Fossil is quitting smartwatches – but will keep supporting existing models for now
The end of the smartwatch road
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Once upon a time, Fossil seemed more committed toWear OS smartwatchesthan eitherGoogleorSamsung– but the company has now confirmed that it’s getting out of the smartwatch game, and won’t be making any more models.
The move was a “strategic decision” made in response to how the “smartwatch landscape has evolved significantly” Fossil spokesperson Amanda Castelli toldThe Verge. The relevant resources will now be redirected to “core segments” of the Fossil business.
This isn’t a huge surprise, as the last Fossil smartwatch – theFossil Gen 6– was launched in September 2021, and since then there haven’t really been any hints that a Gen 6 series of devices might be somewhere in the pipeline.
The Fossil spokesperson said that existing Fossil smartwatches will still be supported “for the next few years”, so if you already have one of these wearables on your wrist, you’re still going to be eligible for updates for the foreseeable future.
Your other options
While this isn’t an entirely unexpected development, it’s still something of a shame: Fossil was committed to keeping Android users supplied with smartwatch options long before the firstGoogle Pixel Watchcame along.
Fossil watches are typically very well built and stylishly designed, and its Wear OS options were no different. We wereregularly impressedby the products, and Fossil also put out some interesting hybrid tech in the form of watches that were only half smart.
Now there won’t be any more Fossil smartwatches arriving – so if you’re in the market for a new Wear OS timepiece, you might want to check out ourGoogle Pixel 2 review, ourSamsung Galaxy Watch 6 review, or ourSamsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic review.
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If you own an iPhone then you’ll probably gravitate towards theApple Watch 9or theApple Watch Ultra 2, though for pairing with both iPhones and Android devices thebest Garmin smartwatchesare also well worth a look too.
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Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you’ll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.
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