Casio G-Shock GSWH1000 Wear OS Smartwatch: Review

Casio G-Shock GSWH1000 Wear OS Smartwatch: Review
Casio G-Shock GSWH1000 Wear OS Smartwatch: Review

When it comes to outdoor watches, G-Shock from Casio is the first watch that comes to mind. In terms of functionality, the brand has managed to ace the competition by delivering watches that tell more than just time. In this case, Casio G-Shock GSW-H1000 is the watch-to-go for outdoor activities or even everyday wear. As a multi-sport smartwatch, the new Casio G-Shock GSWH1000 comes with health monitoring sensors, built-in GPS, and many other options, sensors, and features. 

As stated on their official website, Casio’s G-Shock line of watches is where some of the world’s most durable and functional watches come from. They are trusted by law enforcement personnel, military, outdoor enthusiasts, and surfers worldwide. Even people whose daily routine is home-office-bar love having one on their wrist. The new Casio G-Shock GSWH1000 is the latest release from the Japanese manufacturer. It sports the Google Wear OS operating system which is fitted in a stylish and at the same time, super durable G-Shock case. Below we will be reviewing the G-Shock GSW-H1000, its features, case construct, durability, overall aesthetics, price and availability, and much more. Check them below…

Casio G-Shock GSWH1000 Review

Materials, Design, and Durability

As you would expect from a G-Shock, the watch is quite badass and it doesn’t have just the looks to prove it. It comes in a special titanium carbide finish that helps in minimizing scratches on the case. The watch provides up to 200 meters of water resistance which means that as a recreational diver, you can go up to 70 meters in depths wearing this bad boy. Inspired by the previous generations of other iconic G-Shocks like the Mudmaster and Rangeman, the watch comes in a massive 65mm case with a total weight of 103 grams.

At this point, you will almost forget you are wearing it. Surprisingly, it is comfortable to wear, courtesy of the soft and pliable urethane strap. To keep the weight down, you will find the case back made of titanium, the Start button made of aluminum, and the in-house improved tough resin for the rest of the case. It is entirely resistant to shocks even though it comes with a glass-covered touchscreen.

Google Wear OS and Compatibility

Unlike traditional watches that are powered by movements and calibers, underneath the new Casio smartwatch ticks the Google Wear OS. This is not the first correlation of Casio with Google Wear OS as the Japanese brand has been incorporating the operating system several times in the past on their other connected watches. What differentiates the new Casio GSWH1000 is its supreme durability, courtesy of Casio’s Shock Resist Structure. 

Other features include new technical capabilities with Bluetooth connectivity. You can also choose between three different watch faces, as well as manage measurement and training data for different activities. The watch is compatible with phones running the latest version of Android and iOS, (excluded is the Go edition).

And thanks to the G-Shock Move app you can easily track activity history, progress reports, and various logs necessary for training. You can also choose from thousands of apps available on Google Play.

Sensors for Outdoor Activities 

Included are running, road biking, pool swimming, walking, snowboarding, indoor workouts, skiing, SUP, kayaking, pool swimming, trail running, cycling, surfing, sailing, and trekking. The watch helps in providing various useful data thanks to sensors, the compass, a tide graph, and the G-Shock activity tracker. The Sensor Overlay feature, allows you to share on social media moments from your outdoor activities, thanks to a camera that even puts stats over the recorded video or images to make it even cooler.

For the frequent exerciser, you can take advantage of different activity tracking platforms with Google Fit onboard to use and G-Shock’s own app, or choose from Play Store the one who suits you most. If compared with Apple Watch Series 6, you will find the G-Shock GSV-H1000 slightly less accurate when it comes to keeping records of heart rate and calorie count. However, if were to pick an everyday wear watch, it would be hard to not take the GSVH1000 home with all of its features. 

Health Monitoring & Everyday Smart Features

The watch comes with a built-in GPS, the Japanese Michibiki, and the Russian GLONASS. Accompanying are other sensors that are normally found on a G-Shock. Including here are the air pressure, gyroscope, magnetic compass, and accelerometer. It has a Power, Start, and App button. A microphone and a vibrator for notifications are also included in the big box of options. The watch’s color maps support offline use and can save up to 5 locations. Enough for even professional hikers. 

Diving deeper into their wide range of athletic settings to mention useful data tracked like (distance, pace, speed, time, route, time active, altitude, road gradient, and tide graph).

The diverse everyday smart features of GSV-H1000 continue with sunrise/sunset data, graphical display of north, airplane mode, world time (550 time zones), auto summer time (updatable), 1-second stopwatch, countdown timer, alarm, battery level indicator, 12-24 hour format, vibration alert, and it even has a microphone. 

As for health monitoring, the new G-Shock is equipped with a heart rate sensor that monitors beats up to 220bpm. There is also a training analysis option that will help you with max-min heart rate data, recovery time, and also provide information about oxygen consumption rate (VO2MAX).

Display and Interface

Display1.2-inch dual-layer display Color TFT LCD and monochrome LCD Color: 360×360 pixels

You will find two screens on the new G-Shock GSWH1000. The primary screen is a 1.2-inch LCD, used for always-on tasks like timekeeping. It saves power by utilizing the full-colors less.

As for the touch sensibility, it is excellent. However, it’s maybe excessively touchy at times with the watch choosing highlights or choices accidentally while looking through menus. 

All things considered, the complexities on the GSWHH1000’s dial can be changed and there are various arrangements, including a progression of hexagon-formed hands. 

Performance

Strangely, we don’t have a clue what the processor is inside the G-Shock GSW-H1000 as Casio expresses that it’s exclusive data and will not be uncovered, albeit watch forums confirm it’s a Qualcomm chip inside. This wouldn’t be a very remarkable shock, as Qualcomm is about one of a kind with regards to wearable tech platforms, making Casio’s position significantly more surprising. 

However, the GSW-H1000’s software experience is smooth and fast and is been totally dependable during my experience with it up until this point. It has stayed associated with my Google Pixel 5 and reconnected on most events without opening the Wear OS application to incite it subsequent to being out of reach. 

Installing applications from Google Play is as yet unwieldy, yet that is something similar across all Wear OS smartwatches, and the performance is quite respectable in any event, even when utilizing famously slow apps like Google Maps. Wear OS advantage is its 1GB of RAM when matched with the Snapdragon 3100 Wear chip.

Battery Life and Modes

For a Wear OS smartwatch, the battery life of GSWH1000 is pretty good. Thanks to its dual-layer display, the watch offers extended battery life without compromising the process of timekeeping. In case you don’t know, the dual-layer display allows the wearer to keep track of time thanks to a monochrome LCD while another colored LCD shows measurement info and apps data. 

Thanks to that, the watch has an estimated battery life of approx. two days. Although during excessive usage the watch provides around 6-8 hours of battery, it is enough to complete a marathon or take a long hike up a mountain. It needs three hours for a full charge and when put in timepiece mode (timekeeping and sensors only) the smart G-Shock can have a battery operating time of 1 month. 

Price and Availability

Casio G-Shock GSWH1000 was first released on April 1, 2021, in Tokyo and is available in three models:

ModelColor
GSW-H1000-1Black×Blue
GSW-H1000-1ABlack
GSW-H1000-1A4Red

It has a price of $699 and is available in the U.S. and U.K. through G-Shock’s official online store. 

In Final Words

It is difficult to sum up the new Casio G-Shock GSW-H1000. What we can say is that you are getting the best of both worlds: A smartwatch with unlimited apps available through Google Play and other built-in features like GPS, health monitoring sensors, barometer, compass, tide graph, and more as explained above. And yet, it is unlike any other smartwatch out there! The new G-Shock provides 200 meters of water resistance, is entirely shock resistant, and the price is quite reasonable. It is the watch-to-go for any outdoor activity lover and can be a perfect pick if you want to make a statement, start a conversion, or dress sporty. It almost has no flaws and even if so, those are things you can live with! What else can we say but simply buy the watch and take a look at its unbeaten features from close!