Fossil Gen 5E smartwatches: Cheaper and more sizes
- The new Fossil Gen 5E smartwatches offer most of the features of the Gen 5 in one cheaper package.
- In contrast to the original Gen 5, the Gen 5E is available in two sizes: 44 mm and 42 mm.
- The Gen 5E doesn’t have a standalone GPS, an altimeter, and more.
Fossil makes some of our favorite watches for Wear OS, but there’s just one problem: they’re usually only available in one size. This isn’t helpful for those who have larger than average wrists. Today the company is releasing the Fossil Gen 5E smartwatch (the ‘E’ stands for ‘Essential’), a cheaper version of the original that comes in multiple sizes.
You can buy the Fossil Gen 5E smartwatch in the traditional 44mm size or opt for the smaller 42mm variant. Regardless of the size you choose, you’ll still have the same 1.19-inch 328 ppi AMOLED display. The only other difference between the two models is the strap size. The 44mm model has 22mm straps while the 42mm model has 18mm straps. The thickness is the same for both at 12 mm.
All Gen 5E models also have a physical pusher on the right side of the case, but it is not rotatable like other Wear OS watches.
The Gen 5E is largely the same smartwatch as the Gen 5. It has a built-in speaker for receiving calls on the wrist, custom battery modes to extend the life of the Wear OS, NFC for Google Pay, the same Snapdragon 3100 chipset, 4GB of storage ( compared to 8 GB in Gen 5) and 1 GB RAM. I wouldn’t worry about the lack of a Snapdragon 4100 processor here. My Gen 5 smartwatch is still running smoothly on the older chip.
The fitness functions are for the most part the same as the Gen 5, with a few restrictions. The Fossil Gen 5E smartwatches have GPS attached, not a stand-alone GPS. That means you have to take your phone with you to get accurate distance information. It also doesn’t come with an altimeter, compass, or ambient light sensor.
If you like all of this, the Fossil Gen 5E is available now for $ 249. That’s a $ 46 saving compared to the current price of $ 295 for Gen 5.
Fossil Gen 5E Smartwatch A reduced Gen 5 at a cheaper price
The Fossil Gen 5E smartwatch is just like the Gen 5 except that it comes in more sizes and costs about $ 45 less. However, with this reduced price, some features fall.
I will find that the Fossil Gen 5 goes up for sale quite a lot on Amazon and even Fossil.com. We saw it drop all the way down to $ 199 in the past. Of course, this reduced price doesn’t make up for the fact that it’s only available in one size.
There’s a lot of competition in Wear OS right now, even if we haven’t seen a lot of new releases lately. The Skagen Falster 3 comes to mind because it is also available under the Fossil Group brand and is available in size 42 mm. The Gen 5E may be best for those who really like the look of the standard Gen 5 but just want something smaller.
Next: The Best Fossil Smartwatches You Can Buy
