Fossil Sport Smartwatch hands-on: Snapdragon Wear 3100 on a budget

Being one of the first to commercially launch using the new Snapdragon Wear 3100 chipset, the Fossil Sport Smartwatch is more intriguing due to its $255 cost, which for a brand-spanking new Wear OS running smartwatch is attractive. The first thing that strikes us is its charming design, one that’s a mixture of sporty and conventional. Constructed from a combination of nylon and aluminum, we like that it’s pretty lightweight, but it doesn’t particularly exude a premium construction. And to an extent, it can look more toyish than a high-tech gadget.

Still, we do like how there’s a wide array of brightly colored bands that are available to the Fossil Sport Smartwatch to better match your particular style. To its right side, there are three buttons with the middle one being a crown that can act as an alternative method to scrolling. With the two buttons flanking the crown, they can be programmed to launch different apps. It’s a nice option to have because it can be a little bit of a chore launching apps, especially when you have to navigate through the interface relying on its tiny 1.2-inch AMOLED display.

Yes, it’s on the smaller side, but it’s still more than usable in terms of reading stuff on screen. Add to that, it bears all the typical qualities of AMOLED technology – so you can expect that deep black color, rich colors, and wide viewing angles! Both the 41mm and 43mm versions of the Fossil Sport Smartwatch have the same 1.2-inch AMOLED screens, however, we prefer the 41mm version because of the skinnier bezel around the display.

What’s really amazing here is that we have a features rich Wear OS smartwatch that’s powered by Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon Wear 3100 chipset. From our quick look, there’s a fair amount of responsiveness with its performance, but the truth worth out of this chipset is the enhanced battery life it’s rated to offer. The ultra-low power co-processor should allow this smartwatch to operate more efficiently, so it’ll be interesting to see if it can really live up to the 2-days with its automatic low-power mode.

Beyond that, there’s an emphasis with work out and staying fit, as it should because of the obvious “Sport” moniker. And you know what? It’s accompanied with all of the hardware to do that job, seeing that it features an accelerometer, gyroscope, heart rate sensor, altimeter, and GPS! When you look at the entire package combined with its $255 cost, there’s no arguing that the Fossil Sport Smartwatch is an attractive offering!