Smartwatches with Dials Are Pretty Cool: Skagen Jorn Review
I love how the hands of the clock are horizontal.
There's a lot you want in a smartwatch, whether it's advanced health features, long battery life, or fitness features.
But haven't we forgotten? Once upon a time, we were looking for "stylishness" in watches. That the design and status cost a lot of money.
A smart watch that reminds you of such feelings has appeared. That's Skagen's Jorn, which focuses on looks and function.
The Jorn is a repackaged version of Fossil's Hybrid HR. Unfortunately, it hasn't received any major upgrades in the hybrid-analog category, but after using it for a few weeks, Victoria Song says it "reminded me of how much fun a simple smartphone can be." you know.
Jorn
What is this? : Fossil's latest e-ink hybrid smartwatch
Price: $ 190 (Japan price 30,800 yen)
What I like: Fashionable. long battery life. Cute e-ink display. GPS map. Real-time weather forecast, automatic active tracking function
What I don't like: Menu navigation is difficult. Fitness tracking improved, but not great
What I Like about Jorn
The Jorn is everything you love about Hybrid HR. It features an e-ink display and hands that move to make notifications easier to read, two-week battery life, easy widget customization, and a changeable watch face.
New additions include GPS maps and outdoor exercises, a Friends Challenge feature, and the ability to upload your own photo to the watch face. It's also a hybrid watch powered by Fossil's proprietary technology with his Skagen app, which can even bypass Wear OS.
After using it for a few weeks, first of all, the GPS map is accurate. The Jorn doesn't have GPS, but these days it's not uncommon to find maps in smartwatches and trackers that use tethered GPS. If you want to see a detailed map, you can check it with the Skagen app, but the map on the face displayed in electronic ink is so cute that you might want to see it on the face.
A real-time weather widget has been added as an option, and you can now upload your own photo to your face. You can use a cute pet photo as your face (this feature is available in a post-launch software update for the Fossil Hybrid HR).
Jorn's Little Disappointment
One thing I didn't really appreciate was the Friends Challenge. It's not that there's something wrong with the app, it's just that no one around has a Jorn, so I couldn't try it. Fossile also seems to want to make it a public challenge to avoid this problem, but unfortunately it was not usable during the period of use.
So I raced myself on the beta app. I had a lot of fun, but I regret not being able to compete with my friends.
The "Jorn" inherited the good parts of Fossil's "Hybrid HR", but also the disappointing parts. Specifically, navigating is cumbersome, screen switching is slow, and the backlight is erratic. Fitness tracking has improved, but it fell a little short for my needs.
Usability of a smartwatch without a touchscreen
Since the Jorn is not a touchscreen, you use the three push functions on the right side of the case to navigate between screens and menus.
The top and bottom buttons scroll up and down. The middle button becomes the "OK" or "Back" button. Each can be programmed as a shortcut to individual widgets such as wellness dashboards, music controls, workout logs and more. However, it wasn't always clear which buttons did what, and it took some time to learn.
Switching between screens takes about the same amount of time as flipping pages on a Kindle. This is due to electronic ink, and it takes about 1 second. It's not a big deal, but it can be a little annoying when you want to scroll quickly.
Oh yeah, I found the text on the screen to be small and hard to read. It may be a trade-off with a design that fits on small wrists, but it's hard for people with poor eyesight to read notifications.
Also, double-tapping the clock to turn on the backlight was so sensitive that the light would turn on even though I wasn't doing anything.
How accurate is fitness tracking?
The Hybrid HR's fitness tracking sucks, and so did the Jorn. However, heart rate tracking is relatively accurate, averaging within 1,000 steps of the Apple Watch.
During my testing, sometimes the GPS distance I was driving was relatively accurate, and other times it was at least half a mile away. For those who are serious about training, this difference will be big.
However, people who are serious about fitness shouldn't choose this watch, so it may be more unsophisticated to see it as a problem (I wouldn't recommend running with a metal mesh or leather band).
That said, I'm glad Fossil has added the ability to automatically track your workouts. After all, it means you don't have to spend hours manipulating in the cold before your workout (more than that, given how slow it is).
While it's not for people who want to do a lot of exercise, Jorn works well if you just want to get a rough idea of how much exercise you're doing.
Hybrid HR or Jorn, which one should I buy?
But I have a question. Should you buy the $299 Fossil "Hybrid HR" or the $300 Skagen "Jorn"?
The Jorn comes in five variations and has a more understated design. If you prefer a flat screen, you'll love the Jorn.
The design of the "Hybrid HR" feels rather flashy.
Both come in two sizes, 38mm and 42mm, but the Jorn has three types of 42mm and only two types of 38mm. "Hybrid HR" is richer.
Fossil will likely be adding more Jorn designs in the coming months, but for now, the Hybrid HR is the better option.
Anyway, it's good to see Fossil expanding its collection of hybrids. The Skagen Jorn isn't without its flaws, but its relatively affordable price, stylish design, and e-ink screen make it stand out among other hybrid smartwatches.
Over the last few years, I've been fascinated by high-end smartwatches. But the Jorn reminded me that sometimes a simple, stylish smartwatch with basic features is all you need.