Fossil’s fourth generation smartwatches come with heart rate, GPS and NFC
Fossil has announced a couple of new additions to its already rich smartwatch portfolio. Its most high tech devices to date, they come with a slew of improvements offering a more holistic fitness experience.
Essential reading: Top fitness trackers and health gadgets
The Wear OS watches are actually updated versions of the Q Explorist and Q Venture. As before, with a diameter of 45mm the first is designed for men, while at 40mm the other is marketed towards women.
Still sporting the same fashionable design, the timepieces come with what Fossil calls its Generation 4 technology. This includes the addition of a heart rate sensor and GPS inside for use without a smartphone. There’s also an NFC chip that allows users to make payments through Google Pay. Each watch has 512MB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage space.
Of the lot, heart rate was perhaps the most glaring omission from the previous generation. There is also the usual array of sensors, including an altimeter, accelerometer, gyroscope, ambient light and microphone. Combined with Google Fit, the watches now have the tech ability to replace fitness trackers.
Design improvements mean that Q Explorist HR and Q Venture HR are now water-resistant. You can finally hop in the shover or bath without risking your Fossil smartwatch. They’ll record your swim workouts, too.
Each has a touchscreen and stainless steel casing. Plus there are a few different designs to choose from, as well as 36+ different watch faces to customize the look. The straps are interchangeable, too, with the Q Explorist HR supporting 22mm bracelets and the more feminine Q Venture HR a slightly smaller 18mm.
Unfortunately the watches are still running the Qualcomm 2100 processor, the same chipset that powered the previous generation. Qualcomm is yet to launch a replacement wearable chipset.
Battery life is 24 hours which, most would agree, is not that all that impressive. The good news is that less than a one hour top-up on the magnetic charger will refuel the device for another day.
‘’Since our entry to the smartwatch market, it has always been our first priority to be nimble and adapt quickly to innovations-both in technology and design’’ says Steve Evans, EVP of Fossil.
“We know a lot of watch wearers have both a traditional watch and some kind of an activity tracker— by adding significant features in terms of technology, without compromising our design standards, this new generation of smartwatch will provide consumers with one device that fits all of their needs.”
This watches retail for $255-$275 depending on the design. You can check them out on fossil.com.
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