- TAG Heuer offers a new smart watch with Made for iPhone certification
- The Connected Caliber E5 sees TAG Heuer abandon Wear OS
- It offers a range of health features and better iOS integration
TAG Heuer’s best smartwatches have stuck with Wear OS over the years, but that’s all changing with the company’s latest effort. With the release of the Connected Caliber E5, TAG Heuer has focused on iOS connectivity, with Made for iPhone certification accompanying the watch.
The device is the successor to the Connected Caliber E4, which impressed us in our test. But in ditching Wear OS, TAG Heuer has charted its latest smartwatch down a new path, equipping the Connected Caliber E5 with its own custom operating system, aptly dubbed TAG Heuer OS. This comes with a new user interface, new animations and improved menus.
TAG Heuer claims that around 70% of its users pair their watches with an iPhone, so it makes sense to move from an Android-based Wear OS smartwatch to better iPhone compatibility. Made for iPhone means that a certified device meets Apple’s standards for connectivity and software and, in practice, ensures better integration with iOS devices.
That means faster pairing, consistent updates, and better Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity. It should also improve health data syncing, notifications, and call handling, which could be an issue for iPhone users of TAG Heuer’s older Wear OS watches.
An alternative to the Apple Watch
Hardware-wise, the TAG Heuer Connected Caliber E5 comes with an AMOLED display that measures 1.39 inches in diameter in the 45mm model and 1.2 inches in the 40mm edition. The device is powered by a Snapdragon 5100+ chip and comes with touch controls, improved brightness, and haptic feedback.
There are also numerous sensors that enable a wide range of health and fitness features. These sensors can monitor your blood oxygen, heart rate and variability, breathing rate, sleep quality, and calories burned. There is also an accelerometer, gyroscope, compass, barometer and dual-band GNSS, which improves GPS accuracy.
You’ll be able to make calls on the watch, listen to music, receive notifications, and view your health and fitness stats with a suite of tools. That said, it may not be a complete Apple Watch alternative in the strict sense, as the Connected Caliber E5 does not support third-party apps or LTE connectivity. Like the Apple Watch, it is also not compatible with Google Pay.
If you’re interested in this device, pricing starts at $1,600. That makes it extremely expensive as far as smartwatches go, but there’s a lot to be said for its style and brand new Made for iPhone certification – if it proves to be a success, it could make a name for itself as one of the best smartwatches for iPhone.
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