The LCD on is always great, but it's hard to see and trade off ...
Garmin, known for car navigation, has released a slightly different type of smartwatch.The new smartwatch "MARQ" series is a bullish setting with a Japanese price of 210,000 yen, aiming to reproduce an adult luxury clock.It seems that the titanium material and the details of the design seemed to have a real feeling, but there are unexpected pitfalls.Gizmodo's Andrew Liszewski reporter has reviewed "MARQ ATHLETE"!
Smart watches can be enough for tens of thousands of yen, but if you start to stick to them very much, the story will be different.As a smart watch that looks particular about it, there is a Connected, a luxury watch brand, TAG HEUER, but Garmin has also participated in the category in the new smartwatch MARQ series.However, the display is too disappointing for the price of $ 1500 to 2,000 (Japanese price 210,000 to 330,000 yen).
Garmin Marq Athlete SmartWatch
what are these?: Premium smartwatch that focuses on design
Price: $ 1500 (Japanese price 210,000 yen)
Favorite place: Rurable and perfect functionality like a tank
I don't like it: It's hard to see the display on always
Reproduce the tool watch
MARQ's design is trying to reproduce the so -called "tool watch" of brands such as Tag Heuer or Breitling.A tool watch is a watch that has a function specialized in specific sports and tasks, like a diver's watch for diving in the sea.That's why outsiders do not know what to use for them, and things like even smaller dials are packed in the dial.
So there are some versions in MARQ for each purpose / design, and the name is Aviator, Driver, Captain, Expedition, and Athlete.This time, I reviewed MARQ ATHLETE of $ 1500 (Japanese price 210,000 yen), which is the most affordable in MARQ, but it doesn't make you feel compromised to lower the price.
MARQ ATHLETE is specialized in sports to call it Athlete.So, Apple Watch looks good and not enough?You might think that.
But I don't even say that I can't rely on Apple Watch, but I don't want to wear it when doing a little intense exercise, such as cycling, kayaking, and swimming.I've seen the Apple Watch worn by others several times when an accident occurs.In comparison, MARQ ATHLETE has a reliable relying on it in a hurricane as it is worn and is likely to come out alone.
Unadvisely using premium materials
If you wear the same titanium MARQ ATHLETE as the US Air Force fighter, you will feel like a tank is attached to your wrist.The screen is sapphire glass, and it doesn't break on a bicycle, but it's unlikely that one scratch will be attached.The bezel of the DLC coating titanium is also the same as the tank class.
The five buttons, which are the user interface, are even better than the Apple Watch buttons.There is no glazing, and when you press it, there is a firm response that is hardened, but satisfying.However, I can turn the crown, but I didn't know what was used besides playing with it.
Athlete is the most affordable in the MARQ series, so the strap is not leather but silicone rubber.But I personally like rubber straps, and the silicon used in MARQ ATHLETE is probably sturdy enough to be used for tracks.
Garmin is a unique OS, but there are all necessary functions
Functionally, the MARQ series contains almost all functions such as the latest navigation, fitness, and activity tracking that Garmin has developed for other wearable products.MARQ ATHLETE is equipped with a pulse oximeter sensor, a gym life!It should be enough for people.
You can also connect to other hardware, such as cheststrap heart rate monitor or bicycle cadence sensor.Tracking with Sony GPS hardware saves battery life.
These data can also be sinked on the mobile app Garmin Connect, and you can see the time series movement records on the app.If you connect to a smartphone, it will mirror the notification on your smartphone, so you can leave your smartphone in your bag during exercise.However, unlike Apple Watch or Wearos's smartwatch, you cannot respond to notifications.
MARQ's OS and UI are unique, so it takes some time to learn how to find an app or menu, how to customize the appearance and functions unless you know other wearable products of Garmin.。Like the Apple Watch, it was often the case that I could open the wrong button and return to the home screen even though I opened some menus and messed up the settings, so it would be better to customize it on a mobile app.I think it's good.
But overall, MARQ ATHLETE seems to have all the conditions for fitness lovers who want to wear smartwatches and gyms.However, almost all parts of the premium material are used, but the only failure was the use of the reflected LCD screen.
A clock that you can't even see
I don't know why I chose the reflected liquid crystal.On wearable devices, the screen is one of the most powerful parts of power consumption.The Apple Watch screen is almost completely dark for one day, but the battery will be gone in one day thanks to the bright OLED display.
MARQ ATHLETE, on the other hand, has a function such as a map that can be scrolled or a GPS tracking with a standalone, but can be used for more than a week for more than a week.The face of MARQ ATHLETE is specialized in fitness, and you can check as much data such as heart rate and calories consumption.It's good up to that point, but it's a big problem that it's hard to see in almost any environment in terms of the characteristics of the reflected liquid crystal.
The reflected liquid crystal can be seen properly when you look straight under direct sunlight.The contrast is wonderful, bright and clear.But if you go in the shade or indoors, or when you are near a bright window, or if you are on a bicycle and you can't see it from directly, the MARQ ATHLETE screen is faded and glimpsed.If you are, you will not be able to read what is displayed.It is not a level that you can not see the small numbers such as heart rate, but it will be difficult to see the needle of the clock that should stand out.After that, it is difficult to see when the bright light hits.
I attached both Apple Watch and Marq Athlete on the left and right wrists and cycled several times, but in any environment, the organic EL display of the Apple Watch is much easier to see than the MARQ ATHLETE's reflective liquid crystal display.It is a tan.The Apple Watch was clearly visible even if the bright light was reflected, but MARQ ATHLETE needs to separate the hand from the handle to see the data and adjust it to an easy -to -see angle, so it is dangerous on a rattling road.It was feeling.
MARQ ATHLETE and TAG HEUER's smartwatches are the same price, but if there are people who want a smartwatch function, it looks more like a clock and stronger, I think I would recommend MARQ ATHLETE.increase.It's just the reason not to buy this screen, and it's a shame.Other than that, it's a wonderful watch, so I'm just hoping that it will somehow switch to an organic EL display.
summary
・ Although it is quite expensive in smartwatches, it seems to be worth it using premium materials and it is worth it.
・ For exercise lovers, almost all of the must -have fitness / activity tracking functions, including sleep tracking, can be analyzed in the Garmin Connect app.
・ I think OS and UI may be a little more sophisticated.There are only five buttons and the functions are not written, so if you customize the function or open a deep menu of the hierarchy, it will be confusing.
・ I think that the difficulty of seeing the reflected liquid crystal is a reason why many people do not buy.It's always good (on the desk), but it's a reflective liquid crystal to reduce power consumption, so it's easy to see.It is good under direct sunlight, but in other environments, it is almost impossible to read it if you look at it.The built -in backlight is convenient to see the screen at night, but it is too dark to use it.
Source: Garmin
