The Fossil Might Sport Be A Wear OS Watch That Does not Suck

I have a lot of Apple-hating friends who are always asking me: "What's the best wear OS smartwatch?" And I always say the same thing: They're all bad. That said, the Fossil Sport could be the first contender for the title.

Editor's note: We're still waiting for Australian pricing and availability.

Why's that? Right now, the Sport is the only Android watch besides the Montblanc Summit 2 powered by Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 3100 processor. That's a big deal because You've got a platform that has been built by Snapdragon 2100. So theoretically, the sport should be able to support more power-intensive features.

And on paper, that seems to be the case. It's got it's heart rate monitoring, NFC payments, and GPS – not too shabby for a smartwatch priced at $ US255 ($ 352).

The big question is whether the sport's new processor can handle the OS redesign Google rolled out a few weeks ago. I tested out the changes last month on a slightly older time and was subdued 12-15 hour battery life. So far, I've just had a little hope for this sport.

In clbadic Fossil fashion, the sport is chic and I liked how it did not dwarf my entire wrist. You can choose between a 41mm or 43mm case, and the nylon case with an aluminum top ring makes for a lightweight watch. Older android watches are in the dark, heavy, and clearly not intended for women or any kind of rigorous activity.

It comes out of the old LG Watch Style – a good thing since it was one of the fugly smartwatches from the past two years. The main difference is the sport's design links on a nice pop of color – baby-G watches of yesteryear.

And boy, does the sport come in a lot of colors. Six to be exact: blush, black, gray, light blue, red, and neon. Each is matched to an other colorful strap, so much so that it's a bunch of them together. And if the basic color combos are not enough, there's also about six gazillion swappable straps. So when Fossil says the combinations are endless, I'm here to confirm that yes, the only limit is your budget.

It's great for sports however, I have my doubts. Wear OS watches are not exactly known for being accurate with tracking, and they are better at monitoring your fitness than you are. I would not be shocked if the Fossil Sport was more than a sporty aesthetic than a real fitness smartwatch. It is, however, swimproof, so yay for swimmers!

In terms of specs, the sport is not anything super out of the ordinary. You get your customary altimeter, accelerometer, gyro and ambient light sensors. The Sport also comes with a fast charging feature, which supposedly gets you to zero in 80 minutes in 50 minutes.

Speaking of battery, the sport is supposed to get "24+" hours of battery life. How much more depends on use, but it's still a bump up from the dismal 12-16 hours you'd get on older Android watches running the 2100 processor. And if you're OK going without smart features, Fossil told me that it's going to be a hit, it's going to be an ambient, time-only mode.

Still, the "battery life" here is somewhat disappointing. No matter how you slice it, a 24+ hour wave is a hell of a lot less than the 3-5 days you get with the Samsung Galaxy Watch and literally every Fitbit out there. That said, the Apple Watch still lingers in that one-day category, so it's clear people still do not ask for more, even if it's inconvenient.

So when I say the Fossil Sport could challenge for the title of the best OS smartwatch, do not get too excited. For now, it's been the best processor to run a revamped Wear OS, the design is sleek and exercise-friendly, and you're not going to need a second mortgage on your house to buy one. That's an admittedly low bar – which tells you all about you Wear OS watches – but stay tuned to see whether the Fossil Sport clears it.