Fossil Dependably Brings a Bunch of Smartwatches to CES, But Not the One I Want

In the before multiplication , you could always count on Fossil to bringa massive amountofsmartwatchesto any trade show . Were most of them gussied up versions of Fossil scout for other marque under their umbrella ? Yes , absolutely . But after a yr of ups and pile , it ’s nice that even a pandemic ca n’t seem to contrive Fossil off its CES traditions .

https://gizmodo.com/you-should-probably-wait-for-the-next-fossil-smartwatch-1845907901

The large promulgation this sentence around is Fossil ’s first cellular watch , the $ 350 Gen 5 LTE . If you ’ve get a honorable memory , however , this should n’t add up as a surprise — recent FCC filingshinted that this was comingback in December . The good news program is this means Wear OS finally has a cellular scout . The bad news is it ’s power by the last - propagation Snapdragon Wear 3100 chip . This is a bummer , as LTE is a infamous bombardment guzzler , and the 3100 did n’t really stretch out assault and battery liveliness on Wear OS watches that much .

Behold, the Gen 5 LTE.

Behold, the Gen 5 LTE.Image: Fossil

The Gen 5 LTE also has quite a few limitations . For starters , the Gen 5 LTE is limited to Android users who have Verizon . It ’ll work via Verizon ’s Number Share plan , which stand for you ’ll have to buy an additional data architectural plan . Whether it ’ll eventually let in other carriers is n’t clear in good order now . Also , iOS users wo n’t be able to apply the cellular characteristic on the Gen 5 LTE . That intend they should perfectly not choose for this watch over the regular Gen 5 , as it ’s $ 50 more . Another bummer is that at launch , the late Gen 5 updates will not be uncommitted . in conclusion , the Gen 5 LTE is only launch in the U.S.

Specs - wise , the Gen 5 LTE is alright . It has the same 8 GB of storage and 1 GB of RAM as the Gen 5 , a 1.3 - column inch display , NFC payment , uninterrupted heart rate - monitoring , work up - in GPS , and a speaker . It ’ll also descend in two coloring ( black and gold / pink ) , though with its 45 mm case , it ’s on the big side . And though it does n’t come with the update Gen 5 features , it does have impudent battery way . Again , LTE is a huge battery gulper and you ’re not going to get a whole lot of mileage out of the Gen 5 LTE — it ’s only got an guess barrage life of 24 hour with typical usage . Adding drawn-out battery modes will at least help oneself you eke out as much succus as you could out of a single explosive charge .

Fossil owns a crew of other brand , and this year its Skagen job has a unexampled lookout man : the Jorn Hybrid HR . It ’s not that the sentry itself is that interesting — it ’s basically a reskinnedFossil Hybrid HRunder the Skagen brand name . But damn if they are n’t good - lookin ’ thanks to Skagen ’s Danish minimalist vibe .

Image: Fossil

Image: Fossil

It is overnice to see more of the Fossil hybrids . When we go over theFossil Hybrid 60 minutes , we found the e - ink video display incredibly soft on the eyes even if the app itself was a bite wobbly . The Jorn Hybrid 60 minutes issue forth in five colors and two size : 38 mm and 42 mm . ( Yay for the petite - wristed ! ) Like the Fossil Hybrid hour , you could also customize the e - ink exhibit . The new Skagen also sports a continuous nitty-gritty rate monitor , attached GPS , basic activity - tracking , and two week of approximate battery life . That said , it seems like Fossil ’s added on a social feature to its intercrossed watches — you could now invite friend to 72 - time of day challenges . ( Neat , but how many of your friends have Fossil watches ? ) These will retail for $ 195 , which is n’t too terrible give the feature band .

And if the Skagen Jorn is a repackaging of the Fossil Hybrid HR , then expect ‘ til you get a load of the Michael Kors Access Gen 5E smartwatches . I ’ll give you exactly one shot as to which Fossil ascertain these are based on . ( nick ding ding ! TheGen 5E ! ) They come in a couple flavors : the Gen 5E Darci and the Gen 5E MKGO . If these watches were the Spice Girls , the Darci would be Posh Spice and the MKGO would be Sporty Spice . The former cost $ 350 , is bubbling , and has a 7 - link metal bracelet . The latter is $ 250 , slightly less glittering , and has a two - piece rubber strap . Specs - wise , they have the same 43 mm cases , 4 GB of storage , connected GPS , 1.2 - inch AMOLED screens , and run Wear OS . The Darci come in three color ( silver - rose gold , uprise gold , and gold ) , while the MKGO occur in four ( two rose gilt options , a gold option , and a black version ) .

I ’ll admit it . I ’m disappointed that none of these watch are powered by the new Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 4100/4100 + platform — which is the existent smartwatch I want from Fossil . I ’ve been banging on this metal drum ever since Qualcommannounced the chipthis past summertime . This central processor wo n’t magically work all the issues we have with Wear OS , but it could potentially do a slew to bridge the gap and bring the weapons platform a little closer to its rival . Had a 4100 smartwatch materialized , that would ’ve easily been the Big Smartwatch Headline for CES 2021 , as right now only the TicWatch Pro 3 has the bit .

Image: Fossil

Image: Fossil

While I am disappointed , it also makes common sense . It was always go to be a long shot for a 4100 - powered Fossil spotter to pop up at CES 2021 . After all , it ’s not likely that Fossil would launch its very first 4100 watch on one of its intriguer brand branch . So we ’ll go along to look . Perhaps after this year will land a must - buy Wear o vigil . One can go for .

We ’re lively from our couch comprehend CES 2021 ! Clickhereto read our terminated coverage .

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See what I mean? Posh Spice.