The Fossil Gen 5 from 2019 was a pretty impressive smartwatch, but as with many Wear OS watches, it had a fairly high price. This is something it seems Fossil is trying to rectify with the launch of the new Gen 5E, an affordable take on the Fossil Gen 5.
The Fossil Gen 5E costs $249 - that converts to roughly £190, AU$350, though the smartwatch hasn't been announced in these regions yet. In comparison, the Gen 5 cost $295 / £279 / AU$499 at launch, though many stores now sell it for less.
At its core the Fossil Gen 5E is basically the same as the Gen 5. It has a few cut features and design changes, but not everybody might mind these alterations.
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Fossil Gen 5E changes
The Fossil Gen 5E doesn't have the three side buttons of the Gen 5 - it only has one, and it's a rotatable one for getting through menus.
The watch also comes in a 42mm version, as well as the 44mm of the Gen 5 - this seems to cost the same as the 44mm model though, so you're getting less for your money.
There's only connected GPS on the Fossil Gen 5E, so it will only record location data for workouts and more if it's tethered to your smartphone. The Gen 5 has built-in GPS, so you wouldn't need your phone for this.
Finally, the Fossil Gen 5E has only 4GB of storage space, which is less than the 8GB of the Gen 5. If you like to download plenty of apps, data and songs this might be a problem, but most people will probably be fine since there isn't that much compelling content to add to a smartwatch.
You can check out the Fossil Gen 5E smartwatch from Fossil's website, and we hope to hear about its international release soon.
