Not everyone can afford to spend a few hundred dollars on a smartwatch. An opportunity for Ice Watch to burst onto the market with a much more affordable model but at the cost of big sacrifices.
The Ice Watch brand certainly means something to you. Born in Belgium in 2007, it has made a specialty of watches designed as fashion accessories, a bit like the Swiss Swatch, but with much less expensive models. It is widely distributed among major brands but also in numerous jewelry and watch stores.
We therefore had to wait until 2023 for Ice Watch to take the digital turn with its very first connected watch, the Ice Smart One. Like its elders with hands, this tocante is also presented as an affordable model with a price of 99 euros. We are therefore far from the more than 400 euros requested from Samsung or Apple but not so far from what can be offered by players like Xiaomi, Honor or Huawei who have mastered the subject for several years. Also, even in this price range, the Ice Smart One will have a lot of convincing to do. And although some advantages are there, we nevertheless feel that this is a first step. We were able to test the Smart One for several weeks. Here is our verdict.
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Ice Watch Ice Smart One: a simple and already seen design
For this first foray into the world of connected watches, Ice Watch is focusing on simplicity. The Ice Smart One adopts a fairly classic design based on a rectangular shape. The 44 x 39 x 12 mm case is made of aluminum and the strap is made of silicone. Nice surprise in the box, a second bracelet is provided. For grip, the Ice Smart One offers a standard size of 22 mm with a pump system. You can therefore reuse an old, more suitable bracelet if you feel like it.
The right side of the case accommodates a rotating crown. Unlike most connected watches that have passed through our wrist, this one has mechanical notches a bit like wind-up watches. The clicking sound is, however, a bit exaggerated and sounds very plastic.
For the screen, Ice Watch settled for a 1.85-inch TFT panel. A choice that can be understood to keep the price low when, however, Amoled screens are multiplying even on models sold less expensively. However, Ice Watch probably does not have the same leverage as Xiaomi or Huawei to negotiate a lower price with its suppliers. This panel turns out to be quite bright even if it has to be adjusted manually in the absence of a light sensor. It offers a slightly tight definition of 240 x 240 pixels.
Under the watch are the traditional sensors to measure heart rate and SpO2 but, also in the case of this Ice Smart One, blood pressure (we will come back to this later). Above the optical sensors, two small metal pads are used for recharging. Ice Watch provides a tiny dock to plug into a USB-A charger (not included) to recharge the watch. Alas, the magnetic system is not powerful enough and the dock tends to come loose very easily.
The watch is very light (48 g, bracelet included) and has 3 ATM water resistance. It is therefore not recommended to bathe with it. Overall, the finishes are correct. However, it gives off a feeling of a somewhat cheap model. This Ice Smart One gives the impression of a white label watch, such as one finds in impressive quantities on Amazon or AliExpress and for which Ice Watch would have simply applied its logo. It lacks that little extra quality to make it stand out from the crowd. An impression that is confirmed once the watch is turned on.
Ice Watch Ice Smart One: an interface very inspired by Apple
If you like well-polished interfaces with impeccable finishes and no burrs, this Ice Watch is not the closest thing. The icons appear quite crude and the texts lack clarity. The fault surely lies with the TFT screen and its overly precise definition. Which only reinforces the low-end impression. Too bad because the general ergonomics, without revolutionizing the genre, allow the watch and its functions to be handled quite fluidly. A swipe to the right, for example, reveals a small vertical taskbar where various functions are grouped together. Unfortunately, it is not possible to define its content. It varies depending on the use of the various applications of the watch.
However, it’s difficult not to see some sources of inspiration, particularly from Apple. Indeed, the Smart One offers a multitude of different dials to download for free. Some are perfect copies of Apple Watch faces.
Likewise, when the watch is charging, the standby screen is exactly the same as an Apple Watch.
Sliding your fingers to the left of the screen displays the different widgets (activity, heart rate, SpO2, music, etc.). It is possible to change the order and add new ones. Here too, the inspiration from Cupertino is obvious with the famous three rings to obtain at a glance the physical activity of the day, for example.
Finally, there remain the parameters which are satisfied with the bare minimum allowing you to activate an energy saving mode or Do not disturb, to adjust the brightness, etc. The connection to the smartphone is symbolized by a chain link at the top of the screen. Note on this subject that we encountered numerous disconnections with the mobile (without necessarily being informed).
Ice Watch Ice Smart One: big youthful mistakes
Obviously, this Ice Smart One comes with an application for Android and iOS. It is through the latter that it is possible to download new dials for the watch but also to manage other parameters. But here again, Ice Watch ignores some important aspects. The watch can obviously receive app notifications. SMS, Telephone (it is possible to take calls from the watch thanks to the speaker and the integrated microphone but the quality is not there), WhatsApp, Twitter, etc. However, no email app is offered in the list. To obtain notification of an email arriving in your Gmail box, you must activate the Other option. And in this case, all notifications received by the mobile are displayed on the watch. Not very practical. Especially since they appear jumbled together in a list within the Messages app (SIC). Impossible to delete just one. It’s all or nothing.
We were also disappointed with the vibration motor. It turns out to be much too weak to properly perceive the arrival of notifications. There is every chance of missing an important message or call.
Wanting to do well, the Ice Smart One also gets its feet wet in audio management. By default, all sounds emitted by the mobile arrive on the watch, including during music playback. You will therefore have to think about cutting it out in the mobile’s Bluetooth settings. But in this case, the watch no longer emits sound for notifications either.
Finally, keeping the watch on your wrist during the night remains a challenge. Even when Do Not Disturb mode is activated, the screen can light up when you move your arm or if you accidentally press the rotating crown. In short, Ice Watch will have to rework its copy by offering a nice update.
Ice Watch Ice Smart One: a lack of precision in measurements
Like all connected watches, the Ice Smart One wants to accompany you during your sports sessions. It offers around a hundred activities: walking, running, cycling, basketball, football, etc. but also water sports like sailing or water polo but not swimming, strange. In any case, for all these activities, the measurements taken are the same: heart rate, calories burned as well as the distance traveled and the number of steps for land activities. Why not. But the measurements are sometimes very fanciful. The watch does not have a GPS module. You must therefore authorize access to that of the smartphone. But, even when connected, the measurements show big differences: 300 meters less over a distance of 2 km measured in front of an Apple Watch Ultra. The heart rate is also calculated very randomly with a difference, in activity of more than 30 beats per minute compared to the Apple Watch. It’s way too much. At rest, things improve and the Ice Smart One remains on track. But it’s difficult to trust him all the time. Furthermore, the application which takes into account the data recorded by the watch still has some bugs. Some data is simply not logged and attempting to obtain more training data as suggested inevitably leads to a black screen.
The Ice Smart One can also measure blood pressure. And, surprisingly, in this area, the results turn out to be quite close to reality. The watch thus defined a blood pressure of 111/69 when our portable medical blood pressure monitor displayed 115/69.
Finally, sleep tracking data should also be taken with a pinch of salt. According to the Ice Smart One, we didn’t wake up all night (which is not true).
Ice Watch Ice Smart One: decent autonomy
With typical use, and without putting too much strain on it, the Ice Smart One can last four days and three nights of use. It’s not huge but it’s still better than an Apple Watch or a Samsung Galaxy Watch. By activating energy saving mode, it is possible to squeeze in one more day. A correct result but which leaves us wanting more given the minimalist equipment of the device. With a TFT screen, the watch does not offer an Always On Display mode (screen always on), it does not have GPS either and is particularly careful about the heart rate measurement frequency.
For recharging, you also have to take your time. It took us an hour and forty-five minutes to refuel while ensuring that the magnetic charger did not inadvertently come loose from the watch.
Ice Watch Ice Smart One: should you go for the first Ice Watch connected watch?
With its Ice Smart One, Ice Watch is entering the world of connected watches through the back door. Certainly, the tocante does not pretend to want to walk on the heels of the big names in the sector, but still! It has too many youthful flaws and lack of attention to compete with equally accessible – or even less expensive – models from Xiaomi or Huawei. The interface deserves a good upgrade to meet current standards without plagiarizing what exists in the competition. The app requires quite a bit of debugging and the sensors must be revised to present reliable measurements. There is therefore a lot of work left for Ice Watch to ensure that its watch stands out from the competition and succeeds in finding a place among the entry-level models that we can count on with our eyes closed.