Fossil Gen 5 Carlyle

[anon(10621852)]

Considering purchasing the Fossil Gen 5 .... is Wear OS really bad? Seems to get less-than-stellar reviews. I have a Samsung Galaxy S21.

 

[B. Diddy]

I have a bunch of Wear OS watches, and it's clearly the best of them -- significantly faster and smoother, because of the 1 GB of RAM (earlier watches all had 512 MB). Battery life is good, but not great -- when I'm on call at work, it lasts from about 8 AM to 10 PM with about 20-30% battery left. Fitness features are decent, but the HR monitor can sometimes take a few minutes to read correctly.

I'm a bit of a dinosaur in that I still like my watch to look like a nice watch, and not a fitness device, and the Carlyle excels in that department.

Unfortunately, I can't compare directly with Galaxy watches, so maybe someone else can comment on that.

 

[anon(10621852)]

I have a bunch of Wear OS watches, and it's clearly the best of them -- significantly faster and smoother, because of the 1 GB of RAM (earlier watches all had 512 MB). Battery life is good, but not great -- when I'm on call at work, it lasts from about 8 AM to 10 PM with about 20-30% battery left. Fitness features are decent, but the HR monitor can sometimes take a few minutes to read correctly.

I'm a bit of a dinosaur in that I still like my watch to look like a nice watch, and not a fitness device, and the Carlyle excels in that department.

Unfortunately, I can't compare directly with Galaxy watches, so maybe someone else can comment on that.

Great info, thank you. I'm back and forth between this and the Galaxy Watch 3 ... can't decide. I'm leaning toward the Fossil/Wear OS because it seems like it might be a lot less "bloated" compared to the Galaxy Watch 3 (?). I have a Galaxy S21, and I enjoy the abundance of features on my phone, but I don't think I want quite that level of features in a watch. I don't need my watch to be quite that feature-rich. As a newer Android convert, I'm already somewhat-overwhelmed by the endless features in my phone - I think I'd be even more overwhelmed having that many options/features on my wrist. So I guess I'm trying to say, it seems like the Fossil/Wear OS would strike a nice balance.

 

[B. Diddy]

So what would be important for you in a watch? That might help me figure out if the Carlyle would be a good fit for you or not.

 

[anon(10621852)]

So what would be important for you in a watch? That might help me figure out if the Carlyle would be a good fit for you or not.

Comfort is a big one. Would like to be able to wear a watch all day without it feeling uncomfortable or too heavy. I love a nice, sharp screen (Samsung is probably the slam dunk there, but I've heard Wear OS is no slouch either). I also prefer to be able to put a silicone band on and not be stuck with a leather strap. I like something that's just solid and reliable with minimal glitches and bugs. It sounds like Wear OS has made some noticeable improvements in their OS ... ?

Have also decided that I want my watch to be more of a lifestyle watch than a fitness device. But one that can also be worn comfortably all day.

 

[B. Diddy]

The Carlyle is pretty light -- certainly a lot lighter than my Michael Kors Access Graysons (yeah, I have 2 -- found them on sale at TJ Maxx a while back and couldn't resist). I'm using it with the steel band it came with, but the band is easy to change (with the quick release pins).

Screen is totally fine for me -- I use watchfaces from the WatchMaster app, and they all look nice and crisp. Not sure how it compares with Samsung watches in bright daylight -- the Carlyle's screen can sometimes be a bit hard to see in the bright outdoors.

Wear OS has definitely improved since the earlier days, and it does quite well on this watch. On watches with less RAM, it can still be a bit slow, but not on this one.

 

[anon(10621852)]

The Carlyle is pretty light -- certainly a lot lighter than my Michael Kors Access Graysons (yeah, I have 2 -- found them on sale at TJ Maxx a while back and couldn't resist). I'm using it with the steel band it came with, but the band is easy to change (with the quick release pins).

Screen is totally fine for me -- I use watchfaces from the WatchMaster app, and they all look nice and crisp. Not sure how it compares with Samsung watches in bright daylight -- the Carlyle's screen can sometimes be a bit hard to see in the bright outdoors.

Wear OS has definitely improved since the earlier days, and it does quite well on this watch. On watches with less RAM, it can still be a bit slow, but not on this one.

Great info - thank you!

 

[kramer5150]

WearOS as improved a lot recently. The late October 2020 update really improved battery performance. I have gotten a couple more updates since then and no major problems with either. This is on a 2+ year old fossil gen4 explorist. To be honest I am a minimalist user. I always keep the screen OFF and just use it as a basic bluetooth notifier for voice & txt. I rarely use the watch itself to reply to txt, and only have a ~few watch screen interactions with it throughout the day.

I take the watch off the charger at 8 AM and can make it to about 11:30 PM with ~%50 battery remaining. So its still a nightly charge device IMHO. Prior to that October 20020 update I would barely get 8-9 hours on a charge, with similar minimalistic use.

Just the past week I have noticed WearOS (the phone app, not the watch OS) consuming more idle/standby battery power on my phone. Not sure why, it doesn't seem excessive mind you... but it most definitely is more than it was previously.

 

[Chex313]

Good advice folks.

I have been looking for a golf watch that does everything...Golf GPS, Fitness and notifications and calls. Never really thought I needed a Smartwatch perse. Or a Fitbit and using a Golf app with it.

Had an emergency with my wife this week where her nurses aid did not show. I leave her on her own for 45 minutes a couple mornings a week. I forgot to set an alarm for 8am to check my camera's to make sure the aid showed. Got caught up in the golf. Missed the call from the Company , missed 5 calls from my wife and by some act of google my Pixel 5 answered itself in my pocket and I heard her voice...Jogged off the course and on the way home said..."Yeah that is why I need notifications and calls on my wrist.

It came down to the Galaxy 2 where Qi charging seemed so much better than Fossils 5 charging...and I was stuck with the decision. It would be so much easier to charge the watch thru my Pixel 5 than having to go to one charger for the Fossil...In the end Googles Eco system won out. Gpay, Google fitness , and the Play Store (Promising golf apps)also the battery saver options , when I am home it can just be a watch ...and the fact that this thing was going to be a 2 year device at most . They were both under $200 which was cheaper than the Garmin S40 golf watch I was looking at. (I have a Garmin S10 Gps golf watch I'll use till the fossil proves to have a reliable app)

Ordered the Fossil 5 and it will be here tomorrow, watched at least 10 Youtube reviews and read a whole lot on the web...Forgot to even check here. I think I'll be happy with it. I'll have no problem passing it on to a family member if they come out with a 6. This will be almost like a trial run. If it doesn't make the grade. I'll try the Samsung, most likely the higher end one and add LTE. After I ordered I saw there is a Fossil with LTE...but it only works on Verizon and I am loving my Magenta.

Question ...I'll always be carrying my phone how much battery life will it save using the Pixel's GPS to power the watch rather than the watches GPS (Assuming I'll have that option). I will only need all features on the golf course or when I run out for groceries. When I am home my wife can signal me by turning our outside lights on with Alexa, or make an announcement on Alexa(Echo,DOT) if I am on my treadmill or working in my garage.

 

[B. Diddy]

Question ...I'll always be carrying my phone how much battery life will it save using the Pixel's GPS to power the watch rather than the watches GPS (Assuming I'll have that option)

That's a good question -- I don't see a way to make it so that Location is from the Phone only. On my watch, it just has a toggle for Location, and it always says "From Phone and Watch."

I hope you enjoy the watch!