For better or worse , Fossil makes the mass of Wear OS smartwatches on the market thanks to its huge stable of fashion designer brands . ( Seriously , it ’s not a trade show without 5,000 Fossil smartwatches that all kind of do the same affair . ) But this crepuscle , instead of set in motion a Gen 6 smartwatch , Fossil announced today it ’s launching the Fossil Gen 5E.
The Gen 5E is essentially the Gen 5 , but now with more sizing selection and a cheaper price tag of $ 250 . As in , woman and small wristed folks can now opt for a small 42 millimeter case with 18 mm straps . There ’s also a 44 mm version with 22 millimeter strap . All in all , there are three new styles in the 44 mm and four in the 42 mm . If you guessed that the unexampled 42 mm options are loop of roseate gold and blush colorways while the 44 mm opts for more masculine colors like … inglorious , then congratulations . Ya nailed it .
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The new Fossil Gen 5E looks pretty familiar.Photo: Fossil
The guts are mostly the same with some minor deviation . Like the Gen 5 , the Gen 5E also has aQualcomm Snapdragon Wear 3100 chipand 1 GB of RAM . The primary difference of opinion is the Gen 5E only has 4 GB of store compared to the Gen 5 ’s 8 GB . It also opts for connected GPS instead of build - in GPS , and lacks an altimeter . As for the display , the Gen 5E also sports a small 1.9 - inch touchscreen . Otherwise , you get the same features like NFC defrayment via Google Pay , the basic kernel charge per unit and question sensors , a built - in speaker and microphone for call , 3ATM water resistance , and pre - installed apps ( i.e.g , Spotify , Noonlight , etc . ) . The Gen 5E also includes some of the update the Gen 5 got over the summertime , including an optimise activity tracker , sleep tracking , cardio fitness tracking , and phone app update .
This sort of palpate like Fossil is taking a pageboy out of Apple ’s script — the Apple Watch SE , Gen 5E … you link up the dots . That said , the Gen 5E does n’t deliver quite as much in savings , as it ’s only $ 45 cheap as opposed to the $ 120 you bring through with the Watch SE . Instead , this is most likely a bit of a cheaper , “ makeweight ” watch as vendors get ready to switch over from Qualcomm ’s Snapdragon Wear 3100 chip to thenew 4100/4100 + platform .
Fossil did something exchangeable the last time Qualcomm preface new computer hardware , back in 2018 . At the time , Fossil ’s Gen 4 flagships keep the old Snapdragon Wear 2100 chip and the company acquaint theFossil Sport , a slightly cheaper watch with the then - new 3100 silicon chip .
A smaller 42mm case + rose gold/blush color…a smartwatch for the women.Photo: Fossil
However , this all means we in all probability wo n’t see say a Gen 6 sporting the fresh 4100/4100 + chips until Spring 2021 . This , in turning , means Wear OS will probably fall behind even further behind Apple , Samsung , and Fitbit when it comes to newer smartwatch features . That ’s not to say that other vendors are n’t already putting out 4100 - powered watches . A petty over a calendar week ago , Mobvoi denote its $ 300TicWatch Pro 3would sport the 4100 chip — as well as a legion of other wellness features , including blood atomic number 8 and noise level monitoring . But , that ’s one watch from a lesser - known brand name ( though , that ’s not a roast on Mobvoi ’s TicWatches , which are generally among the proficient wearable OS watches usable ) . It just means that Wear OS ’s biggest trafficker wo n’t have an army of 4100 - powered smartwatches out this vacation season — intend at least some mass will opt for more advanced competitors that are usable now .
This is n’t surprising , per se . Wear OS has generally dawdle behind its competitors for eld now , even as it ’s made stride with regard to the interface , battery life story , and digital adjunct integration . It ’s just continually frustrating to catch as non - Samsung Android users also deserve the option of a full - featured cellular smartwatch — and we ’re still waiting on that .
Consumer TechFossilGadgetsSmartwatcheswearables
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