Of late, every tech brand we’ve heard of (and some we haven’t) has been at it pushing out a wearable for your wrist – but what if an actual watchmaker took a stab at the smartwatch segment? Would all those years of crafting wrist accessories possibly help make a better smartwatch?
That was the promise with which Titan launched the Juxt, a regular analog watch with a tiny OLED display for notifications and fitness tracking… but it’s only with the Juxt Pro, launched earlier this week, that Titan has launched a truly ‘smart’ watch.
Does Titan’s watch legacy turn out something truly spectacular with the Juxt Pro (Rs 22,995)? I go wrists-on to find out!
Pros:
- Good build quality
- Intuitive interface and software
- Unique Safety feature
Cons:
- Big and chunky, not for everyone
- No heart-rate sensor
- Dedicated Safety button overkill
- Premium pricing
What’s Good?
Build quality and finish is, as expected, top-notch, and the Juxt Pro uses 316L surgical grade steel to great effect. You can pick the all-black or the grey-black casing, and the leather strap can be swapped out for a number of compatible straps. Weight distribution is even across the watch, so it’s comfortable to wear and looks the sort that can take some rough use.
That said, it’s big and chunky, and almost everyone I showed it to felt it was heavier
and bulkier than they would prefer. Best suited for bigger wrists, and certainly not an option for the ladies!
Now, where the original Juxt was a collaboration with HP, Titan’s gone all the way alone this time around and built its own smartwatch OS on the Juxt Pro. The result is that not only do you get a nifty collection of watch faces – 20 preset and 5 customisable – but you also get an interface which is quite unlike Android Wear smartwatches… in a good way.
Also Read: Review: Titan Juxt Is Just a Smart Analog Watch With OLED Display
The interface is smooth and functional, and intuitive enough that one gets used to it rather quickly. Swipe left on the 1.3-inch (360×360 pixels) IPS LCD touchscreen for your notifications, swipe up for your built-in apps like calendar, weather, music, stopwatch/timer/alarm, among others.
Notifications are displayed as a small window and are discreet, opening up only when you tap on them. Of the built in apps, two deserve a special mention – the Camera app and the Safety app.
With the former, you can trigger photos via your smartphone camera, and the Android app even shows you an image preview after the shot.
The Safety app is rather unique – you can allow a close set of friends or family either locate you on the map and “shadow” you if you’re feeling particularly unsafe walking home or in the taxi, or even set off a panic call in the event of an emergency.
Battery life, even while connected to a phone buzzing with notifications all day, lasts all day and a bit more if you chose to forgo the ‘always on’ watch mode, and you can top up the 450mAh battery in just a shade over an hour.
It’s not meant to be taken along for a swim, but does okay if you get caught in the rain.
What’s Bad?
Aside from its heft, there are a couple of missed opportunities on the Juxt Pro. For instance, it only tracks your movements via the accelerometer and the pedometer, so fitness functions are basic and there’s no heart-rate sensor, which we’ve come to somewhat expect at watches retailing at this price point.
No microphone for
voice commands or voice-to-text responses either.
My biggest peeve is that while I think the Safety feature is a great idea, Titan has dedicated an entire button (of the two buttons on the right of the bezel) solely for quick access to this capability.
For a watch that’s largely going to be worn by men, the button could have been user-customisable so that you could quick launch one of the other functions instead of the Safety feature. Fix this via a software update, won’t you Titan?
Why Buy It?
The build quality and premium feel is without question, and if you’re okay with the size and weight, the Juxt Pro is a competent smartwatch at the end of the day.
It doesn’t move the needle a whole lot though, and is likely to be at the receiving end of a number of unfavourable comparisons with less expensive and better specced out Android Wear offerings.
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