Fossil launches the next generation of smartwatches

Fossil has just unveiled its latest competitor to the Apple Watch Series 4 and Samsung Galaxy Watch Active2, complete with the latest generation Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 3100 chip, an updated design, new speaker functionality, smart battery modes, and double the storage.

It's called the Gen 5 Fossil Touchscreen Smartwatch, and could be the most advanced Wear OS smartwatch yet.

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First, let's look at the design. The new smartwatch is available in six colourways (which can be seen in the gallery below). There's a mix of masculine and more feminine designs.

The case measures 44mm (which is rather large) and can accommodate a wide range of aftermarket strap, allowing you to completely personalise your watch.

The theme of personalisation is carried on even more with customisable pushers, watch faces and notifications.

Fossil has developed a new 'Extended Battery Mode' which offers four battery life pre-sets, putting you in control and allowing for extended battery life. 

This new mode offers an ‘Extended Battery Mode’ where users can extend to multiple days on a single charge while still enjoying essential features like notifications and heart rate. 

There's also a new swimproof speaker, which, combined with the existing microphone, allows you to enjoy audible functionality, and hear responses from the Google Assistant.

The new speaker also means you can take calls on your smartwatch. In the past, this is a capability that only Android phone users have enjoyed, but Fossil has developed a proprietary app allowing iPhone users to answer tethered calls. This is a first for a Wear OS device.

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Also new is the ability to use 'Tiles' on Wear OS by Google, which provide a quick way to view information at a glance and perform actions. 

All you have to do is swipe left to get easy access to quick actions and information that previously were hidden in the app menu. For example, you can check your progress towards your fitness goals, check you calendar or the weather, check your heart rate, or quickly set a timer.

There's also a new Cardiogram app, which visualises heart rate data into interactive charts. These charts than be tagged with activities from your day, helping you identify what could contribute to spikes and dips in your heart rate. 

Users can also track how health metrics compared to millions of other Cardiogram users for signs of undiagnosed diabetes, sleep apnea, hypertension, and atrial fibrillation.

On the hardware side, Fossil has doubled the amount of storage to 8GB, so there's more space for apps and music, and they've doubled the RAM to 1GB, so you should also see a performance boost. 

The integrated sensors have also been given an upgrade to help improve fidelity and optimise power consumption. 

Features familiar from previous generations include heart rate tracking, untethered GPS, NFC for Google Pay, and Rapid Charging. 

This 5th Generation Fossil Smartwatch will retail for £279 and is available for purchase on Fossil's website and in select Fossil retail stores globally.

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