Casio Unveils G-SHOCK Smartwatch
April 1, 2021Casio has just unveiled its own version of a smartwatch, but it’s far tougher than anything else on the market. It’s part of the G-Shock line, which means it will be a tough nut to crack. Called the GSW-H1000, the watch is powered by Google’s Wear OS and is part of the G SQUAD PRO line of devices.
Typical of any G-Shock watch, the GSW-H1000 has a chunky exterior with thick bezels and undulating layers. It measures 65.6×56.3×19.5mm (HxWxD), and its back case back is made from Titanium to avoid corrosion and finished in Titanium Carbide for enhanced abrasion resistance.
Marketed as a rough-and-tough watch that is centered around fitness tracking, the GSW-H1000 has a 200 meter water resistance. That’s right, this is a smartwatch that you can go swimming with, as well as activities like running, indoor workouts, road biking, surfing and snowboarding.
An app built into the watch provides support for 15 activities and 24 indoor workout options. Working with the plethora of sensors, users can properly assess their workout routines and their relative effectiveness. Since the GSW-H1000 runs Wear OS, users have access to Google Fit as well as thousands of other apps including Google Assistant.
Casio have shoehorned as many sensors as they could into the GSW-H1000, which include an optical sensor to measure heart rate, compass, altitude/air pressure sensor, accelerometer, gyrometer, GPS functionality and several others. There’s also a microphone, which could be used to answer calls.
The touch screen glass is said to be quite responsive despite being made tough enough to withstand the 200-meter water resistance requirement – impressive by anyone’s standards. But that’s not all, the display consists of two separate ones, which are: a monochrome always-on LCD one and a high-definition color LCD main display.
It’s three-tier display layout also enables customization, with hundreds of different data display possibilities. There’s also an all-new Sensor Overlay function that allows users to combine video and still images of their activities. This could then be used to create layered visual media that can be shared on social media.
The watch takes 3 hours to fully charge with the use of its magnetic charging terminal. Casio says that with normal use, you should get about 1.5 days of battery life out of the GSW-H1000. However, this may vary based on which sensors are used and for how long they are used for.
