Fossil’s new Q Venture and Q Explorist both run on
Android Wear 2.0 software, making these the two latest Fossil-branded
smartwatches from the Fossil Group which come with Google’s wearable OS.
When it comes to the size of the watches, the Q
Venture will come with a 42 mm diameter case that is 11.5 mm thin which is also
Fossil’s thinnest smartwatch so far. As for the Q Explorist, this features a
slightly larger 44 mm case which is 12.6 mm thin. Both watches come with 4GB of
internal storage space and are powered by Qualcomm’s Wear 2100 processor, so
there’s nothing out of the ordinary in those two areas of the hardware when
compared to other smartwatches.
Design-wise Fossil is targeting two different groups of consumers, one for each
watch. The Venture will likely appeal more to women and those who want a
flashier watch, as the Venture comes in Gold and Rose Gold, with the watch face
and strap on the Gold option being covered in gem stones. The Explorist on the
other hand will have a more rugged look as well as two additional crown buttons
that can be programmed by the user for varying functionality.
Both watches come
with an improved (faster) magnetic charger and both support watch straps that
can be swapped out if you want to go for something a little bit different than
what comes with each watch. Fossil says the Q Venture and the Q Explorist will
launch in the Fall of this year at a cost of US$ 255-275, though they don’t
mention specifics here. In addition to these two new devices, Fossil also
announced the Emporio Armani Connected yesterday, which will also run Android
Wear 2.0.
