Many people have probably owned a Fossil watch at one point in their lives. The company has a reputation for making beautiful and durable watches. Fossil has since evolved and has introduced a line of smartwatches and hybrid smartwatches into the market.
One of these is the Fossil Q Wander Gen 2 smartwatch. How does it fare in the growing and increasingly competitive world of smartwatches?
Display and design
The Fossil Q Wander Gen 2 has several case colors for you to choose from, including rose gold, black, burgundy, and silver. You can also choose between leather or metal straps, and it also works with standard 22-mm straps. This means that the Fossil Q Wander offers you a wide array of looks and you can just pick one that fits your personal taste.
Fossil does not readily share the details and specifications of the Fossil Q Wander. What we do know is that the case itself has a diameter of 45 millimeters. It has a 36.mm screen with a resolution of 360 x 326 pixels resolution.
The Fossil Q Wander Gen 2 is available for $153 for the watches with a leather band, and $165 for those with a metal strap.
Features
The Fossil Q Wander Gen 2 has the Android Wear 2.0 operating system. This means that the smartwatch has the features of other Android Wear 2.0 watches, such as their ability to use voice commands to interact with both your smartwatch and smartphone.
A number of these smart features are heavily dependent on your smartphone. This is why wireless synchronization is something that you would appreciate. You no longer have to use a cable to connect your smartwatch to your phone, and when they come within range with each other, data from your phone would automatically be synchronized without you having to do anything!
The Fossil Q Wander Gen 2 also has some activity tracking features using the accelerometer and gyroscope on board. These allow you to easily keep track of your steps, distance taken, and the calories you burned. The Fossil Q Wander also acts as an all-around tool, giving you several features that you would not expect from a smartwatch.
For instance, you can use it as an LED flashlight to light up a small area. Or you can use it as an alarm clock. You can set silent alarms with it as well. You can also control the music played on your smartphone using the Q Wander.
And if you are a frequent traveler, the Fossil Q Wander Gen 2 will make it easier for you to check the time. When you travel to another time zone, the Q Wander will automatically update to use the local date and time. Moreover, you can use the Q Wander as a timer.
The Q Wander 2 uses Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100, which provides enough computing resources for a smooth operation of the smartwatch. The processor also keeps battery usage very low. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity are both available, as well.
Battery. The company does not reveal what type of battery runs the Fossil Q Wander Gen 2. It does give you enough battery juice to keep the smartwatch running for a full day. The good thing is that you can wirelessly charge the smartwatch just by putting it on the inductive charger. No need to plug cables in!
Features at a glance
| Price range | $153 to $165 |
| Case size | 45mm |
| Casing shape | Round |
| Casing thickness | 13.5mm |
| Display size | 36 mm |
| Display resolution | 360 x 326 pixel |
| Storage | 4 gigabytes |
| Memory | 512 MB RAM |
| Operating system | Android Wear |
| Accelerometer | Yes |
| Gyroscope | Yes |
| Compatible with iOS | iPhone 5/iOS 9+ |
| Compatible with Android | Android OS 4.3+ |
| Bluetooth connectivity | Bluetooth Smart Enabled / 4.1 Low Energy, |
| Wi-Fi connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n |
| Battery | 360mAh |
| Battery running time | Up to 24 hours |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 |
| Outside temperature | Yes |
| Heart rate | No |
| Activity tracker | Yes |
| Touch screen | Yes |
| Timer | Yes |
| Text and Voice | Yes |
| Collection | Q Wander |
| Warranty | 2 Year Limited |
| Water resistant | IP 67 |
| Interchangeable strap | 22mm |
What you would like about the Fossil Q Wander Gen 2
The Fossil Q Wander Gen 2 allows you to do so many things with it. It is not just a timepiece, but also a fully functional personal assistant that tells you if you have a phone call, an e-mail, or an upcoming meeting.
It will also tell you what your friends have posted on Facebook, Twitter and other social media accounts. And if you have mobile apps that you like to keep tabs on, the Fossil Q Wander 2 can also tell you if you have notifications from these apps.
When you receive an e-mail or text message, you will be able to read the full message by tapping on the notification, and use your smartwatch to reply to them. You have the option to dictate your reply or send a pre-composed message.
What could be better
The Fossil Q Wander 2 uses a display that helps lower the device’s battery consumption. However, the colors of the smartwatch do suffer and the viewing angle is rather limited. While in use, however, the display does prove to be bright and easy to see.
The bigger minus point for the display would be the flat tire look, where a portion of the bottom of the screen is cut off. This makes the screen smaller and, quite honestly, it does not look good to have that abrupt cut of the screen. What’s more, users of the Fossil Q Wander Gen 2 can make use of watch faces designed for other Android Wear devices.
The Fossil Q Wander 2 works with both iPhone and Android devices. However, if you use it with an iPhone, you will have fewer functions. With an iPhone or iOS device connected to your Q Wander, you can:
- Get notifications, such as texts, incoming phone calls, e-mails, calendar events, and app notifications.
- Get information at a glance, allowing you to check your calendar, track expected packages, check traffic information, see your hotel and flight reservations, and see the weather forecast.
- Ask questions and do your tasks such as check stock prices, translate phrases or words, and do simple computations and convert from one metric unit to another. You can also use your smartwatch to find an address.
- Track your fitness when doing activities or when exercising, such as when you bike, run and hike. You can also see how many steps you took, as well as check your goals for the number of steps you want to take.
When you pair your Fossil Q Wander 2 with an Android device, you will be able to do all of these plus get:
- Turn-by-turn navigation details.
- Find information about a particular business.
- Control music on your smartphone.
- Stream music or podcasts to your watch, even when you do not have your phone with you.
Also, this smartwatch is rated to be water-resistant with an IP67 rating. However, if you look at the design of the watch, you would see holes for the speaker and the microphone, which could make it prone to damage when wet. Additionally, if you have a leather strap, you certainly cannot safely get the leather wet without damaging it. In sum, even if it is water-resistant, you will still need to mind it and avoid getting the Fossil Q Wander 2 wet.
Lastly, the Fossil Q Wander 2 is able to keep track of only a few fitness data, so if you are looking for a smartwatch that allows you to get a full view of your fitness, look for something else. Furthermore, you cannot send your fitness data to other third-party apps other than Google Fit. You can only view your activity information.
Should you buy the Fossil Q Wander Gen 2?
Fossil’s entry into the smartwatch space is a welcome move. Fossil has been one of the top watchmakers and has a reputation for finely crafted, well-designed watches. However, judging by the Fossil Q Wander Gen 2, they might need to take a step back and rethink their strategy when it comes to smartwatches.
When you look at the Fossil Q Wander 2, you will appreciate its premium classic look. However, its features and functions seem half-baked and not well-executed. The Fossil Q Wander Gen 2 is not the best smartwatch available. It is not an ideal fitness tracker. It is not even the cheapest smartwatch available in the market.
With Fossil Q Wander 2, its only selling point is the way it looks. You can certainly recommend it to people who are looking for a nice-looking watch that has a premium feel to it.
That is it. People looking for a capable fitness tracker could easily add $50 and get the Fitbit Blaze, which sells for $200 and has a lot more fitness tracking features as well as roughly the same connected features. Or they could go all out and splurge on a Fitbit Ionic.
When it comes to smart features, Fossil relied heavily on Android Wear 2. There are several smartwatches with the same operating system but have more features and functionalities, as well as a friendlier price tag. Just check out Asus Zenwatch 2, which is also a second-generation smartwatch within the same price range, but has a better display, more connected features, and longer running times than the Q Wander 2.
- Best Smartwatch Deals and Activity Tracker Deals for Black Friday and Cyber Monday – October 7, 2020
- Best Prime Day Fitness Tracker Deals – Fitbit Deals, Garmin Deals, Moov Deals, and More! – October 6, 2020
- The Full Bellabeat Leaf Review – December 30, 2019