By Md Waquar Haider
New Delhi, Mar 15 (IANS): As the premium smartwatch segment witnesses a significant rise in India, luxury watchmaker Fossil has launched an updated Gen 5E to woo the fitness-conscious community in the country.
The wearable is a toned-down version of Fossil Gen 5 that was launched in India in November 2019.
When you think of Google's Wear OS, not many names strike you immediately. However, Fossil is one of them which aims to offer the best smartwatch with the Wear OS.
The Fossil smartwatch, in 44mm and 42mm size options, is available in several strap options of black silicone, smoke stainless steel, brown leather, and black stainless steel for Rs 18,490.
We used the stainless steel version (44mm) for around a week and here is what we think about the product.
The Gen 5E features a 1.19-inch AMOLED display that has a 390x390 pixels resolution and a pixel density of 328ppi.
The display is beautiful and sharp to look at. It is almost perfect in different light conditions and we did not face any issue.
The smartwatch is powered by the Snapdragon Wear 3100 SoC, 1GB of RAM, and 4GB of internal storage.
With water resistance of up to 3ATM, Fossil Gen 5E also has a PPG heart rate sensor that can measure your real time heart rate, distance, step count, calorie count and more.
Sensors on the Fossil Gen 5E include accelerometer, gyroscope, off-body IR, and PPG heart rate sensor.
The smartwatch offers a host of features wherein, the users can notifications, control music and smart home devices and make contactless payments.
By connecting the watch with your Android smartphone via Bluetooth, you can easily read incoming alerts and messages directly on the screen.
The WearOS-powered Gen 5E supports contactless payments with Google Pay and lets users answer calls right from the watch with a built-in speaker and microphone.
One can also use Google Assistant to control Google Nest devices, lights, music and more – right from the wrist.
In terms of fitness tracking, the Fossil Gen 5E comes with Google Fit and can track activity goals, steps, sleep, heart rate, cardio levels, and more.
While doing basic tasks like traveling, attending the gym sessions, the smartwatch didn't disappoint at all. It worked smoothly.
According to the company, the battery life of the Gen 5E lasts more than 24 hours and supports quick charging that is claimed to charge it by 80 per cent within 15 minutes. It achieved nearly the same during the review.
Conclusion: Priced under Rs 20,000, Gen 5E is a different kind of experience in the world of smartwatches from the likes of Apple and Samsung.
If you are among those who still like the feel of stainless steel on your wrist, this smartwatch will do the justice.