Fossil is a familiar name in the watch industry, but it has also earned its place in the smartwatch space with the rollout of some interesting wearables. Fossil Sport smartwatch is a noted entry in the wearable space, joining the ranks of other Snapdragon Wear smartwatches.
Fossil Sport carries a price tag of Rs 17,995 and if you're considering buying this smartwatch then you're in the right place. We were sent the review unit of Fossil Sport and after testing it for nearly two weeks, here's what we have on the smartwatch.
But first, here's a look at the key specs of Fossil Sport:
Display: 1.2-inch AMOLED touchscreen display
Battery: 350mAh with magnetic and wireless charging support
Sensors: Heart-rate monitoring, NFC, GPS, Altimeter, Ambient light sensor
OS: Android Wear 3100
The good stuff
Fossil Sport smartwatch brings an interesting set of features to the wrist. The first thing you'll notice is the comfort with which it straps around your wrist. The round dial measuring just 1.2 inches is the ideal size anyone would prefer in a smartwatch. The straps are incredibly comfortable and hold the smartwatch right without causing discomfort even while wearing it for long hours.
Fossil Sport's 5 ATM water resistance makes it ideal for wearing it all the time, even while swimming, in the rain or shower. The touch display is quite responsive, but it gets tricky when there are water droplets on the tiny screen.
The interface of the watch is pretty simple, and one can easily learn the nifty gestures by using it regularly. All the information, including watch faces, health data, date and time - everything centrally located within easy reach.
The smartwatch has three physical buttons - a crown and two programmable buttons - on the right side of the watch. It makes sense for those who wear the watch of their left wrist, not so much for those who wear it on their right. The crown helps easy scrolling through menus, just like most smartwatches.
Fossil Sport, as aptly named, is focused on sports activities. It can track over forty activities, although we couldn't test them all. Tracking activities like walking, running, and heart rate, all with precision to an extent. The Google Assistant integration is a nifty addition, picking up voice commands at times when you do not want to take out your phone.
The simplicity of the Fossil Sport is what is impressive and the comfortable design makes it quite compelling.
The bad stuff
After briefly using the smartwatch, it was clear that Fossil could focus on the battery aspect. Although the power-saving mode is a bit helpful, I wished the battery lasted at least two days. Instead, I was able to get me through a full day and would need a charge at the end of it.
Another area where I thought Fossil could improve its smartwatch is having to manually select workouts before letting the smartwatch start tracking. It is unlike Apple Watch, which does so automatically, reducing human intervention.
Verdict
The pros certainly outweigh the cons of Fossil Sport smartwatch. Users looking for a refreshing take on a smartwatch can opt for Fossil Sport, which has a playful outlook on things rather than the more-formal looking Apple Watch or Samsung Galaxy Watch. Fossil smartwatch does what it is supposed to do, but if only it could last longer before requiring to be plugged in.
Fossil Sport is not a front-runner in the wearable race, but also not irrelevant.
