- Citizen has unveiled its first Wear OS smartwatch, the CZ Smart.
- It boasts a sporty design and includes modern features, but it uses the older Snapdragon Wear 3100 chip.
- It’s available to order now for $395.
Add another name to the list of well-established watch brands making Google-powered wristwear. Citizen has unveiled the CZ Smart, its first Wear OS watch as well as its first smartwatch with an all-digital display.
The smartwatch is meant to recall Citizen’s “iconic” sports watches with its large 46mm steel case, knurled aluminum ring, conventional-looking pushers and digital faces that harken back to both analog and LED-based timepieces. It boasts 3ATM water resistance (good to depths of 98 feet) and options for silicone straps and an ion-plated metal bracelet.
Read more: The best Wear OS watches
Citizen accordingly loads the CZ Smart with features you’d expect from many newer Wear OS devices. The watch includes a heart rate monitor for fitness, a speaker-and-mic combo to help you answer calls, and NFC for tap-to-pay purchases. You can also expect GPS, a barometer, and a compass underneath the 1.28-inch AMOLED display.
This hardware behind the times in some respects, though. The inaugural Citizen smartwatch is still using a Snapdragon Wear 3100 chip with 8GB of storage versus the more powerful Snapdragon Wear 4100 already finding its way into some watches. That’s not necessarily a dealbreaker, but it’s a factor worth noting if you’re determined to have the latest technology.
Citizen is taking pre-orders for the CZ Smart now at a price of $395. That’s decidedly more expensive than rivals like Fossil’s Gen 5. However, this is one of the better-looking Wear OS smartwatches outside of the luxury market — it might be worth the outlay if you’re fond of the Citizen badge or just want a smartwatch that looks good regardless of what you’re wearing.
