Fossil Group has been Google's main partner with Wear OS for years, producing dozens of watches under a handful of different brands. The company's main flagship watch is the Fossil Gen 5, which is nearing two years old. Fossil didn't announce a Gen 6 line at this year's CES show, but there is a new LTE version of the Gen 5 coming this spring.
Wear OS watches with LTE are somewhat rare, partially because demand is lower (most people prefer to take their phones with them everywhere), and also due to the increased size and battery requirements of cellular radios. Mobvoi released an LTE version of the TicWatch Pro 3 in Europe last month, retailing for £329.99/€359.99, and Fossil's Gen 5 LTE will have a similar price of $349. By comparison, the Bluetooth/Wi-Fi version of the Gen 5 was $295 at release, and has dropped as low as $139.
The only hardware difference between the original Gen 5 smartwatch and this new model is the LTE connectivity. It still uses the Snapdragon Wear 3100 SoC, instead of the newer Wear 4100 or 4100+ that the TicWatch 3 Pro has, with the same 8GB storage and 1GB RAM. Like the original Gen 5, the LTE model has a heart rate sensor, NFC for Google Pay, magnetic charging, 3ATM water resistance, and built-in GPS. Impressively, Fossil only had to make the watch 1mm thicker than the original Gen 5 (12 vs. 13mm) to accommodate the LTE functionality.
SPECS
|
Processor |
Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 3100 |
|
Storage |
8GB |
|
RAM |
1GB |
|
Display |
1.28-inch fully circular AMOLED @ 328ppi |
|
Sensors |
Heart rate, NFC (for Google Pay), GPS, Altimeter, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Ambient light |
|
Speaker |
Yes |
|
LTE |
Yes |
|
Case size |
44 x 44 x 13mm |
|
Water resistance |
Up to 3 meters underwater |
|
Software |
Wear OS by Google |
|
Price |
$349 |
Two variants of the Gen 5 LTE will be available: the FTW4053 with a black stainless steel casing, and the FTW6075 with a pink finish. Both have the same 1.28" circular screen and 45mm case size — if you're looking for something smaller, the Bluetooth-only Gen 5E is probably the better buy.
The watch's availability is a bit complicated. It will be sold exclusively through Verizon, and only to customers with an Android phone on their main line (so Verizon's Number Share technology will work properly). Fossil says it is working on possible iPhone support, and the company confirmed that the Gen 5 LTE will be released in other countries later this year.
Fossil also announced a new hybrid smartwatch at CES, the Skagen Jorn Hybrid HR.
Source: Fossil