Fossil on Monday announced its latest smartwatch, the Gen5, which offers better iPhone compatibility, in that it now allows iPhone users to make calls from the watch.
The Verge reports the new watch, which is available today and starts at $295, won’t actually get the iPhone-compatible phone call feature until this fall. However, that will make it the first Wear OS device to accomplish the feat. Wear OS watches before have been able to alert iPhone users to inbound calls, but Fossil’s latest watch will actually let you listen to and answer calls through the watch itself.
A Fossil spokesperson told The Verge, “No action is required from your iPhone. The watch becomes another way to take your call via Bluetooth.”
Gen 5 battery life is improved over previous versions, lasting for multiple days on a single charge. This 44mm touchscreen smartwatch features a black stainless steel bracelet, speaker functionality, increased storage capacity and three smart battery modes to extend battery life.
The new wearable is available in six colors, and feature a 1.28-inch AMOLED screen inside of a 44mm case that’s 12mm thick. It boasts 8GB of storage, has 1GB of RAM, NFC, a heart rate sensor, GPS, and a speaker
PRODUCT DETAILS
- Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 3100
- Case Size: 44mm
- Notifications: Text / Email / Social Media / App Alerts / Multiple Time Zones / Alarm Clock / Calendar Alerts
- Functions: Heart Rate Tracking / GPS / Google Pay™ / Swimproof / Notifications / Personalize Your Dial / Control Your Music / Interchangeable Watch Band
- Connectivity: Bluetooth Smart Enabled / 4.2 Low Energy
- Compatibility: Android™ 4.4+ (excluding Go edition), iOS 9.3+
The Apple Watch competitor is now available today, starting at $295.
