Details of a new sport-focused G-Shock watch have leaked, and it sounds like Casio might want to steal a piece of Garmin's lunch. The new watch, which hasn't been officially confirmed yet, is set to join the G-Squad range of sports watches (known as G-Move in the US), and include some interesting features that should appeal to runners in particular.
Casio fan site G-Central has shared details of a forthcoming device called the DW-H5600, which were posted on the Watchuseek forum by UK-based user kosutasu.
According to the leaked specs, the new device will include an optical heart rate monitor and step tracker, and although it won't have its own GPS module, it will be able to piggyback on your phone's GPS to track your location and speed during runs.
Solar charging
Images of the watch's case back reveal that it will have a memory-in-pixel {MIP} display, which uses less power than AMOLED for longer battery life, and is the same tech favored by Garmin for watches in the Fenix and Forerunner series,
The case back is marked 'water resist solar' but also has a connector for a USB charging cable, suggesting it won't be able to run on sunlight alone.
It is, however, expected to be made using biomass plastics. Casio often uses materials made from castor beans and corn oil to reduce use of petrochemicals, and it's good to hear that this is likely to continue.
Overall it sounds like an interesting package, though the lack on on-board GPS is a bit of a shame. Serious runners who like the chunky G-Shock style but want more accurate location tracking might be tempted by the recently launched Garmin Instinct Crossover instead.
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