When Fossil announced it was leaving the Android smartwatch space, I wasn’t surprised. The signs had been there for some time. I didn’t expect how much it made me sad. Fossil smartwatches have never been the best. Their battery life was miserable, health tracking could be iffy, and before Wear OS 3, the company was often let down by Google’s negligence. But now that Fossil has dropped out, there’s a huge vacuum left in the Wear OS ecosystem. Who, if anyone, can fill this void? Is there ever a point where Google and Samsung will dominate this space?
It’s been a few months and I’m still not sure if there is a real answer.
Throughout the dark days of Wear OS – even when it was Android Wear – Fossil never gave up. It continued to produce platform-agnostic flagship smartwatches with an emphasis on style. This was increasingly becoming a rarity. Before 2021, it was not unusual for smartwatches other than the Apple Watch to run on both Android and iOS. Wear OS 2 watches, many of which were made by Fossil, only required downloading the Wear OS app for iOS or Android.
But in 2021, Google and Samsung teamed up to create Wear OS 3. Samsung has since given up on luring iPhone users. The Google Pixel Watch was also available only with Android. This made Fossil the main Wear OS watch that worked on both devices, but the Wear OS app became obsolete, which meant Fossil had to develop its own companion app. (There was also a Montblanc 3 Summit, but at $1,290 I wouldn’t call it affordable.)
It didn’t help that Google and Samsung favored their own products. Google Assistant will be available on Google and Samsung watches, but will be missing on many third-party Wear OS 3 devices. Fossil eventually put it in its watches, but it took so long that it turned to a partnership with Amazon Alexa to fill the gap in the meantime. Delays were normal, so it’s no surprise that Fossil decided the juice wasn’t worth the squeeze.
The OnePlus Watch 2 is the closest thing to a true Google or Samsung alternative I’ve ever seen. Photo Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
I thought about Fossil a lot while reviewing the OnePlus Watch 2 – mainly because for the first time in four months I thought, “Could OnePlus be the new Fossil?” On the surface, it seems like this might be the case. It’s a nice looking watch, especially if you’re a fan of more classic watches. Battery life is excellent, much better than Samsung’s Galaxy Watch series and Pixel Watch line. There’s also decent fitness tracking and dual-frequency GPS – things that neither Samsung nor Google have implemented on their watches. The $300 price point is also competitive. Like Fossil, it lacks LTE connectivity, ECG, and safety features, but I’ve heard from plenty of people who aren’t interested in anything beyond the basics.
It meets most of Fossil’s requirements except two main ones: style diversity and platform interoperability. I understand it’s the latter. Wearables are increasingly a tool that companies are using to keep people safe in the ecosystem. For Android watchmakers, there’s no point in going after iPhone users unless, like Montblanc, that’s what most of their current customers use. OnePlus, like Samsung, produces Android phones.
Meanwhile, Fossil had a veritable horde of smartwatches from various designer brands under its umbrella. Before me were Diesel, Armani, Michael Kors, Kate Spade and Skagen. There were women’s watches with so much pavé that my eyes were blinded by the bling. Skagen had that Scandinavian minimalist elegance. He experimented with E Ink hybrid watches.
OnePlus has exactly one watch style in one size. (There are two colors though.)
Mobvoi experienced many of the same misfortunes as Fossil. Photo Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
The only serious competitor to Wear OS is Mobvoi – and that’s another disturbing story. Mobvoi has had a loyal following for its TicWatch smartwatches for a long time, but much of that goodwill has eroded over the past two years. In July 2021, Snapdragon Wear 4100 watches were announced to support Wear OS 3, but they didn’t get the actual update until December 2023. Making the change meant losing Google Assistant. Meanwhile, its first Wear OS 3 watch, the TicWatch Pro 5, suffered long delays and went on sale two weeks after Wear OS 4 was announced. That watch also didn’t have Google Assistant (and still doesn’t). About a year later, Mobvoi finally announced that the Wear OS 4 beta program was ready for applications.
This all sounds awfully familiar compared to what Fossil was going through. And like OnePlus, Mobvoi also doesn’t offer the same range of styles and platform interoperability as Fossil.
Fossil also experimented with E Ink hybrids. Who else will take up this mantle now? Photo: Victoria Song / The Verge
I have to ask whether it is worth trying to be an alternative to the technology giants. Fossil certainly didn’t think so. Mobvoi didn’t give up and OnePlus entered the ring – but I don’t think it’s a coincidence that both have similar limitations and restrictions. It’s even less surprising, then, that truly platform-agnostic fitness trackers are now multi-sport watches like Garmins, or much more fuel-efficient devices like Withings’ hybrid analogues – and that smart rings are starting to look like an attractive alternative to smart watches, while budget trackers are starting to fade into the background.
I hope OnePlus and Mobvoi can handle it. It would be good for Wear OS if they did this. But looking ahead, I don’t think we’ll see a wearables company like Fossil any time soon. Operating in someone else’s sandbox requires a lot of patience – and that’s a real pity.
Credit : www.theverge.com
