Image source: Michael Kors

Michael Kors smartens up its signature Access range

Michael Kors has launched a new addition in its chic Access smartwatch collection. It comes with a heart rate sensor, swimproof design, contactless payment technology and unteathered GPS.

Essential reading: Top fitness trackers and health gadgets

Michael Kors is part of the Fossil Group brand and it seems the latest generation of the Group’s watches is getting a sizeable bump in specs this year. Fossil has recently announced new iterations of its Q Explorist and Q Venture smartwatches. The inclusion of a heart rate sensor, waterproof casing (up to 3 ATM) and built in GPS means the Michael Kors Access Runway is benefitting from pretty much the same upgrades.

These will finally enable users to use a Michael Kors watch as a proper replacement for a fitness tracker. And with NFC for Google Pay and the ability to tap into your phone for smartphone notifications – there is decent smartwatch capability, too. And lets not forget the Google Assistant to deal with those daily tasks and answer questions on the go.

“I’m excited about adding our signature Runway style to our already exceptional lineup of smartwatches made in collaboration with Google to feature the latest wearable technology and the Google Assistant,” said John D. Idol, Chairman and CEO of Michael Kors.

“With the new features and benefits, Michael Kors Access smartwatches ensure that our customers can now be more connected than ever before.”

Unfortunately, the device also comes with the Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 platform. Now some two years old, we are expecting its successor in the next month or two.

The bump in specs also means that battery life is not that great. The 24 hour run-time on a single charge is certainly not something to brag about. The good news is that the magnetic USB charger needs only an hour to get the battery back to full capacity.

Michael Kors Access Runway comes with heart rate, NFC, GPS and more

Other specs include 4GB of storage space, and 512MB of RAM. The screen measures 1.19 inches in diameter and it has a resolution of 390 x 390 pixels. The timepiece is, of course, a Wear OS device that plays nice both with Android Wear and iPhones.

There are three classic stainless steel casings to choose from as well as a number of strap styles. This includes the company’s first ever silicone strap for the sporty types, alongside its traditional steel bracelet look.

Depending on design, a piece in the collection will set you back anywhere between $295-$450.

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Ivan Jovin

Ivan has been a tech journalist for over 7 years now, covering all kinds of technology issues. He is the guy who gets to dive deep into the latest wearable tech news.

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