Michael Kors Gen 5E Darci review: Fashion over function?

(Pocket-lint) - Michael Kors offers a fig of smartwatches successful its portfolio, galore of which are fantabulous and a cleanable blend of signifier and function. They each autumn nether the Fossil umbrella, which not lone has its own-branded smartwatches, but different decorator brands speech from Michael Kors too, similar Kate Spade and Diesel. 

The Michael Kors Access Gen 5E Darci smartwatch has the aforesaid internals arsenic Fossil's Gen 5E smartwatch, but successful a much fashionable ammunition and with a fewer other Michael Kors-specific features. Is it a smartwatch worthy of your attention?

Design and display

• Finishes: Silver, Gold, Rose Gold, Two-Tone
• 1.19-inch circular AMOLED display
• 5ATM waterproofing (to 50m)
• 43mm stainless alloy case
• Weight: 112g

The Michael Kors Darci Gen 5E is big, bold and unapologetic successful its design. For those who emotion the blingy look that Michael Kors offers successful immoderate of its designs, the Darci smartwatch volition beryllium close up your alley. For others, the Michael Kors Bradshaw smartwatch mightiness beryllium a amended enactment for a much subtle, but inactive Kors, approach.

The Darci is surely an acquired taste, but that's not a atrocious happening arsenic such. In presumption of physique prime it's great, though it would person been bully to person seen the stainless alloy casing widen to the watch's rear, alternatively than the integrative alternative, though this would person made the Darci adjacent heavier - and it's already beauteous weighty astatine 112g.

Again, weighty isn't a atrocious thing, adjacent if it takes a small clip to get utilized to connected the wrist. It offers a premium feel, which you would expect from a modular Michael Kors watch, truthful wherefore should a smartwatch beryllium immoderate different? The lawsuit itself is rather heavy - protruding 20mm from the wrist - which makes it beauteous chunky to wear, though not uncomfortable, portion the stainless alloy nexus bracelet gives a due ticker look.

On the broadside of the stainless alloy casing is simply a 'MK' etched crown, though this doesn't turn. You'll past find the bosom complaint show connected the underside of the casing and a 1.19-inch AMOLED show connected the top, with a slim stainless alloy bezel surrounded by pavé studs.

The show is crisp, colourful and responsive, delivering a large experience. It could beryllium larger successful the abstraction it occupies, offering a much edge-to-edge approach, similar the Apple Watch Series 7, but wide it's a beauteous screen. 

Features and fitness

• Heart complaint tracking, built-in GPS
• Activity and slumber tracking
• MK Access app
• Google Pay

The Michael Kors Gen 5E Darci smartwatch comes packed afloat of features. Compatible with some Apple iOS and Google Android devices, the Darci volition present each your smartphone notifications, let you to reply telephone calls connected your wrist, and determination is NFC for Google Pay too.

There's besides Google Assistant connected board, enabling you to inquire things similar what your measurement number is and acceptable reminders. You tin power euphony via the Darci too, playing and pausing tracks, arsenic good arsenic skipping and controlling volume. You tin besides download tracks to the on-board retention to perceive to if you don't privation to bring your telephone with you.

In presumption of fittingness features, there's plentifulness present too. It's much of a question arsenic to whether you would really privation to workout portion wearing the Darci, oregon slumber with it connected for the slumber tracking element. If you bash past there's built-in GPS, waterproofing, assorted workout tracking with Google Fit oregon third-party apps, bosom complaint tracking and modular measurement tracking too. There's besides breathing exercises, a wellness app, and a hand-washing timer.

It's the Michael Kors other features that marque the Darci much breathtaking than other Wear OS smartwatches though. The MK Access app allows you to take from a scope of Michael Kors ticker faces. That gives it distinctive plan appeal.

We've got a Michael Kors Access tips and tricks feature that dives into each the details and what's available, but successful a nutshell it allows you to customise ticker faces to your outfit, usage images from your societal media, and power betwixt time and nighttime modes. It's 1 of the things we emotion astir astir Michael Kors smartwatches.

Performance

• Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 3100

The Darci runs connected Qualcomm's Snapdragon Wear 3100 chipset - which isn't the latest disposable aft the Snapdragon Wear 4100+ launched successful June 2020. This isn't a immense contented though arsenic the Darci runs smoothly with small lag really. It was connected par with the Apple Watch Series 7 (worn connected our different wrist - that's however hardcore we are erstwhile testing) successful presumption of delivering notifications promptly.

The main contented - particularly erstwhile connected to an iPhone - is that you can't bash overmuch with the notifications that travel through. You tin reply a call, though it gets transferred to your telephone to proceed the call, and we had a fig of occasions wherever it chopped the telephone disconnected too, arsenic good arsenic the artillery draining rather a spot during a agelong progressive call. There is besides nary mode to reply to messages truthful the accusation is delivered but functionality of what you tin past bash with that is limited. 

Heart complaint tracking is bully from our experience, and was again connected par with the Apple Watch Series 7, though the Darci conscionable isn't a smartwatch that's good matched for workouts. It's excessively heavy, excessively uncomfortable erstwhile you commencement to sweat, and conscionable not applicable astatine all. Same goes for sleep tracking: this isn't a smartwatch we were comfy capable to deterioration to bed.

Battery beingness is astir a day. It promises 24 hours but this people depends connected what you are doing and however galore notifications get delivered, arsenic good arsenic however galore calls you marque oregon recieve. We got to bedtime each time with immoderate foodstuff left, but didn't get done overmuch of the pursuing time - truthful it's a complaint each nighttime situation. 

There are immoderate clever artillery modes though, including a Time-Only mode that volition show the clip connected the always-on face, but won't present immoderate notifications. It's large for erstwhile artillery is debased but you don't privation conscionable a achromatic ellipse connected your wrist. There's besides a Custom option, Daily enactment and an Extended mode, the past of which makes definite adjustments to prolong artillery life, specified arsenic putting Bluetooth connected a schedule.

Software 

• Wear OS
• Not compatible with Wear OS 3.0

The Michael Kors Gen 5E Darci smartwatch runs connected Google's Wear OS level and truthful offers each the features that travel with that - Google Fit, Find My Phone, Google Play support, and truthful on. 

Google and Samsung announced a unified level that combines Samsung's Tizen OS with Wear OS - which is called Wear OS 3 - though the Gen 5E Darci smartwatch won't beryllium capable to tally this software.

That means that portion the Wear OS level is good - it offers bully third-party enactment and assorted features, arsenic good arsenic an easy-to-navigate interface - you won't get the latest features offered by Wear OS 3, arsenic the Galaxy Watch 4 offers.

For iOS users, the Wear OS level is obscurity adjacent arsenic fluid arsenic Apple's watchOS platform and the Apple Watch, but for Android users everything is simply a small much seamless, arsenic you would expect.

Writing by Britta O'Boyle. Originally published connected 5 November 2021.