • GPS

All of this tech is wrapped in a body that’s IP68 rated. This means that from washing dishes to a full on shower, the SmartWatch 3 can take it all. What it really means (to me, anyways, as I’ve never wanted to shower with my watch on), is that if I’m caught in the rain, or working out with it, I’m not paranoid that my watch is about to short circuit on me. Perhaps more important than the screen is the battery life. Excluding wearables whose only feature is to track different types of fitness activities, most smartwatches have not had great battery life. With a 420mA battery, the lifetime of the SmartWatch 3 on a single charge is perhaps one of its most noteworthy features. With heavy initial usage (which frankly fades away as you stop using the device as a brand new thing that beckons you to click on everything and more of a casual day-to-day device), I never once had anxiety about running out of battery.

In fact, Sony claims a 2-day battery life and after a month of usage, I think there may have only been one day that, by night’s end, I was low enough that I felt the need to charge for the next day. Charging is also a simple affair, thanks to the microUSB at the bottom of the unit. If I have one caveat with it, it’s that the cable provided by Sony is uselessly short. A longer one would be preferred but unlike rival units like the LG G Watch R which require a propitiatory dock, the SmartWatch 3 uses a generic cable that you probably have plenty of around. This also means that if you’re out and about and are in need of a charge, you’ll likely find a cable quite easily unlike LG owners, who will simply have to wait till they’re home again to charge.


Software

Anroid_Wear_Notification_1As most reviews have already said, Android Wear does what it needs to do. That is to say, it’s simply an okay platform that is beyond internal beta yet clearly lacking when it comes to real world application. Seeing how the only option manufacturers have with Android Wear is tweaking the watch face, every device maker is at the mercy of Google which creates an even playing field. At the same time, it means that, in order for their unit to shine, hardware will be the key differentiator and this is where Sony truly has an opportunity that it hasn’t had in some time. The UI, while simple at first, is frankly ugly and uninspiring but, again, it gets the job done. When it comes to apps, there is no shortage of options yet most can’t do much and simply send you back to your phone. When you can do something, nearly all of your interactions are with Google Now and require voice.

Want to respond to a text? You have to do it via voice, even for something as simple as “OK.” Want to search for something? Use your voice. Want to respond to a tweet? Use your voice click the ‘to phone’ button which will navigate you to the correlating app on your phone. If you have a hard time with how much Google knows about you or wants to know about you then simply put, it’s not that the Sony SmartWatch 3 isn’t for you, it’s that Android Wear isn’t for you. If you’re however fully immersed in the world of Google, then thanks to Google Now, you have the world at your fingertip.

Just raise your device, say “Ok Google,” and proceed to ask it something. Commands can vary, like:

  • Get direction to the nearest Starbucks
  • Show me Sony’s stock
  • Set timer for X period
  • What time is it in Berlin?

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Still, it’s impossible to know what will garner you an answer that Android Wear can handle on screen and what will send you back to your phone. As an example, asking it to show the nearest Starbucks will only give you a list of Starbucks locations with a link that wants to take you back to your phone, while asking it to “get directions to the nearest Starbucks” will give you a list of stores which then the SmartWatch 3 can navigate you to. As it stands, unless you’re ‘techie’ invested in Android and Google Now, no Android Wear unit is likely for you as the software is too cumbersome. This means that none of these units will make a great gift to your dad on Father’s Day or girlfriend on her birthday unless they’re techies. What makes most wearables and watches comepelling is the lack of tech knowledge needed. The same cannot be said about Android Wear. Again, unfortunately, there is nothing that Sony can do here as all Android Wear is tied directly to what Google does or does not do.


Final Verdict

Seeing as, predictably, the Apple Watch is iOS only and the Sony SmartWatch 3 is Android only, there is little here that would convince an iOS user to switch to Android. That means that my target audience is clear: those who already own an Android smartphone. And that’s where things get harder. The Sony SmartWatch 3 is a good unit. While there is room for improvement (and there will always be), the hardware is good and even fashionable with leather and stainless steel options. The mistake that most Android Wear smartwatches make is assuming that only ‘dudes’ want to wear them. That alone is going to be a reason why we’re going to see the Apple Watch dominate, thanks to its many designs that both women and men will find attractive. In that same breath, bravo to Sony for not falling in that cliche of tech is only for men and offering a variety of straps that can help the SmartWatch 3 match the person.

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From here, things get a bit murky. As it stands, I simply don’t find Android Wear compelling and truly believe that it was released when it was, only because Google knew (like most) that Apple was on the cusp of announcing their unit. Not wanting to be left without an option, Android Wear, a half-baked software, was released as a defensive play until Google figured things out. This has happened in the past with Google TV, when platform partners like Sony and Logitech jumped onboard and, when the platform failed, were left with inventory that cost them millions with little downside for Google. Luckily, Android Wear over time can and will be improved as many rightly see it as a market that’s only going to grow. So we’re left with the hardware from Sony which is the best part of it but with some tradeoffs. Unlike other units out there, the Sony SmartWatch 3 does not track your heart rate, which is a bit of a bummer. Even with the built-in GPS, which is a rare treat in wearables currently, Sony’s own LifeLog app on Android cannot take the data from it which is a head scratcher. (The LifeLog app can, however, take the GPS data from your phone and trace your run, etc.) In fact, when it came to fitness, I found that only Google’s My Tracks app could take the GPS data from the watch. And when it comes to flights climbed, no data exists as the watch is unable to count that data, despite an accelerometer, a compass, a gyro, and GPS, which is a little baffling.

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This is what’s hard to grasp about the Sony SmartWatch 3. Is it for the hyper athlete? Well, not really, since it’s missing some key fitness features. Is it aimed for the fashionista? While certainly not ugly like some devices out there, it’s certainly not as fashion forward as the Apple Watch either. Then again, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. So perhaps the Sony SmartWatch 3 is just that, a watch that’s smart. Without the need to jam pack features that are mostly useful to those who are training or offering a slew of options that might be fashion forward which can be risky, seeing how the world of fashion and tech are just now slowly intersecting, the Sony SmartWatch 3 offers an option to Android users who want choices when it comes to a device so personal that you visibly wear with features for today’s world like displaying the weather, giving directions, notifying us of tweets, and yes, even telling the time.


Discuss:

Do you see yourself getting the Sony SmartWatch 3?