Citizen Suspends Sales Of CZ Smartwatch Over 'Technical Software Issues'
Watchmaker Citizen's attempt to create a traditional yet high-tech smartwatch didn't quite go to plan. The company unveiled its CZ smartwatch at CES this year , saying the device's health features will track total sleep and physical activity to offer users "alertness tests." However, the company stopped selling the second-generation smartwatch after reviewers complained about buggy apps and short battery life.
Wired first reported Thursday that the watchmaker has decided to sell a $350 CZ smartwatch. "We have discovered a technical issue with the software in the Gen-2 CZ Smart touchscreen models ... and are working with our quality control team to resolve it," a company spokesperson told Gizmodo in an email. The issue only affects the CZ Smart Touchscreen watch, not others such as the Smart Hybrid.
The following products are currently discontinued:
- МХ1003-71
- MX1000-28X
- MX1000-01X
- MX1000-52X
- MX1005-83X
- MX1002-57X
- MX1018-06X
- MX1017-50X
- MX1010-59X
- MX1011-05X
- MX1016-28X
The watch has been on the market since May, although there are not many professional reviews about it. However, many reviews on Amazon mention poor battery life compared to other similarly priced devices, as well as a buggy interface that causes screen freezes.
When the watch was first launched, Citizen promised users more than 24 hours of battery life. Reviews on the company's product page say the device can't even get half a day of battery life without charging. In response to customer requests, the company noted that testers may need to change the device's settings to extend its lifespan.
Some users complain that the CZ smartwatch lacks the water resistance of many of its competitors. The watch is IPX6 certified, which means it can only withstand "minor" water interactions such as sweat or rain. It's a similar problem with the first-generation Citizen smartwatches, which pale in comparison to the latest offerings from Samsung and Apple. The latest versions of the Samsung Galaxy Watch have IPX8 water resistance, which allows you to swim in shallow pools and in water of about one meter for up to 30 minutes. The $799 Apple Watch Ultra is water-resistant to a depth of more than 40 meters, but even the regular Series 8 is suitable for swimming.
The main killer of Citizen watches is that their advertised "YouQ" health monitoring feature (based on a NASA test of psychomotor alertness that Citizen advertises) is imprecise and can freeze. The feature, developed in collaboration with IBM and NASA, should offer users suggestions at different times of the day to recharge their batteries or rest if they are too tired. Essentially, it's more of a health reminder than a Fitbit-caliber exercise tracker.
YouQ was the watch's main selling point, so its flaws hurt reviewers a lot. In addition to YouQ, the watch uses Google Wear OS 3 . Other Wear OS 3 devices also have battery life issues, and this issue may be addressed in the upcoming Watch OS 4 .
