Emporio Armani has a new smartwatch in store and it addresses some of the complaints it received with the first generation of its wearable. Unlike the original smartwatch, the new Emporio Armani Connected 2018 now comes with GPS for location tracking and NFC, which plays nice with Google Pay. The new smartwatch also sports a heart rate monitor, which puts it on par with most other devices in its range, currently available on the market. On the software side, the Emporio Armani Connected 2018 runs Google’s Wear OS, previously known as Android Wear, which means that Google Assistant is a big part of the experience.
Design-wise, the Emporio Armani Connected 2018 features a circular form factor, a stainless steel case, and comes with either leather straps or metallic bracelets to suit various tastes, preferences, and budgets. The case measures 43 x 49mm, while the lugs measure 20mm in thickness. The smartwatch is also waterproof and ships with the same Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 chipset that powered the original smartwatch. Considering that there are not many chipsets designed for wearables, the presence of the same old silicon inside Emporio Armani’s latest smartwatch is unsurprising.
The additional software features supported by the new model allow for a better performance overall. Wear OS is also expected to get a number of new functionalities soon enough, which will further refine the experience. The new Emporio Armani Connected 2018 will become available in select markets by the end of this month, at a starting price of $295. The most expensive version, meanwhile, will go up to $395. In terms of compatibility, the latest smartwatch from Armani will work with Android 4.4 or newer versions of the OS, as well as iOS 9.3. Emporio Armani has yet to clarify which exact markets will it be targeting with its newly announced Wear OS smartwatch, with pricing being expected to vary based on sales and value-added tax rates.
