During the keynote of Fossil on the occasion of the CES 2021 is been announced Fossil Gen 5 LTE , smartwatch from 350 dollars with integrated telephone module. Anticipated by the FCC documentation leaked last December, the new model of the fashion brand brings cellular connectivity to WearOS in combination with the processor Snapdragon Wear 3100 .

This is a platform not of the latest generation which, in combination to the integrated LTE module, could reserve unpleasant surprises in daily use in terms of autonomy. The watch is offered exclusively to US users with Verizon and requires an additional phone plan over the one normally used on the mobile phone. At the time of writing the piece, no mention was made regarding a possible landing of the device outside the USA.

On the technical level we find a memory compartment based on 1GB of RAM and 8GB of onboard storage , just like the standard model of the smartwatch, along with a 1 panel, 28 “, NFC module for payments, continuous heart rate monitoring, integrated GPS, and there is also a speaker, fundamental for the management of local calls. It is proposed by Fossil in two colors, black and rose gold, in a single version with a 45 mm. There are also energy saving modes, which should expand the autonomy.

As stated by the manufacturer Fossil Gen 5 LTE offers an estimated battery life of 24 hours in “typical” use. The watch is sold with a magnetic charger via USB, and allows you to perform any telephone operation without being paired with a telephone, such as phone calls and messages. Even the workouts and all the dedicated features are available in exclusive mode and it is possible to listen to music locally via Bluetooth. The battery is 310 mAh and fast charging is supported (the 80% is reached in 50 minutes).

The company also announced Jorn Hybrid HR with the brand Skagen . It is a product, very similar to the Fossil Hybrid HR, designed for those who require some smartwatch features within a traditional watch. It is sold in five different versions, all for 195 dollars, with cases of 42 or 38 mm. The autonomy is over two weeks in typical use, and there are, among the smart functions, heart rate monitor, pedometer, sleep monitoring and training detection with personalized goals. The battery can be charged in less than an hour and there is the possibility to control the music playing on the paired smartphone and receive notifications.

Among the announcements we also mention the Michael Kors Access Gen 5E Darci , with elegant and showy case and straps designed mainly for a female audience. Thanks to the implementation of WearOS it allows you to manage calls via Bluetooth from the connected smartphone, and supports contactless payments. Michael Kors Access Gen 5E MKGO has the same features but boasts a sportier look with silicone strap. Both products can track sleep, count steps or estimate heart rate. Prices are 350 dollars for the Darci, 250 dollars for MKGO.