Although the Citizen CZ Smart doesn’t feel or look like a typical Citizen smartwatch, it has enough functionality to be useful. It is ideal for people who still desire the functionality of a smartwatch but with the appearance and feel of a conventional wristwatch since it combines its classic, traditional design with the newest and most advanced technologies.

Nice touchscreen display

The company’s first touchscreen smartwatch, the Citizen CZ Smart, has Gorilla Glass covering the screen for security. It sports a 1.28-inch AMOLED screen with a sharp 416 x 416-pixel resolution, but no typical Citizen watch faces can use it. The two pushers and pressable crown make it unnecessary to touch the screen too frequently if you don’t want to. The screen is also very responsive.

The few proprietary software watch faces that Citizen comes with can be replaced with any other watch faces compatible with Wear OS devices.

Additionally, the Citizen CZ Smart includes an always-on screen state that uses less power and has a lesser resolution for the dial. That always-on status will vary based on the watch face that is chosen. However, you may choose from both the always-on watch face and the fully animated watch faces could use more personalization options and features.

Nice design

Despite not having the conventional Citizen watch appearance, the CZ Smart looks well on the wrist. The 46mm case is made of stainless steel and feels extremely high quality. The bezel is narrow. The blue color gives it some character. The 22m blue silicone strap is really comfortable.

The rotating crown that facilitates navigating within the Wear OS software is one of the most appreciated aspects of the CZ Smart. The protections around the crown make using your thumb to rotate less painful. Although they can be changed, the buttons on either side of the crown are used to launch Google Fit and the Citizen Watch Face app.

Water-resistant

The Citizen is also robust. Because of its 30-meter water resistance, it can be worn in the rain or when swimming.

Good performance

The Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 3100 processor within the watch is technically outdated because it is older than the Snapdragon Wear 4100 chip. However, while performing the fundamentals, such as monitoring workouts, receiving notifications, and utilizing apps, it moves along pretty smoothly.

Decent battery life

The Citizen CZ Smart has a respectable battery life. You may receive up to two working days, depending on usage. The watch also features fast charging capabilities, reaching 80% charge and 100% in around 45 minutes and 70 minutes, respectively.

Fitness tracking

The Citizen CZ Smart has a gyroscope, accelerometer, barometer, and heart rate sensor.

The included Fossil Wellness app promises to track the essentials like steps, sleep, calories, and exercises without significantly depleting the battery. Anyone who wants more comprehensive, data-intensive exercise tracking can also use Google Fit. Google Fit provides you with sufficient fundamental information about your fitness.

GPS/route data can be used to track outdoor activities like runs and walks. Field performance for the CZ Smart is quite good. Thanks to its stainless steel construction and aluminum topping, it feels sturdy and durable. However, GPS tracking is erratic. The heart rate sensor’s data are generally reliable, but the software still has to be optimized because the CZ Smart greatly overestimates step count.

The CZ Smart may not be at the top of your list if you’re searching for a smartwatch primarily for fitness monitoring because it covers the fundamentals satisfactorily but struggles to track specific activities.

Compatible with mobile phones

Because Wear OS by Google powers the Citizen CZ Smart, it works with both iPhones and Android smartphones.

Google Fit, Google Assistant, Google Pay, and Google Play are among the preloaded apps. However, with 8 GB of storage, you can also download more apps from the Play Store. Alarms, calendars, agendas, and contacts sync right from your phone; to use most features, simply swipe left, right, up, or down, or touch the phone’s crown.

The watch receives notifications from your smartphone over Bluetooth, including emails, messages, and social media alerts. However, the reliability of how your phone delivers notifications is average.

The CZ Smart has a speaker and a microphone for making and taking calls, but it doesn’t have a 4G LTE connection, so you must connect it to your phone in order to use it.