I’ve never been a fan of wearing activity trackers. Most of them available in the market are downright unappealing, and I really don’t need another screen to remind me of my incoming Whatsapp messages, calls or emails, even though I’m probably notorious for missing important work calls occasionally. Having said that, I finally found an activity tracker that I actually fancy, and that looks effortlessly stylish.
The Nevo smartwatch looks clean and simple. And although it disguises itself as a minimalist connected watch, this powerful Swiss analogue device boasts a truckload of smart tech features that aren’t completely obtrusive or bothersome. Besides telling the time, the Nevo smartwatch tracks your fitness goal, sorts out your alarm, and delivers your phone notifications.
Let’s take a closer look into the watch:
Design – The face of the watch has no numbers for its indexes, and the branding isn’t that visible unless you look very closely. For that reason, it looks uncluttered, classy and expensive. With nice leather straps and a stainless 40mm metal case, the unisex Nevo smartwatch looks chunky on my abnormally tiny wrist, but it’s really not a big deal. If you’d like, you can also switch out the leather straps for nylon ones, which come together with the watch as well.
On the right side of the watch, there are three physical buttons – the top shows your progress towards completing your step goal, the middle button is used to adjust the time manually, which is wonderfully refreshing, and the bottom button is used for Bluetooth pairing.
Activity Tracking – If you’re looking for advanced activity tracking, the Nevo smartwatch may not be for you. It offers very basic activity goals in three levels (light, moderate and intensive) and it keeps track of your progress when it comes to daily steps. Having said that, I love how the LED indexes light up to indicate my goal progress via a visual representation (6 indexes lighted up = 50%, 12 indexes lighted up = 100%).
Now, this is where the Nevo looks pale in comparison with other activity trackers. The app doesn’t feature sleep tracking at the moment. It’s also very straightforward and simple. You can only observe your activity progress for the day, and there’s no performance analysis for the week or month. Some may like its simplicity, but the majority will find this as a turnoff.
Notifications – For the notifications, you can customise various LED colours for different notifications via the app. When the indexes lights up, there is also a gentle vibration that accompanies them. You can also turn off the notifications according to apps, if you don’t want to receive updates about Twitter mentions, for instance.
There’s no preview of messages available, but I love that about the Nevo. It’s a simple system that keeps me connected, without getting in the way of my lifestyle. Even though it buzzes a lot, I don’t have to tend to it and it doesn’t force me to handle the watch, which I will probably do repeatedly if it has an LED.
Hardware – One thing that I have to point out about the Nevo is its amazing battery life. It has two batteries – one to tell the time, and the other for its smart features. The Nevo uses CR2025 flat batteries that lasts up to 6+ months, and once they’re exhausted, you can replace them conveniently with the tool that comes in the box. The second 364 cell battery lasts up to 5 years. The advantage of this is that you’ll still be able to tell the time even if the battery for the smart features wear out.
Final Thoughts – This smartwatch is ideal for the fashion-conscious who require a basic overview of their daily activity. I love the simplicity and less is more concept, but it has its downsides.
Firstly, I struggle to remember which LED light colour represents which notification even after wearing it for a month, and the Nevo gets disconnected from the Bluetooth so frequently. It also doesn’t help that I don’t carry my phone around in my pocket when I’m at home, or when I’m at work. It’s a beautiful watch nonetheless.
The Nevo smartwatch retails for RM1,199 and the app is compatible with all iOS or Android devices. It comes in three colours and you can get yours via Distexpress. Alternatively, visit Accurate Time at Low Yat Plaza, Urban Republic at Gurney Plaza and Queensbay Mall in Penang, Switch at The Spring and the Mac Studio at BB Park and Atria Shopping Gallery.
PS: We’re going to be giving away a brand new Nevo Smartwatch very soon for Christmas. Yeay! 😀
