While smartphones are the most sold products perhaps in the Indian electronics market, there has been an increasing demand for fitness trackers. The Indian buyers have been drawn to fitness trackers and electronic watches for some time now. While the OEMs have been the major sellers in this segment with popular names like Xiaomi and Fitbit leading the parade, the traditional watch manufacturers have also introduced their fitness bands. The popular watch brand, Timex, is also in this list of watchmakers. To join the league of manufacturers introducing fitness trackers and electronic watches, Timex has launched the iConnect Watch in India which comes with a 40mm rectangular dial. So, in case you are deciding on buying a smart watch, then you have one more option to consider, and in case you are deciding to go for the Timex iConnect, read this review to decide whether you should buy it or not.
Timex iConnect Review: Design and Fit
If we are to sum up the design of Timex iConnect, then it would be fair to say that the watch checks this box for the users in a fairly good manner. When you take the smart watch out of the box, you will see the rectangular dial perfectly placed in the middle with padding on the sides. The padding which the watch comes with makes it prone to some of the bumps that it could get. However, along with this, the watch also sports an edge to edge display which looks great but could also be a sensitive point for the watch, and you might want to look out for it. Even with that, you will find that the padding is sufficiently strong enough to give a sturdy feel to the watch. The Timex iConnect is also IP54 rated, which makes its resistance to splashes and dust.
Further, on the side edge of the watch, we also get to see a micro USB port which can be used for charging and also, there are a microphone and a loudspeaker as well. The USB port is not an open one and it comes with a flap which can be opened and taken off easily. There is also a multi-function button on the side as well which can be used for turning the watch on or off or navigating to the home screen. Some users could feel that the casing of the watch does not feel the like most premium thing, but when it comes to the strap, Timex has provided a silicone strap which offers a comfortable fit with a premium buckle and two free loops. You should note that the replacement of this strap won’t be possible with your mere hands, and it would need some expertise.
Timex iConnect Review: Display
When it comes to the actual experience of the watch, you will find that it sports a rectangular LCD which offers good viewing angles. The legibility of the screen is good even under bright sunlight. However, there are some quirks to the watch as well. Some of these include the absence of the always-on-display and it is also a little hard for the users to read something on dim settings of the watch. The watch also comes with limited three watch faces and these can be changed from the watch only. All the watch faces do show calories, step taken and other information, but they do not open the respective app when tapped on this information. There is also no auto-brightness feature on the Timex iConnect meaning that the users would have to adjust the brightness on the watch manually. There is also no rise to wake up too, but the watch does light up when you bright it in front of the face or whenever there is a notification pop.
Timex iConnect Review: Calling, Heart Rate Monitor and Other Features
Coming to the features of the watch, it is worth noting that users would be able to use it to check notifications from apps like WhatsApp, Twitter, Skype etc and while they would be able to read the messages on the watch, they would have to pick up their phone to respond. Additionally, the ringtones on the watch might feel quite vintage and you could be better off turning on the vibrate-only mode on the Timex iConnect. When it comes to calling, the users will be easily able to make calls from the watch, which accesses the phonebook and the contacts through the app on your device. During the call, it is possible that you might feel the speaker to be not loud enough. Also, when the users receive a call, the watch does not show the name of the contact and only the number, which is something that the users should keep in mind.
The Timex iConnect comes with preloaded apps and it is not possible to load more apps onto it like the other smart watches. When it comes to tracking, the Timex iConnect offers three modes, running, cardio and hiking. The step tracking is entirely accurate and the pedometer functions well. However, the heart rate monitor might not be as accurate as you would think, especially during high-intensity workouts and more. There are two modes to the heart rate monitor, which include a manual mode and a continuous mode which can be harsh on the battery.
Speaking of the battery, the Timex iConnect does not last for a whole day. When we connect the watch full-fledged with the OnePlus 7 to receive and make voice calls, the iConnect dies at the end of the day. That said, the display and the power-hungry functionalities could be the reason behind the poor battery life. There's a dedicated iConnect by Timex available on the Google Play Store for free which provides all the required information to the user.
Timex iConnect Review: Verdict
Lastly, the Timex iConnect comes with sleep tracking as well which offers insightful data into deep sleep, light sleep and other data and when it comes to battery life, the iConnect offers 16 hours of battery life with all the intensive functions turned off. With all the features turned on, you can expect the battery time of 8 hours on the smart watch. As for charging, the watch will take around 1 hour 20 minutes to go from 0 to 100% and with all the functions turned off, you can expect a standby time of two and a half days.
So, should you go for the Timex iConnect? For that, you will have to look at the price of the Timex iConnect which is Rs 7,795 and in this price tag, the smart watch offers features like heart rate monitor, calling, activity tracking, pedometer and other features. While there are some downsides too, for example, like the same three watch faces and no support for additional ones, and the underwhelming display, the watch surely justifies its price tag.
