14 DAY TRIAL // Fossil is very committed to the smartwatch business, and while everybody expected the company to come up with a completely new model, the unveiling that took place today brought us an important upgrade for the existing Gen 5.
Coming in the spring is a pair of new Fossil Gen 5 smartwatches with LTE support, which essentially means the new devices can work even without permanent connectivity to a smartphone.
There are two versions of the LTE model, namely black and rose gold, and they both come with slimmer buttons, though the change isn’t necessarily easily noticeable at a quick glance.
There’s the same 1.28-inch display in a 45mm case, so overall, it’s pretty much the same smartwatch but with LTE power.
Only available on Verizon
The chip that puts everything in motion is the Snapdragon Wear 3100, so Fossil hasn’t decided to go for a massive hardware upgrade, despite the Snapdragon Wear 4100 already out there. This shows the main purpose of the 2021 refresh was to add LTE capabilities.
“Make Or Take Calls - Untethered from your phone with the built-in speaker. Get Notified - Receive or reply to texts with a tap. Control Your Music - Keep your tunes close,” Fossil says in a summary of what the new LTE models can do.
The feature lineup also includes Bluetooth 4.2 LE, GPS, NFC, and Wi-Fi support, just like on the original model.
Fossil Gen 5 LTE smartwatch is available for $349, but it only supports Verizon Wireless, so for the time being, the device can only be used in the United States. Fossil hasn’t said anything about an international launch of the smartwatch, so at this point, you’d better not hold your breath for the device to go live in Europe.