Table of Contents
- Luxury Wearable
- initial setup
- Fabric
- Performance and routine use
- Battery
- Conclusion and value for money
- Montblanc Summit Lite specs
Due to its luxurious and fitness proposal, the watch Montblanc Summit Lite shows what it came from. With a high price point and system familiar to most popular smartwatch users, the Lite is made for buyers of the Montblanc. who want day-to-day versatility and a sophisticated device. Being another addition to the Summit line, this time the manufacturer chooses to bet on an older processor and a resistant case, putting the price at a more “affordable” level than its successors, without sacrificing style.
In the last few days we have been able to test the Montblanc Summit Lite and how it handles in routine use and we tell you here what we think of this pompous smart watch.
Luxury Wearable
The luxury Montblanc Summit Lite smartwatch has 1,2'' AMOLED fabric with an ultra-thin edge and a subtle, rounded design. Our reviewed version had a gray aluminum case and a blue fabric strap, but it's also available on the manufacturer's website in other monochromatic variations – and even has a rubber strap version. The idea of the gadget is to be a luxury fitness wearable and this is clear from the moment we turn it on and see the quick shortcuts to the apps dedicated to fitness.
Summit Lite relies on the system Wear OS from Google, a way to attract those who are used to the standard interface à la Android. On the back of the product we have the heart rate sensors and the magnetic connectors for charging. The included base and cable are USB-C standard, by the way. The side of the watch has three buttons, with a rotating crown for navigating through the menus.
Let's face it: the fact of acquiring a Montblanc smartwatch is how well it will deceive unsuspecting people who think that the dial is not digital, resembling a conventional watch from the brand. The screen has good quality and resolution, but the pixel density and brightness alone are only convincing in a well-lit environment. The classic crown even has the brand's logo, discreetly, but nothing else makes it "so original" to the point of being a visual deviation compared to other smartwatches.
initial setup
The initial setup was simple, following the Wear OS pattern. Install the app on your phone, give it a dozen permissions (accept them all), follow the tutorial and pair it with the gadget. Among the first shortcut items we have certain functions and applications included especially in Montblanc Summit Lite.
O Cardio Coach is your “personal trainer” with real-time exercise tips, the Corporal energy compiles physical activities and sleep quality to indicate the user’s “remaining charge” of energy, There are is sleep monitoring and the Stress tracks you and gives advice to reassure you (also with real-time monitoring).
Fabric
The screen has great brightness, saving you from setting it to the maximum level even under the sun. Because it is AMOLED, it was to be expected that blacks would be dark and the colors would be quite vivid. This is 100% true with Lite. The fabric strap proved to be comfortable for long periods of use, but I don't recommend it much for sleeping - I think the Summit Lite's rubber strap option is better in this case. Because it is resistant to water splashes and can withstand a pressure dive 5ATM (50 meters submerged, for 10 minutes), nothing that using it for swimming or a bath can present defects in the short term.
There is the possibility of activating the traditional Always On function to keep the screen always on, but this causes the battery to be drained with considerable speed. The dial options please, with a beautiful Montblanc duo available. The rotating mode proved to be good for those who get sick easily.
An unexpected detail was an unfortunate agreement error when choosing my first interface style (the clock was “loading” the chosen theme).
Performance and routine use
Unofficially, as neither the paperwork included in the box nor the “About this device” section of the watch could inform me, it is known that the Montblanc Summit Lite comes with a processor Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 3100. In a few months, the Wear 3100 completes 3 years since its launch, which can be considered outdated, without exaggeration. This is the same one in the Montblanc Summit 2, smartwatch more luxurious (and expensive) than the Lite itself, from 2018.
In particular, I consider the Tizen system to be the most intuitive on the market, however, I had no problems adapting to the Lite's Wear OS shortcuts.
The watch, by the way, brings 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of storage. Combining this with the Wear 3100, in just a few days of use I didn't notice any lags or a long response time when switching apps. The fact is that the processor is already outdated and this can (and should) weigh when purchasing a luxury watch in the middle of 2021.
What bothered me the most about installing Wear OS and not an app dedicated to the Montblanc Summit portfolio was the lack of information compilation. Everything is exclusive to the smartwatch's 8GB. Maybe this is a custom of a former smartband user, I admit, but having statistics and activity history on the smartphone is missing for those who think about using the smartwatch all the time.
When you consider that everything in the smartwatch is geared towards the exclusive Cardio Coach, Body Energy and other functions, the fitness proposal falls apart. The absence of the weekly status integrated into the system or a partner application for the cell phone is lacking. Since using it all the time is the idea of the Montblanc Summit Lite, I must say that we have a weak point. Another more practical solution would be to allow the integration of these functions to the present Google Fit, for example, or third-party applications. Unfortunately, that was not the case.
Battery
Straight to the point, the Montblanc Summit Lite's battery life is short more than a day in casual use. We have the capacity of 400 mAh and in power saving mode without too many connections to the cell phone (Bluetooth) it can last for about 30-35 hours. Just like any other smartwatch, the screen time on and the functions activated weigh a lot in this duration. In monitoring a run, she “eats” about 1% per minute, a not very good average for those who intend to follow a fitness life.
With the casual use estimate, keep in mind that the Montblanc Summit Lite was on the wrist the entire time, in direct connection to the cell phone. In tests done charging the battery as soon as I woke up around 9am it was at about 30% in the early morning and 20-25% the next morning. Overall, this is not a good thing compared to other 2020/21 smartwatches. We remember that the Huawei Watch GT2 lasted about a week with me.
To charge it, I calculated about 1h20 from 0 to 100% when I connected the base to the power adapter of my Samsung Galaxy (USB-C). It even has room for the Samsung cable, which is handy for those who want a long cable and don't always want to change plug adapter connections. We give a plus point to the base itself, preventing the watch from “sambe” on account of the strong magnets when you leave the Lite on the table.
Conclusion and value for money
We are talking about a Montblanc watch. Because of this, it is to be expected that the Summit Lite will be priced higher than other gadgets with similar specifications. As a reference, while Galaxy Watch 3 from last year (also tested by me) is currently in the range of R$ 1.800 in the 1,2 inch AMOLED version, the Montblanc Summit Lite is for sale on the official website of Montblanc for R$ 6.450.
If you are the target audience for Montblanc, you already know why to buy it. Still, when browsing the manufacturer's website I noticed how to invest in a Summit 2 with a more luxurious look for R$7.850 may be more worth it, given the design and proposal. All in all, the watch really has outdated specs and a price way above the current average (of higher specs).
Compared to another smartwatch in the same tier as the Tag Heuer Connected, which features 8 combinations of very high quality casing and wristbands, the Summit Lite still leaves something to be desired – if we limit the parallel to the technical specifications of both, as I didn't have the opportunity to test Tag's. It is undeniable that the Summit Lite has resistant materials that promise to ensure the durability of the product in the long term, but a resistant body would be useless for a brain that is considered “outdated” since last year.
So who is this product for? For the user who wants a familiar operating system, it requires integration with the Android smartphone, is looking for a stylish device for all occasions and is used to charging the cell phone's battery daily (so getting used to charging the watch would not be a big inconvenience). Good value for money happens to be the weakest point in this friendly “balance” of needs.
The purchaser of 5+ thousand reais Montblanc fountain pens knows very well that the quality of their gadgets reinforces the status. Sometimes, high-end gear from traditional brands like Samsung e Apple may not satisfy this need. Summit Lite, on the other hand, can.
And then, did you like the Montblanc Summit Lite? Tell us in the comments below! Also check out our guide to choosing the best current smartwatch for you.
Montblanc Summit Lite specs
| Caixa | 43 mm |
| Water resistance | 50 meters (5ATM) |
| Display | 1,2'' AMOLED with ultra-thin bezel |
| display resolution | 390 × 390 |
| display glass | Gorilla Glass |
| Battery | 400mAh |
| Pre-installed app | Body Energy, Cardio Coach, Stress App e Sleep Tracking |
| Thickness | 12,8 mm |
| Price | BRL 6.450 at Vivara |
