Fossil Gen 5E: Rs 18,495
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Have you noticed people’s wrists lately? Expensive wristwatches and jewelry have been replaced by trendy, functional smartwatches and fitness bands. Gone are the days when a high-end watch or sparkling diamonds were in great demand. Now the sparkle has been replaced by the little ‘foot’, as I call it. Everyone is tracking steps!
In a market full of options for all budgets, Fossil offers its Gen 5E smartwatch, the latest addition to its Gen 5 smartwatches. The company says it is “more affordable” at Rs 18,495. While this is more expensive than what many other brands are offering under Rs 10,000, let’s see if this new watch is a bang for your buck.
How does it look like?
Nobody is going to buy a watch that promises the world but looks chunky on the wrist. The Fossil Gen 5E is available in two sizes, 44mm and 42mm. I strapped the 42mm with the delicate pink ribbon. The bling surrounding the crown will only add a nice touch if you are into bling. Otherwise, stop reading this review because if you are not a bling lover you will not be interested in this watch.
The 1.19-inch AMOLED touchscreen offers plenty of space for displaying notifications and the display leaves no room for complaints even in broad daylight. What I missed was the rotating crown found in more expensive Fossil smartwatches.
What I love are the sleek bezels that give it the look of a premium watch. It’s light and easy to put on and doesn’t put any strain on your wrist.
Professional type: If you want to use it while exercising, forego the fancy metal straps and opt for silicone straps, which you have to buy separately. Maybe the brand should have thrown a pair in the box?
How does it work?
Before I dive into a disgusting list of features and specs, let’s face it, you’ll use this to track fitness and health metrics along with some notifications, as most smartwatch users do. The processor here is a slightly older one from Snapdragon, possibly to save costs and that doesn’t always have to be a bad thing. The watch is responsive and performs most tasks quickly with no delay. The user interface is easy to get used to ONLY IF you’re a Google WearOS user.
As someone who is constantly on their Apple Watch, I had some issues switching to Google WearOS, but given the huge price difference between iOS and WearOS devices, there is nothing to complain about.
What I was surprisingly missing in the age of COVID-19 was the lack of an SPO2 or blood oxygen sensor. At almost 19,000 rupees, Fossil should have added this feature to its offering bag.
Can you track your fitness goals?
Well, if you take extra care to hit that 10,000 step count, daily activity can be easily tracked. But remember, no matter which smartwatch you strap on, you always underestimate the number of steps! You need to sync the watch with the Google Fit app for a curated health analysis with sleep readings, heart rate, cardio health and step count.
Is the watch independent of the smartphone? Yes and no. You can receive calls on the watch, but the sound quality is not great.
Here’s some great news – this watch is splashproof, so feel free to walk in the rain with it.
How long it will take?
Fossil doesn’t say much about the battery life of the watch other than that it comes with smart battery modes to extend the usage of the watch. So, like all smartwatches, it depends on your usage. I wear my smartwatch from waking up to hitting the snooze button. So for me the watch lasted about 10 hours, which is in line with expectations at this price. Of course it could have been better.
Is the Fossil Gen 5E Right For You?
If you’re a Google WearOS user looking for a good looking smartwatch under Rs 20,000, the Fossil Gen 5E has plenty of features without adding any extra strain on your wallet. However, at this price point, the SPO2 sensor is a must and that misses the clock. But if you don’t need that then this watch looks top notch and is a great addition to your wrist.
Fossil Gen 5E specifications
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 3100 processor
- Powered by Google Wearos
- 4 GB memory
- 1 GB RAM
- 300 mAh battery
- Waterproof to 3ATM
