Pininfarina Senso Hybrid Smart Watch Review – PMH01A-01

Pininfarina is a design agency that’s greatest recognized for its vary of iconic automobile designs, together with the Alfa Romeo Spider and the legendary Ferrari Testarossa.

They’ve now partnered with Globics, a agency that specialises in hybrid and digital smartwatches, to supply the Pininfarina Senso.

Whereas I’m all in with Garmin, I can see the attraction of hybrid smartwatches, they cater for individuals who desire the aesthetic of a standard analogue watch however need a few of the performance of a wise watch, together with well being and health monitoring.

They aren’t the primary model to do that, with Withings dominating the hybrid area of interest, however it’s a lot much less aggressive than the traditional multisport and smartwatch market.

Associated Opinions

Specification / Options

Pininfarina SensoCase: 316L stainless steelWristband: Italian real leather-based strapWristband clasp: Stainless steelGlass: Sapphire glass with anti-fingerprint coatingWatch diameter: 44mmWristband width: 22mmDisplay dimension: 11mmWatch thickness:16mmWater resistant: 5 ATMBuilt-in rechargeable battery with 30 days reported battery lifeSensorsAccelerometerOptical coronary heart price sensor (PPG)3D magnetometer sensorECG sensorMetrics and featuresOn-demand ECG and SpO2 trackingHeart price trackingSleeping trackingAlarm setting24/7 exercise trackingPre-loaded sport modeConnected GPSNotificationsWeather forecastChrono and timerE-compassRemote management (Music and Digicam)Stress degree detectionBreathe trainingHydration and Sedentary reminderMenstrual cycle trackingConnectivityBLE 5.0. You will need to allow Bluetooth reference to location settings to take pleasure in GPS monitoring performance.Suitable OSiOS 16.0 or higherAndroid 11 or greater

Pininfarina Senso / Gobics vs Withings

Globics doesn’t seem to promote watches on to customers. As a substitute, it produces a variety of hybrid and smartwatch platforms that different manufacturers, like Pininfarina, use.

Trying on the product specification and the watch face design I suspected that the underlying {hardware} could be the identical as one of many Withings watches.

The ScanWatch fashions all have the monochrome OLED show and subdial in the identical place, and the subdial will also be used for show steps or exercise targets.

Each manufacturers have the identical 30-day battery life, 5ATM water resistance and use related GPS moderately than built-in GPS. They each have Sapphire glass shows and 316L stainless-steel casings.

The charger design is sort of related, with two electrodes and a small plastic nubbin between the electrodes.

However there are some variations that point out the Globics {hardware} is completely different:

The PPG optical coronary heart price sensor is a special design than any of the ScanWatches. It has a design much like the PPG of the Metal HR, however the Globics/ Pininfarina has a further LED to the suitable of the sq. sensor. Nonetheless, I’ve by no means seen the LED activate in order that it could be one thing else.

The Pininfarina watch solely does on-demand SpO2 readings, whereas most of the Withings watches can robotically do evening readings.

Then, in fact, the app itself is totally completely different.

Design

The general look and construct high quality of this watch are its essential promoting level of the Senso PMH01A-01. If it wasn’t for the small digital show, you’d simply assume this a luxurious watch from one of many massive manufacturers.

The Senso boasts a sturdy and trendy 316L gunmetal gray PVD stainless-steel case. Measuring 44mm in diameter and 16mm in thickness, the case includes a brushed end on the physique, whereas the fastened bezel on the prime showcases a elegant end, creating an attention-grabbing distinction. The watch’s crown, situated on the 3 o’clock place, is knurled for straightforward grip and is flanked by two push buttons at 2 and 4 o’clock, permitting the wearer to work together with the dial’s varied features. The dial is protected by scratch-resistant and shatter-proof sapphire crystal glass, guaranteeing the watch’s longevity and sturdiness.

The textured dial of the Pininfarina Senso includes a hybrid analogue-digital show, combining the most effective of each analogue and digital parts. The analogue show consists of silver baton-style hour markers and a luminous baton-style handset, enabling straightforward studying of the time even in low-light circumstances. On the 12 o’clock place, an OLED sub-dial shows the watch’s quite a few features, whereas a second sub-dial at 6 o’clock showcases a 60-second show, including to the watch’s performance and visible attraction.

Complementing the watch’s premium design is a real Italian leather-based strap in a wealthy brown hue. The strap not solely offers a snug match but in addition provides a contact of magnificence to the general aesthetic of the watch. Securing the strap is a stainless-steel pin buckle clasp, guaranteeing a safe and adjustable match for the wearer.

With a water resistance ranking of fifty metres, the watch is appropriate for swimming and may face up to splashes and showers, although it isn’t beneficial for water sports activities or diving.

On the underside of the watch is the PPG coronary heart price sensor, and to the left of that is the steel contact factors for charging.

I don’t have intensive watch data, however the general aesthetic is vaguely much like the IWC Pilot watches, however with a squarer case. I personally assume this appears nicer and extra elegant than the designs Withings has used on its ScanWatch fashions.

Set Up

Establishing the Pininfarina Senso is simple. After downloading the companion app and creating an account, you pair the watch through Bluetooth. The app guides you thru the method, which entails urgent the crown of the watch when it’s on cost.

As soon as paired, the app prompts you to enter private info like age, top, weight, and health targets. This knowledge personalises the monitoring options and proposals.

The app itself has a clear, intuitive interface. The principle dashboard shows an summary of your every day stats, together with steps, coronary heart price, sleep, and extra. Tapping into every metric reveals extra detailed insights and traits over time.

Navigating the watch’s options is equally user-friendly. The OLED show exhibits the time by default, and you’ll cycle via completely different screens utilizing the buttons, displaying knowledge like steps, coronary heart price, climate, and notifications. Turning the crown accesses a menu the place you can begin exercises, take ECG and SpO2 readings, set alarms, and alter settings.

One minor gripe is the slight delay when elevating your wrist to view the time. The show takes a couple of second to light up, which may be mildly annoying. Nonetheless, that is probably a battery-saving measure and a typical subject with hybrid watches.

Health Monitoring

The Pininfarina Senso affords primary health monitoring that can be ample for informal use. I used to be blissful to see that that it’s potential to sync your actions with Strava. Massive manufacturers like Huawei and Honor have been very gradual to implement this easy function, and it made the watches lose attraction to many runners and cyclists.

The watch lacks GPS and, due to this fact, depends on assisted GPS out of your cellphone. Although, when it does join, the accuracy is sweet, which is reward of the Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely greater than the watch.

This may be problematic; although I had allowed the app to entry my location on a regular basis, on at the least one event, once I went working, it didn’t connect with the cellphone’s GPS and, due to this fact, didn’t plot my route or precisely measure distance.

Moreover, I discovered that the guts price monitoring was not correct in any respect. This can be a widespread drawback with a wrist-based HRM, and I’ve bony and bushy wrists, which doesn’t assist. One massive issue within the inaccuracy is that the watch has a leather-based strap, and it’s not possible for me to get it tight sufficient. You should buy rubber straps, which can considerably enhance the efficiency.

The HRM is okay for every day put on and fewer intense actions like strolling.

The information you get again from the app is primary however fantastic for most individuals. It’s simply the essential stuff like your route, distance, tempo, tempo evaluation, coronary heart price evaluation, then steps and energy. So no superior working evaluation like floor contact time, symmetry/gait, VO2 max or coaching standing.

For every day exercise, the watch robotically tracks steps, energy burned, and distance travelled. You may set every day targets within the app, and the watch’s subdial will present your progress all through the day. The step monitoring appears correct, intently matching my cellphone’s pedometer.

Well being Monitoring

Past health, the Pininfarina Senso additionally affords a number of well being monitoring instruments.

It has all the standard options, equivalent to step counting, sleep monitoring, resting coronary heart price, and energy.

You then have some extra superior options which have rolled out to watches lately. There are SpO2 (blood oxygen) measurements, however these are on-demand solely, whereas most competing choices present some kind of steady monitoring. Should you don’t have a recognized drawback along with your lungs, upon getting completed one studying and confirmed your SpO2 is okay, you don’t actually need to repeatedly monitor it, and I all the time change it off on my Garmin.

You then get on-demand ECG readings, which is a much less widespread function however is rising in reputation, with Apple, Withings, Garmin and Samsung supporting it on some gadgets.

Just like SpO2, for those who don’t have a recognized coronary heart drawback, upon getting completed it a couple of occasions, you shouldn’t must do it repeatedly except you might be at excessive threat of growing an issue.

One motive why you could wish to use the ECG extra usually is the stress degree detection which makes use of coronary heart price variability (HRV) knowledge, the watch assigns a stress rating from 1-100, with greater values indicating greater stress. The app additionally guides you thru respiratory workout routines to assist cut back stress ranges.

You then have handbook monitoring for issues like hydration, weight and menstrual cycle monitoring.

Sleep Monitoring

Sleep monitoring has all the time been a preferred function of smartwatches. The watch robotically detects while you go to sleep and get up, and offers a breakdown of your mild, deep, and REM sleep levels. The app additionally offers you a sleep rating primarily based on metrics like whole period, effectivity, and restfulness.

I discovered it fairly correct, it was a bit off with the time I bought to sleep however I’m a little bit of a stressed sleeper. On one event it fully tousled however that’s a difficulty that occurs with most watches.

My essential gripe is that the app solely offers an in depth evaluation of your earlier evening’s sleep. You may’t scroll again and think about the opposite days; you possibly can solely see the essential sleep log. I typically prefer to view historic knowledge, as it may be helpful to attempt to determine patterns that trigger sleep issues or enhance sleep.

Battery

One of many strongest promoting factors of hybrid watches is the distinctive battery life, and the Pininfarina Senso is not any completely different.

Pininfarina claims the watch can last as long as 30 days on a single cost.

I discovered that in my regular use with all of the options enabled, every day health monitoring and some SPO2/ECG measurements, the watch falls effectively wanting this quantity, however it’s nonetheless round 2 weeks, which is greater than ample for my wants.

For me, it has to cost a smartwatch every day, which actually bothers me, which is why I’ve by no means dedicated to WearOS. Something over 5 days is sweet in my books.

When it’s time to recharge, the included USB charger tops up the watch comparatively shortly. Going from a low battery warning to 100% took just below two hours in my testing.

Worth and Various Choices

The Pininfarina Senso has an RRP of £399 and is obtainable in 4 designs:

Moonlight Silver (reviewed)Mercure GreySunburst Rose GoldSlate Gray

You should buy it straight from pininfarina-hybridwatchbyglobics.com, and it’s obtainable on Amazon UK.

Withings could be the primary various choice as they’re one of many solely manufacturers that specialize in hybrid watches. They’ve:

ScanWatch Nova for £549ScanWatch Horizon for £449ScanWatch 2 for £320ScanWatch for £280Steel HR Sport for £189

All of the watches have 30 days of battery life and both 5ATM or 10ATM water resistance. The ScanWatches all have Saphire glass shows with a 316L stainless-steel case.

When it comes to options, they’re all superior to the Pininfarina. All of the ScanWatch fashions have an ECG and an Oximeter, however Nova and ScanWatch 2 have 24/7 temperature monitoring. None of them have GPS.

There are different hybrid smartwatches. Maserati has its personal, albeit with very restricted performance and no HRM. Fossil has the Commuter hybrid smartwatch, and Garmin has a variety of vogue and hybrid smartwatches, together with the Lily, Vivomove and Intuition Crossover. However, not of those competing choices compete with the general look of the Pininfarina Senso.

Total

I just like the Pininfarina Senso, however it’s removed from good. Nonetheless, it has large potential.

If I have been judging this watch purely on its good options, it wouldn’t be that good. This can be a watch you purchase primarily for the aesthetics, and the good options are an added bonus.

It’s one among, if not the best-looking smartwatches in the marketplace. The ScanWatch Nova and Horizon definitely compete with their look, which is analogous to the Rolex Submariner or some Tag watches.  However I personally desire the look of the Pininfarina Senso.

The app and general good options are what let it down barely, particularly contemplating the £400 price ticket. The app appears good, but it surely doesn’t have the extent of knowledge that competing manufacturers have. Syncing appears to be very gradual, and I had some points with the related GPS working.

Whereas the app isn’t superb, it nonetheless works, and it’ll probably do every little thing most individuals need from a hybrid smartwatch. I’m simply extra demanding as I’m a eager beginner athlete and accustomed to the info and performance of my Garmin.

I’m James, a UK-based tech fanatic and the Editor and Proprietor of Mighty Gadget, which I’ve proudly run since 2007. Captivated with all issues know-how, my experience spans from computer systems and networking to cellular, wearables, and good residence gadgets.

As a health fanatic who loves working and biking, I even have a eager curiosity in fitness-related know-how, and I take each alternative to cowl this area of interest on my weblog. My various pursuits permit me to carry a singular perspective to tech running a blog, merging life-style, health, and the newest tech traits.

In my educational pursuits, I earned a BSc in Data Programs Design from UCLAN, earlier than advancing my studying with a Grasp’s Diploma in Computing. This superior research additionally included Cisco CCNA accreditation, additional demonstrating my dedication to understanding and staying forward of the know-how curve.

I’m proud to share that Vuelio has persistently ranked Mighty Gadget as one of many prime know-how blogs within the UK. With my dedication to know-how and drive to share my insights, I purpose to proceed offering my readers with partaking and informative content material.