Guess Connect smartwatch review: Fashion fused with technology

While smartwatches are surely evolving in terms of technology and functionality, they aren’t exactly the best looking gadgets out there, especially when compared to traditional watches.
Looking to change that, fashion brand

Guess

has teamed up

smartwatch

maker

Martian

to bring

Guess Connect

to the market. While there are numerous manufacturers offering capable smartwatches, what makes the Guess Connect different is its fashionable design paired with modern technology. But is it really any good? Here’s our detailed review of the Guess Connect smartwatch.

Design

Based on the best selling watch RIGOR, Guess Connect aims to deliver an excellent smartwatch experience without having to compromise on good looks. Being a

hybrid

, it still has the usual analog dial with a single line monochrome display at the bottom for viewing notifications and messages.

Above the display and towards the left side, there’s an LED indicator that glows every time the watch detects a new notification on the smartphone it’s paired with. The colour of the LED light can be customized for different notifications, as per your preference. Guess Connect series offers a variety of colour options and two variants of straps (genuine leather and silicone) to choose from. The smartwatch also comes in two sizes - 41mm and 45mm. On the right side of the dial there are twin buttons to control digital activity, whereas the centre rotating button is used to adjust the analog hands. The watch’s built-in noise cancelling microphone is located on the right and the speaker is on the left, with the micro USB charging port just above it.
The rear is not quite as impressive as it sports a plastic back which, in our opinion, could have been made from a better material. However, since it’s always out of the view, it really shouldn’t matter. Apart from that, Guess Connect does have a heft to it. This is probably because of the stainless steel body it packs. Overall, we were mostly pleased with the design and construction of the Guess Connect.
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Performance
To get the smartwatch working, it has to be connected to an iOS or Android smartphone via a low energy Bluetooth connection. The watch can be easily managed by its companion Guess Connect app, which lets you perform actions like setting custom vibration patterns and choosing the apps from which you want to receive notification alerts. Despite being a hybrid, Guess Connect has almost all the regular smartwatch functions such as music and camera controls, reminder alerts and more. Notification functionality worked as intended during our testing, but voice commands worked only in quiet environments. If the smartwatch is only used for getting notifications alerts while driving or working, it’ll work perfectly.

While pairing a smartphone with the Guess Connect is fairly simple, pairing a second smartphone to the watch is a bit tricky. Before you connect it to a second phone, you will have to reset the watch from the companion smartphone app. Otherwise, notifications might not work as intended. During our testing, the smartwatch’s battery lasted us a little over two and half days. On the other hand, battery life for the analog watch is expected to last around two years.
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Verdict
While the Guess Connect is surely a great looking watch, it does have its limitations like the lack of a touchscreen. Also, the watch’s (comparatively) higher price tag of Rs 33,000 might put off some users too. The watch’s functions are great but nothing exceptional. There are many options in the market that offer same (or even better) functionality at lower prices, such as the Moto 360 first gen, Apple watch and Pebble.

In a nutshell, if you’re looking for a good looking smartwatch that can help you to keep (basic) tabs on your smartphone’s notifications in a hassle-free way and don’t mind the (somewhat) high price tag either, go for the Guess Connect.