Fossil Gen 5e Smartwatch Black Silicone (FTW4047)

The watch arrived charged and ready to setup.The setup did not go as planned. To start the setup just tap the watch and select your language. You are then told to download Wear OS ( in my case for Android) from Google Play store. That went OK.Pairing however was a challenge. The first time through it failed to connect after the codes were sent and permission granted. I restarted the watch but it failed at same point. Watch says connected but phone still not moving past this setup screen. I turned on location services for this APP in the phone and removed ( forgot ) another connected Bluetooth device that was connected. I did a factory restart on watch and the pairing worked quickly. I also allowed contact sharing. My Google account was then transferred to the ... MoreThe watch arrived charged and ready to setup.The setup did not go as planned. To start the setup just tap the watch and select your language. You are then told to download Wear OS ( in my case for Android) from Google Play store. That went OK.Pairing however was a challenge. The first time through it failed to connect after the codes were sent and permission granted. I restarted the watch but it failed at same point. Watch says connected but phone still not moving past this setup screen. I turned on location services for this APP in the phone and removed ( forgot ) another connected Bluetooth device that was connected. I did a factory restart on watch and the pairing worked quickly. I also allowed contact sharing. My Google account was then transferred to the watch. Once connected it has stayed connected without issue.This is my first smart watch as I own several other watches from beaters to high end and I have to say I am enjoying this watch more than I would have thought. Its not too big, I like that it is a round face and the band is comfortable for all day wear.Battery life on normal setting is lasting 24 hours with 30 percent charge remaining so charging it once a day is working well for me. Amazingly it only takes less than 45 minutes to fully charge. There are other battery modes to extend battery life and even a custom mode where you can really fine tune battery usage based on what features you would like available like system sounds, gestures brightness of screen etc. It is highly configurable.There is a tiny speaker/mic built in for notifications and phone calls. Yes, you can make and receive calls and actually have have a conversation via the watch. Your contacts and recent call history is available on the watch as is any photo associated with your contacts. I will avoid any Dick Tracy references here:)A feature I like is to be able to use Google assistant right from the watch and not having to reach for my phone when I need a quick answer for something. I hit the ICON and just speak my question.The activity tracking on this watch is wonderful. It will keep track of heart-rate,steps,sleep and more as it works with Google Fit. Lots of data available to keep you on track with workouts and goals. There are different workout scenarios with videos on how to do them properly and it keeps track of them all with heartbeat data. This may keep me motivated to do better. It acts as a coach.There is of course the Google Play Store right on the phone and you can download many APPS. There are also many choices for dial faces. The more I use the watch the more features I am finding.There is much to like on this watch and I'm sure you will be happy using it every day.

I personally think Fossil makes the best looking WearOS watches and this watch is no exception to that. I unboxed and charged it up. Using the WearOS app on my android phone I had it setup and connected to my phone in no time. Just follow the onscreen instructions.So what makes this 5e different from the existing Fossil gen5 watches you say? Few things. No built in GPS (uses phone GPS instead), 4gb of internal storage vs 8gb, no light sensor, one none-rotating button instead of three buttons, and a bit smaller display. With that said it also easier on the wallet. I'm a big fan of one button touch screen watches so I appreciate that Fossil gave us a smart watch with one button again.The Fossil 5e is in a metal casing with a OLED display that looks great. The band ... MoreI personally think Fossil makes the best looking WearOS watches and this watch is no exception to that. I unboxed and charged it up. Using the WearOS app on my android phone I had it setup and connected to my phone in no time. Just follow the onscreen instructions.So what makes this 5e different from the existing Fossil gen5 watches you say? Few things. No built in GPS (uses phone GPS instead), 4gb of internal storage vs 8gb, no light sensor, one none-rotating button instead of three buttons, and a bit smaller display. With that said it also easier on the wallet. I'm a big fan of one button touch screen watches so I appreciate that Fossil gave us a smart watch with one button again.The Fossil 5e is in a metal casing with a OLED display that looks great. The band it comes with seems high quality. Its a bit thicker than I thought it would be especially compared to the Fossil sport band. But if you don't like it you can always switch it out with a different one. It has a speaker in it which is a big change for me coming from older smart watches. You can use it to answer and make phone calls. It actually doesn't sound that bad either. Very usable. Comes with the standard white Fossil magnetic charger that they have been using for a few years now so no change there. It doesn't come with a power brick so you will have to plug into a existing one or into something that has USB charging.Battery seems on par with any typical smart watch. I have always on display enabled with tilt to wake turned on. By the end of the day with normal use I'm usually around 50% battery so I throw it on the charger every night. You will have no problem getting through a day with this thing.Fossil provides a bunch of really nice and customizable watch faces. If you don't like any of them you can also go grab one off the google play store or create your own using one of the watch face creator apps, so really your options are unlimited. For me my watch face must provide time, date, weather, and phone notifications so the built in ones work just fine.Unlike other WearOS watches I've owned this one is a lot smoother to use. I didn't notice any real lag. Everything seems to respond quickly so spec-wise the ram and processor in this seem sufficient. This is by far the fastest WearOS smart watch I have ever owned.For me personally the only thing that could make this watch any better would be to make it a bit thinner and have the screen use up more of the bezel. The bezel seems like some wasted space. Overall this is a fantastic watch. I don't see this as a fitness specific watch. There are probably better watches out there for that purpose but this would make a great every day watch. For anyone who wants a great looking premium latest gen smart watch but doesn't need built in GPS and the extra 2 buttons then the 5e is the way to go. If you want those extra options then get the gen 5. Either way get one because they are awesome!

I purchased about a week ago only wear it when I work , so I don't have much input yet . I like how it's synced to my phone so I dont need to keep that on me . My spotify can be played and controlled by this watch. Email and other notices are ready for it and it counts steps and heart rate. I don't wear it to sleep because it doesn't count the rem , light or deep sleep so I change back to my fitbit at night. I did notice the battery drains quickly and the first day it went dead 5 hours after wearing it. That's ok because the actual watch part didn't die but still. I do wish there was a calculator app that has a % button to use but it doesn't . Oh well maybe in a few months or so. All and all its priced considerably lower than a apple and fit bit and the style is ... MoreI purchased about a week ago only wear it when I work , so I don't have much input yet . I like how it's synced to my phone so I dont need to keep that on me . My spotify can be played and controlled by this watch. Email and other notices are ready for it and it counts steps and heart rate. I don't wear it to sleep because it doesn't count the rem , light or deep sleep so I change back to my fitbit at night. I did notice the battery drains quickly and the first day it went dead 5 hours after wearing it. That's ok because the actual watch part didn't die but still. I do wish there was a calculator app that has a % button to use but it doesn't . Oh well maybe in a few months or so. All and all its priced considerably lower than a apple and fit bit and the style is more nicer than that big square look.