Emporio Armani Connected Review: A Sophisticated Smartwatch
Verdict
The Emporio Armani Connected is the perfect blend of elegance, style, and smartwatch technology. No, it’s not cheap, but it sure looks great!
Pros
- Design-wise the best in class
- AMOLED touchscreen display
- Powered by Android Wear 2.0
Cons
- No heart rate sensor
- No GPS
User Review
( votes)Don’t you want your smartwatch to look like a regular watch? The Emporio Armani Connected smartwatch is exactly what you’re looking for!
Emporio Armani’s very first touchscreen smartwatch issues a new challenge. Can you tell if it’s a smartwatch or a go-to designer watch?
You will have a hard time if you try to do so.
The company has put maximum efforts into minimizing the visual differences.
Of course, being Emporio Armani it’s always going to look great. However, for most of us, a smartwatch needs to do things a regular watch just can’t comprehend. So does this watch perform as well as it looks?
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Table of Contents
Design & Build
As I mentioned earlier in this article, a large share of the smartwatch market awaits better-looking smartwatches. Smartwatches tend to be plastic and chunky looking. They just don’t look as good as a regular wrist piece.
One main reason why people don’t buy a smartwatch over a regular watch is its look. Most of them look nothing better than plastic on the wrist.
Emporio Armani Connected would prove them wrong with its classic analog watch design and a 1.8-inches super AMOLED touchscreen on it.
The case is made of stainless steel with an IP67 water rating. It is okay with water splashes and dust but it’s not built for swimming or bathing.
It offers customizable watch faces and dials on its digital screen. A further advantage is it comes with interchangeable straps and you can choose between steel or leather straps.
The hardware in this device is standard for a smartwatch. The processor is a Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 and with 512mb RAM it can run Android Wear without any lag.
Some people noticed slight action delays while installing apps over Bluetooth. This seems to be an isolated problem that can hopefully be ironed out in future updates.
In total, there are 5 different colors and band combinations (chain or leather). They are Black/Silver, Silver, Black/Gold, Black/Silver and Silver/Rose Gold.
[Clicks on below images will take you to that specific variant’s page on Amazon]
Features
Android Wear 2.0: Android Wear 2.0 has a new updated interface. You can use Google Assistant to download a variety of apps from the Google Play Store or use Google Maps for directions. However, it doesn’t offer support for Google Pay yet.
Activity Tracking: Emporio Armani Connected will work like a basic activity and sleep tracker for you. But don’t expect any high-level tracking as it doesn’t have a heart rate sensor, neither does it have built-in GPS.
Microphone & Speaker: An awesome feature is that this smartwatch has a microphone and a speaker built-in. This means you are allowed to play music or radio, and can also talk on calls from the watch.
Remote Features: It allows you to play, pause and change songs as well as capture photos on your phone from a distance. A push of a button is all it needs.
Smartphone Notifications: All messages, calls, and notifications from your phone will be sent to pop up on the watch. You will be able to call using the watch when you are connected to an Android phone but not to an iPhone.
Interchangeable Straps: Regardless of the color or model, you are allowed to swap the strap with any other of its size. Stainless steel and leather strap options are available but you will get only one in the box.
Customizable Watch faces: Plenty of customization options are available in this device. You can select whether you need a digital or analog watch face, along with different textures, colors, and dials.
Battery & Compatibility
The battery life of this watch is acceptable. It can survive a full day like any other watch of this category. You can encourage this device to last longer (maximum 2 days) if you restrict the use of connected and battery-heavy features.
You will get a magnetic charger with it, so charging this device is a lot easier. The magnetic disc where it connects is comparatively small. You have to be careful that it doesn’t get displaced.
This Emporio Armani smartwatch connects to both Android 4.4+ and iOS 8.2+ devices using Bluetooth. It is impressive that it can download WiFi access from your phone and connect automatically.
Is the Emporio Armani Connected Smartwatch a Winner?
Let’s start our conclusion by saying that this watch can be considered to be expensive. It’s Armani and that means it doesn’t matter if it’s good or not, it’s still going to have a prohibitive price tag.
The fact is it’s just alright.
If you want a really elegant looking watch then you won’t go wrong with this. However, it’s pretty limited in its functionality. Especially if you’re an active person that needs a high level of fitness tracking features.
You get all the basic technological advantages of a wearable device unless you are a sportsperson who requires a standalone GPS or heart rate tracker.
If you need a ‘best in class’ design with good performance (not the best, not fitness-centric) and are not concerned about the price, this is the right device for you.
Do you have experience with this watch? Let us know all about it down in the comments section! We’ll get back to you promptly.
