Why I switched from a smartwatch to an ‘almost smart’ Casio G-Shock

Considering my use cases, I felt most smartwatches are overkill, where I have to charge them at least once a week. When I started looking for a fitness tracker, primarily with better battery life, I discovered a Casio G-Shock that offered everything I needed with an up to two-year battery life.

The GBD-200 has different watch faces. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

I am talking about the Casio G-Shock GBD-200 (GBD-200SM-1A6DR – G1196), which can also be considered a smartwatch as it can connect to a smartphone via an app and can sync notifications, which comes with a retail price tag of Rs 12,995 and can be bought for around Rs 11,000 on sale. However, with its very limited functionality, it’s definitely one of the dumbest smartwatches, and it’s another reason why it caught my attention.

Unlike most smartwatch reviews/opinions, I am not going to talk about its display resolution, refresh rate, or colour accuracy. As anyone considering the Casio G-Shock GBD-200, these things won’t really matter. But what does is its looks, build quality, and of course, battery life.

It has been slightly over a month since I replaced the OnePlus Watch 2R with the GBD-200, and I honestly haven’t missed much. In fact, I am glad that I don’t have to put it to charge once in a while, where at times, I have forgotten to wear it back.

Built like a G-Shock with a touch of translucency

oplus_3145760

The G-Shock GBD-200 with its iconic square design has everything that one expects from a Casio G-Shock, which includes a 20BAR water-resistant rating. It also has a shock-absorbing structure, making it one rugged watch. On top of that, it has Bluetooth connectivity and also has an acceleration sensor, where it can track steps, although it is not as accurate as some of the high-end smartwatches, where I noticed a deviation of around 5 per cent (higher side) when compared to the smartwatches like the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic and the OnePlus Watch 2.

Despite wearing it continuously for over a month, the strap, made out of silicon, is very comfortable, and the neon-like translucent case makes the watch look cool and trendy, which looks different under sunlight and in the dark. This is one watch that can be worn 24×7, including when you are swimming or taking a bath.

If you are a runner, the watch can also log your activity where it can process distance and pace. Besides, it also has other prominent features like world timings, alarms, and different watch faces, some of which highlight step tracking, while others focus on showcasing time from two different time zones.

Battery life is the best part of this almost smartwatch

Despite being almost smart, it can last up to 2 years on a single battery. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

Casio claims that the G-Shock GBD-200 can last for up to two years per battery. Considering my experiences with the previous G-Shock, Casio is almost on point. I have also made sure to disable all the notifications from apps and have only enabled the call-related notifications, which might have a positive impact on the battery life. Even if this watch can last for over a year on a single battery, it will be a win for me, and only time can answer this question.

The watch can be customised using the G-Shock Move app. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

For anyone looking for a smartwatch primarily to receive notifications from your smartphone and step tracking, I believe the G-Shock GBD-200, for its asking price, is an excellent choice. Those who need a bit in terms of fitness tracking can consider models like the G-Shock DW-H5600-1, which can be a tad expensive but offers more fitness features like heart rate tracking. However, the battery life isn’t as solid as the GBB-200 and needs to be charged once in a few days.