Wear OS, like Android Wear before it, desires to bring a brand look to Google’s wearables platform. Google designed the platform with the goal of appealing to a number of luxury brands, such as Armani. Once having seven brand names, it now has three: Giorgio, Emporio, and Exchange. Exchange is the entry-level brand name, and Armani has now added to its collection with an Armani Exchange Connected smartwatch.

Armani Exchange Connected is brand’s first touchscreen smartwatch

The Armani Exchange Connected smartwatch has the honor of being the brand’s first touchscreen smartwatch. With the Exchange Connected, Armani has entered the era of current-day wearables. After all, non-touch displays are out of style these days, as smartphones and tablets take over the consumer market. By adding a touchscreen, Armani wants to make the Exchange Connected appeal to all types of consumers.

Armani Exchange Connected: specs and features

The Armani Exchange Connected features a 46mm casing, 1.2-inch AMOLED display, GPS, heart rate sensor, NFC for Google Pay mobile payments, Google Assistant, a 300mAh battery, and swim waterproofing. Its 3 ATM rating means that you can swim with it without trouble. The 3 ATM here is beyond the IP68 water and dust resistance of some smartwatches such as the Gear S3 Frontier and Gear S3 Classic, for example. The 3 ATM swimproof rating isn’t as impressive as the former Pebble smartwatches (5 ATM, prior to the Fitbit acquisition) but it’ll more than do the job.

Armani Smartwatches Launched: ‘Connected’ Wear OS Timepieces To Offer Heart-Rate Tracking And On-Wrist Payment

Of course, the Exchange Connected is powered by Wear OS, Google’s rebranded wearables platform (formerly Android Wear). This isn’t surprising. Google has tweaked Wear OS to now allow multiple notifications on-screen as opposed to only one at a time.

What does seem surprising, however, is that Armani would introduce a new smartwatch with the outdated, Snapdragon Wear 2100 processor instead of the newly-announced Snapdragon Wear 3100. Still, it’s understandable that the new processor would have to roll out beyond its announcement. The Exchange Connected smartwatch was already in the works when the Snapdragon Wear 3100 was announced.

Armani Exchange Connected: Colors, Price, and Availability

While the Armani Exchange Connected has a premium look, its $295 price tag doesn’t spell “premium”. Remember, though, the “Exchange” name represents entry-level Armani smartwatches — so it’s not surprising to see such an affordable price for an entry-level smartwatch. Many smartwatches in Wear OS cost anywhere from $300 and up. Fossil’s Q Founder, its first Android Wear-powered smartwatch, only cost $295.

You can purchase the Armani Exchange Connected smartwatch in four colors (Black, Gold, Silver, and Coal) with metal bands from armaniexchange.com and select retailers in the future.

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