Fossil – Gen 5e Smartwatch 44mm Silicone – Black
Original price was: $249.00.$211.99Current price is: $211.99.
Tech for real life. This 44mm Gen 5E touchscreen smartwatch features a black silicone strap, speaker functionality, 4GB storage capacity and three smart battery modes to extend battery life for multiple days. Smartwatches powered with Wear OS by Google are compatible with iPhone® and Android™ phones. Wear OS by Google and other related marks are trademarks of Google LLC.
Specification: Fossil – Gen 5e Smartwatch 44mm Silicone – Black
|
Photos: Fossil – Gen 5e Smartwatch 44mm Silicone – Black
8 reviews for Fossil – Gen 5e Smartwatch 44mm Silicone – Black
Add a review
Original price was: $249.00.$211.99Current price is: $211.99.
Lala –
My boyfriend LOVES this watch. He’s one that’s not into jewelry, but since he got this watch as a gift he NEVER leaves the house without it! It’s even better that you can answer calls and talk from it and also receive and reply to text messages. (Android user)
kaizen61 –
I want to like this watch; really, I do. I have gone to great lengths to give it a fair trial including working with Fossil support to return the first one (which had defective gyro sensors) and testing the new one with multiple phones (I was overdue for a replacement of my ancient Nexus 6p and Google had a sale on the Moto G Stylus). But there are some important issues that need to be addressed.
The Fossil 5e is a good looking watch. It is reasonably comfortable to wear and has decent battery life combined with a fast and easy to use charger (which helps offset the battery life issues). But I experienced some major issues with fitness metrics. You can walk around the house for hours and never see your step count change. Then you can be sitting still and all of a sudden, your step count increases substantially. With the first watch, I had step counts of 200+ happen while I was sound asleep or sitting at my desk. This is a serious flaw in a watch that is supposed to work with Google Fit and something I have never experienced with any other fitness watch from my original Moto360 from 2014 to my $39 Xiaomi MiBand 4. I’m not the only user experiencing this either as demonstrated by an article in their own support forums (https://services.fossilgroup.com/hc/en-us/articles/115004341346-My-steps-activity-tracking-data-does-not-seem-accurate-in-the-app-why-) Their heart rate sensor seems prone to the same issues, also documented in the link I gave.
I must mention however this problem does not seem to be happening with my SECOND watch, so this could have been related to the defects in the sensors. But the problem exists for some users and it is documented.
There is also a problem with step/heart rate data appearing on the watch in some watch faces and not others (I actually had better luck with 3rd party watch faces than I did with the ones that came with the watch) or counts being different between two different faces. And on my nexus 6p, even though Fossil says they are compatible with Android 6.0+, I was never able to get step data from the replacement watch I received to show up in the Fit app on the phone. Sleep data transferred fine though; confusing since both are coming from the same app on the watch. Even more confusing; this DID work on the first watch, though only intermittently – something that I chalked up to the bad gyros. Happily, this too appears to be working on the new watch and phone. But inconsistencies like this seem to be happening to others with this device. I am not sure if this is a quality control issue or a software problem, but it bears mentioning.
Unfortunately, Fossil was not able to give me any answers when I contacted them about the issues, and they did not seem to be able to figure out what the problem is according to reports from other users. To me, step count and heart rate monitoring are basic features of a smart watch; even the cheapest fitness watches can do this accurately, so it is disturbing that the issue appears for many users.
Like I said, I really want to like this watch and my second watch seems to be working as expected; but even with the second watch it seemed like it took a week or two to start behaving as it should. I think Fossil really needs to look closely at their firmware if they want this watch to be successful in the market. Best Buy has a great selection of smart watches and I would suggest exploring others if you have the same concerns as I did. Maybe I just got a bad device; it certainly happens. But when you are paying a premium price for a brand which has a stellar reputation for analog watches, it is kind of an unexpected disappointment. Fortunately, if you DID experience issues like I did, BB’s great returns policy will enable you to bypass the Fossil support channel and get a quick resolution.
Based on my experiences with the replacement watch, I’m a bit more confident about recommending it, but I would suggest doing your homework and considering other smartwatches as well, since BB has a good selection of watches at similar price points.
Rbeck –
I received this item for a honest review. This is a nice and lite smart watch. It has some features that make it an ok watch but seems to me always a battery problem. It has some different features for battery management. Although it never seemed to last for me a full day. The only 2 modes that had good battery left didn’t leave many features you want in a smart phone available. I like to use mine to track steps, stairs, sleep and this one does using google fit. All that works good but you lose battery time with it. the speaker sounded ok but not sure if I would use it all the time or not.. over all it a good watch just not something I would wear all day.
Patrick –
I’ve had a few days to get used to this Fossil Gen 5e Smartwatch, and in all honesty I have to say I love this watch.
First of all, the watch is a great looking design. I truly appreciate a man’s watch that looks like a man’s watch! It’s bold, stylish, and modern. I have the black 44mm version with the black silicone watch band. I would be just as comfortable wearing this out with friends as I would wearing it to a dinner party.
I truly appreciate the many different watch faces that are available. There are enough to satisfy anyone’s unique taste and preference. I prefer a more simple face that displays the time in an easy to see format, and there were dozens like this to choose from.
The setup of the watch was a bit cumbersome. Fossil utilizes the Wear OS by Google, so there is the tedious process of having to sign in to what seems like a hundred different Google apps to finally get the setup completed. There is no autonomous setup available (as far as I know) so you are forced to sync the watch with your phone. I do understand the whys, but meh….
Using the watch is simple and straightforward, which is a trait I dearly appreciate. With just a few swipes after getting it all set up, you pretty well know how to access all the functions available. As far as apps go, there doesn’t seem to be many outside the realm of music or fitness, but that is pretty common with all smart watches. I was really a bit disappointed that there is no GPS standalone available, but this was due to the streamlining of the price point I would guess. The watch has a built-in speaker, and this is one of the things I love most about the watch. The speaker is crisp, clear, and distortion free. You don’t have to hold the watch up to your face in order to carry on a conversation on the phone. It’s pretty terrific. ALSO!! This watch has a great depth of range from my phone. I can go almost anywhere at work and still have connectivity. The same with being at my house, and outside. I am super impressed!
The watch wears comfortably. I was a bit concerned the watch band would cause sweating, but I haven’t experienced anything unusual. The watch band is adjustable, and you don’t suffer with the hair pulling that so many watch bands put you through.
When it is all said and done, I really like this watch. I’ve had several comments and compliments on it already. It feels good on the wrist, the battery seems to last as long as most of the competitors. The literature says its safe to get wet, but as with all my smart watches, I am not going to test that claim out. When it is all said and done, I would sincerely and highly recommend this watch to anyone who is looking for an excellent all-around stylish smart watch.
The Pros:
Insanely quick charging time! Seriously, almost a full charge from almost zero in LESS than an hour!!!!
Great looking watch
Feels great on the wrist, and the band doesn’t pull and tug at your arm hair.
Extremely customizable
Above average battery life
Awesome speaker
GREAT RANGE FROM SMARTPHONE!
The Cons:
Brightness of the watch face is lacking. Outdoors with full sun it is almost impossible to see the display. I also have an Apple watch and its display is much brighter and easier to see. This was even after I set the brightness of the Fossil to its maximum.
Lack of apps. The vast majority of apps are either fitness-related or music-related. BUT, this is common for ALL smartwatches…after all, who wants to photoshop or write a blog from their smart watch!!
No GPS and no compass
The Michael Kors thing… I got the Fossil watch because it was a Fossil…the MK theme is completely unnecessary and unwanted in my book.
All in all this is a great watch. If not for the dimness of the display, I could have easily given this a 5-star rating. But even with that, I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND this watch to anyone in the market for a great all-around (and very stylish) smart watch that doesn’t cost a fortune!
Todd –
I recieved this item in return of my unbiased review. I’ll start by saying I’m more impressed with this fossil 5e smartwatch then my previous gen 5 garret Fossil watch.
The newer version of Wear OS by Google is much improved with the new addition of sleep tracking finally. This watch is a simple design with only one button on the side a speaker and mic. You have limited face options for the watch display, I highly recommend getting the Facer App for better watch face options, both free and paid.
The battery life is average, lasting a day to two days before needing a recharge. Which thankfully the watch charges very fast using the included charging cable, but you’ll need a usb power adapter. I haven’t searched yet, but I hope Wear OS has the option to extend the length of time the display stays on for. On my gen 5 garret you couldn’t change it without purchasing a separate app to controll it.
I’m using this with my new S20 FE 5G phone. Which paired easily without issue. I like the all black look of the watch. The straps are interchangeable and can be picked up reasonably priced. I highly recommend the Fossil smartwatches for Android users.
1234 –
I like the features on this watch. It meets all of my needs. I don’t however like that there is no a bezel around the screen. Screen protectors do not stay on well. I go through on average 1 every other day before they are peeling so bad they need replaced or they have just peeled off and disappeared. I wish they made a full cover like they do for the standard 5.
Ponskippa –
Let me start my review by saying I’m a guy who typically didn’t wear a watch. After wearing this Fossil Smart watch for the last 5 days or so, I never leave home without it. My first impressions were that it is a beautiful watch and feels like a premium high quality watch. The face is large and beautiful. The included silicon band feels nice and comfortable. It is thick and feels like it will last me a long time. My only complain about the silicon band is that after a few days of use, I’m noticing some white grimy buildup on it, I’m guessing its my sweat? lol. Or maybe soap.. from washing my hands. But , it cleans fairly easily and quickly and since it is silicon, you don’t have to worry about getting it wet. The watch is also water resistant. The watch charges magnetically with any adapter or usb port. I paired the watch with my iPhone 11 Pro Max. You’ll have to download the Android Wear app for it and leave it running in the background. The watch mostly runs smoothly when paired to my iPhone although it seems to drop connection sometimes. I usually restart the watch, or have to go back into the bluetooth settings to reconnect it. I figure it disconnects when I leave my phone behind somewhere and walk away out of range. The watch display is very nice, colors are vibrant and it is just bright enough to be able to see outdoors when out in the sun. I thought it was really cool that you can customize the face with an app and switch them out as you please. There is many faces to choose from in the watch and you can download many others. It has a lot of cool features built in the software.. it will track and monitor your heart rate throughout the day, it pushes just about every notification from my phone. You can email make a phone call with the watch. It has a built in speaker but it isn’t very loud. I don’t plan on using it for phone calls but its a nice feature to have just in case. I haven’t figured out how to push iMessage notifications to the watch, but it could just be a limitation on Apple’s part. I didn’t think I needed a smart watch, but I have to admit that it is nice to be able to take a quick glance at the watch for any notification, time or weather without having to pull my phone out of my pocket. I rely on email notifications to get work done and for important stuff, so its nice to be able to check who emailed me from the watch and choose to respond then or later. Battery life is excellent, I have it set to “daily mode” which i like to call the full on mode. It pushes notifications to you, checks your heart rate throughout the day, always on display etc etc and the battery makes it through the whole day. I’d say my watch is at about 15-20% when the day is over and it’s time for me to start unwinding. It charges fairly quickly, I can usually take it off the charger before I go to bed and leave it off to have it ready for the next day. Would I recommend this watch? Yes! It is a premium watch with excellent software and high quality materials. I think its very cool and has been very helpful to me throughout the day. I have no complaints about using an Android based watch with my iPhone. It works seamlessly and doesn’t drain my phones battery either.
Pros: Helpful notifications / fitness and heart rate tracker
Beautifully designed, premium build quality, easily interchangeable bands.
Android Wear- so it will work with any android phone or iPhone.
Cons: disconnects once in a while, and have to go through a couple steps to reconnect.
Jamie –
Smaller screen than the Gen 4 I had previously, but brighter and faster. I kind of miss the scroll wheel and shortcut buttons my old watch had though. No major issues so far.