The Fossil Group and its subsidiary brands have launched their next generation of smartwatches at CES 2021. The Fossil and Michael Kors watches run Google's Wear OS, and Skagen's watch is a hybrid with an e-ink display.
The Fossil Gen 5 LTE, as its name suggests, gets LTE connectivity, thanks to an embedded SIM (e-SIM), which now allows the user to make/receive phone calls and texts directly from the smartwatch even in the absence of the paired smartphone. It's powered by a Snapdragon Wear 3100 SoC and comes with 8GB of internal storage.
The watch is built around a 1.3-inch AMOLED panel inside a 45mm case. Moreover, it comes with three battery modes (daily, extended, and time-only) and is water-resistant up to 5ATM. The Fossil Gen 5 LTE will be available in India from 2022 onwards.
The Michael Kors Access Gen 5E is launched in two variants – MKGO and Darci. Both come with a 1.19-inch AMOLED display and are powered by a Wear 3100 chip, however, where the MKGO version comes with an aluminium band and a silicone strap, the Darci version has a stainless steel case and a seven-link bracelet.
Like the Fossil Gen 5 LTE, there's no LTE on the Michael Kors Access Gen 5E watches, however, you can still place/receive phone calls via Wi-Fi, as there are a proprietary speaker and a microphone for the job. The Gen 5E Darci is priced at ₹25,995 and will be available starting March 2021. There's, however, no word, so far, on the pricing and availability details for the MKGO version.
The Skagen Jorn Hybrid HR, on the other hand, is the brand's first smartwatch to feature an e-ink display. It is quite similar to the Fossil Hybrid HR smartwatch, which made its debut last year. It features heart rate and sleep tracking, along with a step and calorie counter.
Thanks to the use of an e-ink display, the smartwatch has a battery life of over two weeks. On top of that, it also gets fast charging support, which, according to Skagen, should allow the watch to reach from 0 to 80% in about 50 minutes. The Skagen Jorn Hybrid HR is priced at ₹14,495 and will be available in India starting April 2021.
