Casio WSDF10 hands on

There weren’t a whole lot of smartwatches showcased at this year’s CES, and apart from the women-centric HUAWEI Watch Jewel and Watch Elegant, the one that did catch our eye was the smartwatch for outdoor enthusiasts running Android Wear that was introduced by Casio. Casio is, of course, a very well-known name in the watch space, and here, we get to take a quick look at what’s the company’s take on the smartwatch is, as we go hands on with the Casio WSDF10!

This military-grade smartwatch from Casio is designed for those who love the great outdoors, and that is evident not only in its features, but its look as well. Measuring in at just shy of 62 x 53 x 15.7 mm, the Casio WSDF10 is undeniably a large smartwatch, and even though it features a comparatively smaller display, its rugged body, thick bezels, and overall thickness make for a device that is larger that most of its Android Wear competition out there. Speaking of the display, this smartwatch comes with a 1.32-inch Color LCD display with a resolution of 320 x 300.

This rugged smartwatch features water resistance up to 50 meters, and packs a standard suite of sensors seen with most Android Wear smartwatches, save for a heart rate monitor, which is actually a rather odd omission, given the segment of the market this device is intended for, but it does somewhat make up for it with everything else the device packs.

On the software side of things, we get the latest version of Android Wear on-board, which includes all the current capabilities of the OS, such as Wi-Fi connectivity and more. In addition to the standard capabilities of Android Wear, the Casio WSDF10 comes with pre-installed “Adventurer” software, which includes a navigation app called View Ranger, a weather app called My Radar, RunKeeper, and a host of others. There are also tools for personal performance monitoring, covering aspects like altitude tracking, basic activity tracking, travel speeds, distances, and activity times.

Casio also has a software suite called Casio Moment Setter Plus, which includes activity tracking, and something called Moment Setter, which will notify you of local photo opportunities. There is also something for any fishing enthusiasts out there, with the information available including tide graphs and notifications for best times to fish.

As you can see, the Casio WSDF10 is no ordinary smartwatch, and is obviously not necessarily intended for daily wear, but instead for making the most of your outdoor adventures. Whether it’s worth picking up will largely depend on what you’re looking for in a smartwatch.

So there you have it for this quick look at the Casio WSDF10! Price and availability information for this smartwatch is yet to be announced, but when it does make its way to the market, available color options will include black, red, green, and orange. Understandably, this device has a very specific consumer base in mind with all that it brings to the table, but if you are someone that does fall in the category, you will certainly be hard-pressed to find something better than the Casio WSDF10 in the Android Wear space.

With CES 2016 coming to a close, don’t forget to check out our roundup of what we loved at this year’s show!

NEXT: Best of CES 2016!