Offline maps, dual-screen improved, autonomy for this new Pro Trek model. Casio has released its third generation Pro Trek outdoor watch. The WSD-F30 is an enhanced version of the WSD-F20, a watch for backpackers. The Japanese brand announces greater autonomy thanks to the Extend mode, a dual-colour and monochrome touchscreen of better resolution, the possibility of accessing offline mapping, a smaller case, and a few other changes. Update on new features and our opinion on this new model.
Buy The Casio Pro Trek WSD-F30
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The Casio Pro Trek WSD-F30 adventurer’s watch is an improved version of the WSD-F20 model: less bulky case, greater autonomy, consultation of offline maps, ultra-precise screen, among others.
Casio Pro Trek WSD-F30 versus F20: The New Features
The Casio Pro Trek WSD-F30 is an upgraded version of the F20 model. The Pro Trek WSD series (models F10, F20, and F30) offers a connected outdoor watch designed for mountain activities, trekking, hiking, but also activities such as fishing, hunting, skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, ski touring, paddle boarding or even cycling.
It counts the steps and the calories expended. It also includes all the sensors useful for 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 and to communicate with Google Assistant. This model is not equipped with a heart rate monitor. Casio corrects this on the Casio Pro Trek WSD F21HR, a watch suitable for sport, outdoor and mountain that we are briefly present in our comparison of the best watches for skiing.
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 unique features that should appeal to adventure fans. For a description of the essential 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 map consultation
The main novelty of this model, Extend method deactivates the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth functions and thus saves the battery. Casio promises freedom of 3 days instead of 1 day for the use of the GPS limited to 8 hours per day. To master this use, the Casio can be programmed to activate the GPS and the colour screen only during specific time slots.
In this mode, the maps, previously downloaded (up to 5), can be viewed offline. Unlike other watches offering cartography, you can orient yourself anywhere without a network!
Greater Autonomy
Thanks to the Extend mode, Casio promises greater autonomy for its watch: 3 days instead of 1 on the previous model.
The battery life of the Casio Pro Trek WSD-F30
A new, more precise color and monochrome touchscreen
Casio offers a new color OLED display (instead of LCD) and a resolution that goes up to 390 x 390 px (instead of 320 x 300 pixels). So here we have an exact and comfortable screen, much better than that of the excellent outdoor watch Fenix 5 Plus (240 x 240 px).
Casio retains its dual-layer screen technology, which consists of superimposing a monochrome screen, which uses little power and a color screen. The watched battery power, the watch displays the monochrome screen by default. A simple press of a button shows the map in color. Electricity consumption is thus significantly reduced.
Another novelty of this model, the monochrome display, now includes, in addition to the time, altitude, atmospheric pressure, and compass data.
A Smaller, Slimmer Case
The new Casio Pro Trek is also a bit 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 huge, but you can see the difference on the wrist. The watch remains rather voluminous, especially for thin wrists.
The Addition of GLONASS
When the Pro Trek WSD-F20 model was released, Casio announced upcoming access to the Russian satellite system (GLONASS). This should be the case for this new model.
A More Flexible Bracelet
To meet user demand, Casio is improving its strap by making it more flexible while adding a few more holes for a finer tightening adjustment.
Compatibility with the Ski Tracks application and access to data from more than 2,600 ski resorts around the world
Ski Tracks is a free downloadable app from the App Store or Google Play, which, since December 2019, is compatible with the Pro Trek F20, F30, and F21HR series watches. It manages four profiles (ski, ski touring, snowboard and snowshoes) and displays relevant data of the outing. The Casio also shows on its screen, during ski descents, the speed, the maximum speed, the elevation, and this without needing to connect the smartphone. It also times the duration of the origins.
Our Opinion
This new Pro Trek WSD-30 outdoor connected watch brings significant improvements to the previous model. With a battery life more than doubled thanks to the Extend mode, a high-resolution screen. Maps that can be consulted offline, a slimmer size and a more comfortable strap, it should delight adventurers and backpackers fans of the Pro Trek series and seduce an audience wider.
The autonomy which goes from 1 to 3 days is a plus. It is a criterion more and more considered by athletes in the choice of their watch today. Manufacturers know this well and are doing everything 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 the rate of 8 hours per day of use of the GPS. On the other hand, the watch will not be suitable for ultra trail or ultra-long distance where the GPS must be able to be used at 100%. For this type of activity, it is better to turn either to the Garmin Fenix 6 in ultra-trace mode, to the astonishing Suunto 9 and its 120 hours of autonomy or the recent Coros Vertix with its independence of up to 150 hours! Otherwise, you can, of course, take a small battery charger to recharge the watch during breaks.
The dual-color and a monochrome touch screen that goes to 390 x 390 px is unmatched in the comfort that cannot be 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 remains intended for adventurers and fans of fishing or hunting but less for sports use: there is, in fact, no heart rate sensor, no possibility of connecting an external century, no training or monitoring functions athletic. This is not the primary function of the Pro Trek series.
When it comes to maps and navigation, the Casio Pro Trek WSD F30 still has room for improvement. The watch cannot store maps of an entire country or a massif. You have to choose a specific area limited to 40 kilometers in diameter, and you can only store five cards at most. GPS navigation is not as developed as on other watches. The watch warns the user when he leaves the planned route and indicates the direction to follow to find the track, but there is no turn-by-turn guidance.
We also appreciate the effort made by the Japanese manufacturer to reduce the size of the case. That said, this model remains quite voluminous, a little too much in any case for thin wrists. For those who want a watch more suited to their wrist size, it is better to turn to the Garmin Fenix 6S or Garmin 6S Pro.
Another strong point of this model is that it can be paired with the Google Assistant, thanks to its integrated microphone, which allows you to record voice commands.
An important point to note: this model (like the very economical Amazfit Stratos by Huami) cannot be paired with 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 check the Wear OS compatibility of your smartphone here).
Price and Availability
The Casio Pro Trek WSD-F30 is available in 3 colours: black (WSD-F30-BK), blue (WSD-F30-BU) and orange (WSD-F30-RG).
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