Tag Heuer Connected Modular 45 Review

Tag Heuer Connected Modular 45 Review

The very first Android Smart watch from Tag Heuer was expensive and a great success. This year the company is back with a follow up smart watch – the Tag Heuer Connected Modular 45. And just like its predecessor, this watch maintains a strong position as one of the leading Android Wear tech designed for the wrist.

Along with this new watch are some natural upgrades courtesy of the Google updates to the Android 2.0 OS and some additional hardware to the Tag Heuer Connected Modular 45 designed to take full advantage of the new software updates made. These include GPS for activity tracking, NFC for the mobile payments and more personalization and customization options. The fact that it is customizable makes the unit feel like more of a piece of jewelry rather than a piece of digital tech designed solely for activity tracking and notifications.

Bending technology with luxury has the Tag Heuer Connected Modular 45 remaining true to the company’s heritage of historical timekeeping melded with digital features. The Tag Heuer Connected Modular 45 is created with luxury materials and oozes of Swiss craftsmanship. These are features that very few Smart Watches available on the market can match or even come close to providing. And with all that the unit has going on, you should not be shocked to see the hefty price tag on the unit. To learn more about this unit below is a detailed Tag Heuer Connected review.

Design

The watch is designed with a round face and with angular lugs which make the Tag Heuer Connected Modular 45 look like a true watch that does not disappoint. Truth be told, there are very few wearables that can attract the level of lust and curiosity that the Modular 45 does. Just like its predecessor, the watch comes with the company’s logo and signature on the bezel, crown and watch face.

At the core of the watch is a modular design that sets it apart from Smart Watch beast companies in the industry like Huawei, Motorola, ZTE, Samsung and LG. the modular design allows you to fully customize and personalize every element of the watch.  While most watches can allow you to swap the straps for another with a different color and design, the Modular 45 goes a step further and allows you to choose your buckle, lugs, and straps. Unfortunately, though, the bezel is no modular. It is available only in the same color options and materials as the lugs, and as such you will have to choose the watch body design and the bezel when you are making your purchase. You should note that the unit features a whopping 56 different modular combinations. If you have the money for it, you could have the same watch in different designs for about two months.

On the flip side, if you are looking for a mechanical experience, you will be pleased to note that the body of the watch can be swapped out. Of course, you will not be able to play around with the Intel Atom Processor and switch it up with your preferred gears, but you will be in a position to swap out the digital module and swap it for a mechanical module.

The sizes of the watch are indicated on the body of the watch, the body of the watch measures 45mm which makes it only 1mm smaller than the 46mm casing of its predecessor. But even with its reduced size, the unit is a little bit chunky with its 13.75mm thickness. As such, it is more suited for larger wrists.

One of the many reasons why the Modular 45 is light is courtesy of its titanium build. It does not have a hollow feeling to it, but instead, it feels balanced and well put together. The Modular 45 weighs the same as its predecessor.

Now, courtesy of the Swiss heritage the watch is designed is inspired from, the unit feels somewhat like a traditional watch. The titanium material used provides the premium feel that most Smart Watches have failed to replicate. The sapphire crystal display is one of the premium features that help the watch to remain scratch and dent free over the years. The digital crown on the side of the watch comes with multiple functions like turning on the watch, jumping to apps, activating the Google assistant and going back to the homepage. This button too feels like one you would find on a traditional watch. Unfortunately, with all that the crown can do, you will find yourself wishing it can rotate and navigate through the menu on the Android Wear User interface or that the watch had additional physical buttons.

Watch Hardware

You’re probably starting to notice a trend here right? Tag Heuer goes out of its way to create a unique watch with features that no other watch can match. The same trend is noticed with regards to the watch’s processor. When many Android Wear companies are partnering with ARM Holdings, Tag Heuer decided to partner with Intel. Inside the Modular 45, you find an Intel Atom X34XX processor, 4GB of storage and 512 MB of RAM. In comparison to other watches that feature ARM processors the experience offered by the Modular 45 is fast and seamless. The apps on the watch load fast, and you will experience little to no sluggishness though if you have a keen eye, you will notice that the Google Play Store is slow from time to time.

With regards to the radio technology, the unit features Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, NFC, and GPS. The Android Pay support is up to par, and the watch experiences no problems with regards to maintaining connections with smart watches or the network at home. The only problem you may experience when using the NFC is that it takes too long to scroll down to the Android Pay App. The watch does not have a dedicated shortcut for this.

The GPS tracking on this unit is accurate, and you will have no problem working with the Android Wear Fitness applications. It is important to note that even while the watch has been marketed as a watch perfect for individuals keen on their fashion and lifestyle; it still is a bother that it does not feature a heart rate monitor.

Not all hope is lost though. Pairing the unit with Bragi’s Dash will have you track your heart rate with ease. With the Dash, you will be able to track the heart rate and distance, and even listen to music if you store your music on the dash.

Software, Display and Battery Life

The Modular 45 comes with a 1.5-inch circular screen. The screen makes use of an AMOLED panel with a 400 x 400-pixel resolution. Compare to other watches this screen is quite large and is brighter. Putting it into perspective, the Huawei Watch 2 comes with a 1.2-inch display while the Samsung GearS3 features a 1.3-inch display with a 360 x 360 resolution. The AMOLED screen provides a brighter and sharper look with backs that are much deeper resulting in great display.

You can swipe across the face of the watch and discover several pre-configured watch faces. With the Tag Heuer Studio selector tool, however, you can personalize your watch’s experience all the more. The Studio selector tool allows you to give the watch dial and hands a color of your choice. Additionally, you can make the hands light up and glow.

With its very own dedicated lay store, you will be less dependent on the Android Smartwatch for downloading your apps. This makes the watch perfect even for individuals with an iPhone.

Now courtesy of the AMOLED display, the battery life is longer and better. How is this so? Well, the AMOLED display does not light up the entire screen but instead powered the non-black pixels. This tech improves the battery life from 24 hours to 30 hours. With moderate notifications, you can get about 20 hours of battery life which is enough to take you through a whole day even when you throw in some activity and fitness tracking. The charger of this unit is magnetic and disc shaped which comes with POGO pins that are the contact points for the watch.

Review Verdict

Given the principles of the Modular 45 experience, it is quite challenging to objectively rate the Connected Modular 45 experience. On the one hand the unit is not as feature rich compared to its tech rivals while on the other hand, the Tag’s prestige, legacy, and quality of design and build is unmatched. The closest brand to the Modular 45 we can think of is the Montblanc with the Summit Watch. Compared to the Tag Heuer Connected Price, this is slightly lower, but then again, the qualities are slightly lower than that of the Modular 45.

That said if you are looking for a luxury smartwatch, by all means, Buy Tag Heuer Connected and share with us your experience here in the comments section.