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Casio Pro Trek WSD-F30 : the connected watch for adventurers

By Philippe Baudoin © Copyright (published 08/09/2018)
montre casio Pro Trek WSD-F30 orange

Offline cards, dual screen, improved autonomy for this new Pro Trek model

Casio will soon release its third generation of outdoor Pro Trek watch. The WSD-F30 is an improved version of the WSD-F20, a watch for scuba divers. The Japanese brand announces a greater autonomy thanks to the Extend mode, a double color and monochrome touch screen of better resolution, the possibility of accessing offline mapping, a smaller housing and some other changes. The latest news and our opinion on this new model.

Features of the Casio Pro Trek WSD-F30

Weight
83 g
Dimensions
49.1 x 14.9 mm
Screen
1.2" double layer, touch-sensitive, monochrome and 390 px
Autonomy
30 d watch / 1 to 3 d in GPS mode
GPS
GPS, GLONASS, QZSS (Michibiki)
Multisports
Yes, no transition between activities
Recommended activities
Trekking, mountain, fishing, cycling, paddle, skiing, surf
Connectivity
iPhone iOS 9.3+, Android 4.4+. Bluetooth 4.1 wireless data transfer, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
Cardio-fréquency meter
No
Topographic maps
Oui
Music player / bluetooth
Yes
Payment system
No
Téléphony / 4G
No
Barometric altimeter
Yes
Barometer
Yes
Compass
Yes
Thermometer
No
Weather
Sunrise and sunset hours, tides
Waterproof
5 ATM
Other
Microphone, vibration alerts, accelerometer, gyroscope, compass, watch connected, activity tracking, Smartphone notifications, interchangeable strap
The Casio Pro Trek WSD-F30 is an improved version of the WSD-F20 model: smaller case, longer battery life, offline map viewing, ultra-precise screen, among others

Casio Pro Trek WSD-F30 versus F20: the new features

The Casio Pro Trek WSD-F30 is an improved version of the F20 model. The Pro Trek WSD series (models F10, F20 and F30) offers an outdoor connected watch designed for mountain activities, trekking, hiking but also activities such as fishing, hunting, skiing, paddle or cycling. She counts the steps and calories expended. It also includes all the sensors useful to adventurers: ABC sensors (altimeter, barometer, magnetic compass), accelerometer, gyroscope, sunrise and sunset times, tide graph, weather trend. A microphone is also used to give instructions to the watch.

This outdoor watch is also very robust. It is designed to withstand water, dust, extreme temperatures (down to -10° C) and shocks. As such, it complies with the American military standard MIL-STD-810G.

This new model proposed by Casio offers some novelties that should seduce adventure fans. For a description of the basic functions of the Casio Pro Trek WSD-F30, we invite you to consult our article on the Casio WSD-F20X.

Extend mode for greater autonomy and offline card consultation

The main new feature of this model, the mode Extend deactivates the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth functions and thus saves battery power. Casio promises an autonomy of 3 days instead of 1 day for a GPS use limited to 8 hours per day. To master this use, the Casio can be programmed to activate the GPS and color screen only during certain time slots.

In this mode, the maps, previously downloaded (up to 5), can be consulted offline. Unlike other watches offering cartography, one can thus orient oneself anywhere without a network!

casio Extend mode shows
With Extend mode, the autonomy increases to 3 days provided that the use of GPS is limited to 8 hours per day. The watch also displays a default monochrome screen to conserve battery power.

Extended autonomy

Thanks to the Extend mode, Casio promises greater autonomy for its watch: 3 days instead of 1 on the previous model.

ModeUseAutonomy
WatchDaily use or trekking. GPS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and color display disabled. 30 days
NormalStandard use with GPS, color and monochrome screen, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi. 1,5 days
ExtendUse in extended mode with color and monochrome screen, GPS but deactivation of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. 3 days
Autonomy of the Casio Pro Trek WSD-F30

A new, more accurate color and monochrome touch screen

Casio offers a new OLED color display (instead of LCD) and a resolution that increases to 390 x 390 px (instead of 320 x 300 pixels). So we have here a very precise and comfortable screen, much better than the excellent Fenix 5 Plus outdoor watch (240 x 240 px).

The Casio WSD-F30 features a 390 x 390 px monochrome and colour OLED dual touch screen. The energy-saving monochrome display now displays more data than the F20 model.

Casio retains its double-layer screen technology, which consists of superimposing a monochrome, energy-efficient screen and a colour screen. To conserve battery power, the watch displays the default monochrome screen. The map is displayed in colour at the touch of a button. This greatly reduces power consumption.

Another novelty of this model, the monochrome display now includes, in addition to the time, altitude, atmospheric pressure and compass data.

keeps its double touch screen, one monochrome, the other color, for exceptional visibility even in full sun. The new but improved resolution.

Smaller and thinner housing

front view of the watch
Casio has reduced the size of its case (diameter and thickness)

The new Casio Pro Trek is also a little smaller than the previous model thanks to a repositioning of the components. It thus loses 3.9 mm in diameter and 0.4 mm in thickness. It's not much, but you can see the difference on the wrist. The watch remains rather voluminous, especially for fine wrists.

The addition of GLONASS

When the Pro Trek WSD-F20 was launched, Casio announced that it would soon have access to the Russian satellite system (GLONASS). This should be the case for this new model.

A softer bracelet

To meet user demand, Casio is improving its wristband by making it more flexible while adding a few extra holes for a finer fit.

Our opinion

This new Pro Trek WSD-30 outdoor connected watch brings notable improvements to the previous model. With more than twice the range thanks to Extend mode, a high-resolution screen, offline maps, a slimmer size and a more comfortable strap, it should delight adventurers and adventurers fans of the Pro Trek series and seduce a wider audience.

Casio F30 watch orange
Beautiful design and orange color for this watch that will delight nature lovers

The autonomy that goes from 1 to 3 days is really a plus. It is a criterion increasingly considered by sportsmen in the choice of their watch today. Manufacturers are well aware of this and are doing everything they can to find ingenious solutions to save energy costs and maintain or even reduce the size of their watch cases. With this new model, it is thus possible to make trekkings of 3 days at a rate of 8 hours per day of GPS use. The watch will not however be suitable for ultratrail or ultramarathon where the GPS must be able to be used at 100%. For this type of activity, it is better to turn to a Garmin Fenix 5 Plus in ultratrac mode or the amazing Suunto 9 and its 120 hours of autonomy ! Of course, a small battery charger can also be carried to charge the watch during breaks.

The dual colour and monochrome touch screen, which changes to 390 x 390 px, offers unequalled comfort not found in the competition (240 x 240 px at Garmin for the Fenix 5 Plus and 320 x 300 px for the Suunto 9). We also appreciate the monochrome screen which displays 4 data (altitude, atmospheric pressure, time and compass) instead of just the time on the previous model.

This watch is still intended for adventurers and fans of fishing or hunting but less for sporting use: there are no heart rate sensors, training functions or athlete monitoring. This is not the primary function of the Pro Trek series.

We also appreciate the effort made by the Japanese manufacturer to reduce the size of the case. That said, this model remains rather voluminous, a little too much in any case for the fine wrists. For those who want a watch more suited to their wrist size, it is better to turn to the Garmin Fenix 5S or the Garmin Fenix 5S Plus.

Another strong point of this model is that it can soon be coupled to the Google Assistant, thanks to its built-in microphone that can record voice commands. Casio announces that this function should be available when the watch is launched.

One important point to note: this model (just like the very economical Amazfit Stratos from Huami) cannot be coupled to a PC. You will need to use your smartphone and it must be compatible with the Wear OS application (available on iPhone/iOS 9.3+ or Android 4.4+). You can ).

We liked
  • Significantly improved battery life (3 days in Extend mode)
  • High resolution display (390 x 390 px !)
  • Maps accessible offline
  • Smaller housing than previous model
  • More supple and finely fitting bracelet
We would have liked
  • An interface for PC or Mac! (requires Smartphone)
  • A case a little less voluminous

Price and availability

The Casio Pro Trek WSD-F30 will be available for sale around the end of January 2019. It will be available in 3 colours: black (WSD-F30-BK), blue (WSD-F30-BU) and orange (WSD-F30-RG). Its price should be 549 $ in the United States, which gives an idea of its price for Europe which has not yet been revealed.

Philippe Baudoin
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Crédit photos : casio.com. This article contains commercial links