But battery life is still going to be an issue
Casio has unveiled an updated version of its ProTrek smartwatch – the ProTrek WSD-F21HR – and finally added a heart rate sensor to the spec sheet.
The chunky outdoor smartwatch boasts military grade toughness and Google’s WearOS, which means it can support third party apps. Trekking favourites like Viewranger, Bikemap and Strava all come pre-loaded, as well as apps for swimming, surfing, fishing and even golf. Like its predecessors it’s waterproof to 50 metres.
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But the WSD-F21HR also has some pretty big new features that were sadly missing from the previous generation.
Heart rate monitoring is now included for those looking for feedback from trail runs and general fitness tracking. It will also record and display heart rate zones during exercise, and running/trail running now appear as standard in the Activity App menu. There’s also a new heart rate watchface.
Mapping is a big part of the Casio experience, and one area where it excels over the likes of Garmin. The new WSD-F21HR can access offline maps and GPS waypoints, which can be seen on the dual-layered screen. As with previous generations, the second monochrome layer kicks in to maximise battery life.
Being a fully featured smartwatch, though, battery life is just a day, which isn’t great for an outdoor watch.
The WSD-F21HR retails at £400 and will be released in September.
