Typically, when you think of a smartwatch, you picture something stylish like the Apple Watch. Casio, however, is going in a completely different direction with its new rugged-looking Rangeman G-Shock wearable.
There will be two models at launch: the Rangeman GPR-H1000-1 and the GPR-H1000-9. Both are made from a “bio-based resin” with intricately placed metal guards around the watch face. These protect the most delicate parts of the smartwatch, such as the main control button, sensors and GPS antenna, from impacts. The buttons themselves are made of stainless steel and come “gasket-fitted” to prevent contaminants like mud or dust from entering. Casio specifically designed the Rangeman Duo for outdoor enthusiasts or athletes looking for a wrist assistant that won’t break down. before the adventure.
Internal hardware
Inside each device are a series of sensors that track your bodily functions. You can monitor your heart rate through an optical heart rate sensor. It has an accelerometer to analyze movement and a gyroscope to swim. The latest sensor, according to Casio, can track and track how many times you have swam in the pool.
What’s more, the Rangeman series has solid GPS functionality. Not only does it come with a compass, but it also houses a thermometer, altimeter, and barometer to inform you about changes in the environment. Having an altimeter and barometer may seem excessive to some, but they are designed for the nine activities that smartwatches support.
These activities include biking, trail running, open water swimming, and gym workouts if you decide to exercise indoors for once. On the topic of open water, the wearables feature a tide graph that lets you know when the tide will be high or low so you can “make the most of water sports.”
Other notable features include analysis tools that show how much stress you’re putting on your body, self-management tools to measure how well (or poorly) you recover, and on-device solar charging for the battery.
Is there any difference between the two models? We don’t know yet.
We compared the devices side by side and couldn’t detect any major differences between the two. They are the same size, the same weight and have the same features and hardware. The only thing that’s different, from what we could see, is that the GPRH-1000-1 is black while the GPRH-1000-9 is a bright banana yellow. So we reached out to Casio to ask if there’s anything unique about any of the smartwatches or if it’s really just the color. This story will be updated later.
Availability
The Rangeman G-Shock wearables are available for pre-order on Casio’s website with a price tag of $500. There’s no word on when the smartwatches will officially launch, but news site Hypebeast claims the devices will come out in Japan on January 19. Therefore, we could see a similar release date for the United States.
If you’re looking for a sport-inclined wearable that’s not so rugged, check out TechRadar’s list of the best running watches.
