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I'm trying to translate an article which is about wearable smart watches. I don't know how to translate "To their credit" term in the following context :

To their credit, many of the manufacturers have made charging a non-micro USB charging affair, though Motorola’s Moto 360 is probably the most handsome execution of the idea. Sony, for reasons unknown has chosen the ol' plug-it-in approach with the Smartwatch 3. None of these methods would matter to me if didn’t have to go through the exercise on a daily basis though.

I know what does that mean as Google says :

to one's credit

used to indicate that something praiseworthy has been achieved, especially despite difficulties.

But I'm confusing how to translate "To their credit" in the above context, so I'm looking for an easier term which can replace with that.

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    The OP has already consulted a dictionary and is still confused. "Entirely answerable with a dictionary" doesn't apply, as far as I can tell.
    – user230
    Feb 2, 2015 at 18:52

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In the above context, "to their credit" is expressing that, despite the author's dissatisfaction with having to charge his smartwatch every day, he does appreciate that they're trying to make watch-charging an easier process. It would be hard to convey this nuance -- he's trying to be fair with his praise despite being grouchy with the results -- in different words, but I can try.

The easiest swap would probably be "To be fair" or "In fairness" -- it doesn't have quite the same nuance of praise, but it does indicate that the author recognizes his bias, and that many smartwatch companies are doing their best.

"In their defense" is similar, though the nuances are now a little more hostile to the companies.

If the translation worked without that intro phrase, you could just drop "To their credit" from the sentence! The paragraph mostly stands alone. (Depending on whether this is contracted work, and how closely you are required to keep to the original author's words, this may not be an option.)

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