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Interface
As our recent reviews of the Moto 360 and Huawei Watch show, Android Wear has really improved of late. Thanks to frequent updates from Google, the OS is maturing, and getting slicker.
Google doesn't usually allow hardware manufacturers to apply their own UI skins, but Tag Heuer has managed to persuade the search giant to allow them to darken the menus slightly. It's a small change, and probably only noticeable when viewed back-to-back with other Android Wear devices, but it's an attractive addition none-the-less.
Apart from that, the on-screen experience is almost to every other Android Wear watch. This has both benefits and disadvantages, it creates a seamless experience, but also makes them feel too samey, and especially in the case of the Tag Heuer Connected, not overly 'special'.
That's not a problem on the Sony Smartwatch 3 or Asus Zenwatch, which are relatively cheap, but on the Connected it means you're just not getting the premium experience you're expecting. The luxe feel is limited to the titanium casing and a few Tag-specific virtual watch faces.
If you compare this to Apple's Watch OS 2, the Cupertino company's software simply feels more flashy and premium, it's equally at home on their £299 as the £13,000 model. Android Wear's great, but it doesn't have that scalability. It's the wearable OS of the people, if you will.
In terms of functionality, the Tag Heuer Connected runs the most recent version of Android Wear, 5.1.1. This includes some of the most important features, including Wi-Fi, watch-to-watch communication, gesture support and iPhone compatibility.
The UI is your familiar Google Now information card layout. These pop up vertically from the bottom of the screen. You can scroll through these cards with a flick of your finger or by quickly rotating your wrist.
The cards can be expanded to view additional information, or dismissed if they're not relevant.
The improved UI means contacts and apps can be viewed by swiping from the left, and swiping down will reveal quick settings.
It's an intuitive layout, and quickly becomes second nature, but it certainly isn't perfect. For example, I think there is too much swiping, tapping and flicking involved (however, I also find the Apple Watch UI too fiddly, so it's an improvement over that). The best smartwatch OS that I've used is Tizen on the Galaxy Gear S2, it's a perfect mix between the two.
Android Wear's voice control really stands out, with the watch constantly listening for the command 'OK Google'. It then works like voice control on your smartphone, except it's easier, because it's on your wrist. Very useful when you're driving or running etc. as long as you don't mind looking slightly crazy, having a conversation with your wrist in public.
One area where manufacturers can really stand out is with custom apps and watch faces, obviously, thanks to Tag's considerable experience, this is where the Connected really stands out.
The watch comes with four pre-installed watch faces, three designed by Tag Heuer: GMT, Chronograph, and a traditional three-hand face. They're all attractive faces, look very traditional, and come with the option of black, blue or white colour schemes. The idea is that you shouldn't be able to tell the difference between the Connected and a mechanical watch. At a glance, I'd say they have succeeded.
These watch faces are also interactive, the Chronograph face has a stopwatch second hand, which is a lovely little touch.
Specs and Performance
The Tag Heuer Connected comes packing a brand new Intel 1.6GHz processor and 1GB RAM. That's more powerful than any other recent Android Wear device, most of which have 1.2 GHz processors and 512MB RAM.
That extra power makes swiping around the operating system and opening apps quick. I certainly didn't have any problems with lag during our review.
The Connected has 4GB of storage on board for music and apps, which is plenty (as long as you don't attempt to save the entire Whitney Houston back catalogue on it).
In terms of sensors, Tag Heuer has included an accelerometer and gyroscope for activity tracking, but no heart rate sensor. That's not a big deal, if, like me you're not bothered about fitness tracking, but for some that'll seem like a big omission. There's also no GPS, so it's not going to serve as a real running watch alternative.
Seriously though, would you want to wear a hefty, expensive watch to the gym and when running? Of course, it'll still count your steps throughout the day, which can then be viewed on the Google Fit app on your smartphone.
Connectivity-wise, the watch will connect to your smartphone with Bluetooth 4.1, and it also has Wi-Fi, which allows you to receive notifications even if your phone is elsewhere, as long as both have a connection to the internet. There's no NFC.
