Hands on: A B Art Touch X review

A super thin and simple hybrid

Not yet rated Reviews
By James Peckham
published
What is a hands on review?

Early Verdict

We'd not heard of the brand A B Art before Baselworld 2018, but the Touch X watch is interesting enough that we were in no hurry to take it off. If you're after a smaller hybrid watch, this offers a unique design without being bulky.

Pros

  • +

    Super slim design

  • +

    Touchscreen glass

Cons

  • -

    Limited feature set

  • -

    Uncertain where to buy

Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

Hybrid watches seem to be one of the big trends at Baselworld 2018, and we've found this one from little-known Swiss brand A B Art called the Touch X.

You probably haven't heard of A B Art before (we hadn't until landing in Switzerland this week) but our initial impressions of the Touch X are that it's a unique looking and functional watch.

With a touchscreen built into the glass on the front but no display (so it's not like a smartwatch) it's an interesting idea. It also has a super thin design for those who want something small and light on their wrist.

A B Art Touch X release date and price

There's currently no word on when or where you'll be able to buy the Touch X from A B Art. We're speaking to the brand to see what the plans are for a worldwide release, but details of where it'll be on sale, when and for what price currently aren't very clear.

Design

The Touch X body is all made of metal, which means it's cold to the touch but looks great even though it's thin. During our time wearing the watch, it never felt weak or flimsy despite being only 8mm thick.

On the right hand side of the watch there's a button (where the crown would be on a traditional watch) and this is used for interacting with some of the smart features on the Touch X.

There are six different designs for the Touch X with a variety of different materials for the strap, including a woven material and leather. You'll get a variety of different watch faces and accent colors too.

Our favorite was the one pictured at the top of this review with a brown strap and all-black watch face, but if you like the Touch X's simplistic look it's likely you'll be able to find a color combination that matches with your tastes.

Features

The glass top of the watch comes with a touchscreen layer, which means you can tap on it to interact with a variety of different hybrid features.

Exactly what tapping will do all depends on how you set it up in the app, but if you tap on the screen you'll be able to activate features such as an alarm to find your phone, a way to send your location to a loved one or speed dial (though that's just for Android devices at present).

Exactly how well this touchscreen works is currently unclear - we were unable to test this out at Baselworld - but it's something we've not seen before on a hybrid of this type, so it's an interesting concept.

It'll also track your steps and vibrate to give you phone notifications like a lot of other hybrid watches on the market. The brand thinks the watch will last around 8 months to a year from a single watch battery, and that's around the industry standard for watches of this type.

Early verdict

This hybrid is unlike any other we've tried before, with a remarkably thin body, a very interesting way to interact with it and a design language that's not often embraced in technology-laden products.

Right now we don't know where you'll be able to buy the Touch X, but this could be an interesting watch if you're looking for something small, as long as it's sold at the right price.

James Peckham
James Peckham

James is Managing Editor for Android Police. Previously, he was Senior Phones Editor for TechRadar, and he has covered smartphones and the mobile space for the best part of a decade bringing you news on all the big announcements from top manufacturers making mobile phones and other portable gadgets. James is often testing out and reviewing the latest and greatest mobile phones, smartwatches, tablets, virtual reality headsets, fitness trackers and more. He once fell over.

What is a hands on review?

Hands on reviews' are a journalist's first impressions of a piece of kit based on spending some time with it. It may be just a few moments, or a few hours. The important thing is we have been able to play with it ourselves and can give you some sense of what it's like to use, even if it's only an embryonic view. For more information, see TechRadar's Reviews Guarantee.