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. While these are not Fossil’s first smartwatches, they are acting as a couple of firsts for the brand. These will be the first two Fossil smartwatches to actually launch with Android Wear 2.0 out of the box whereas the rest of their lineup is running an older version of the software but will be updated. In addition to the newer software being present from the start, the Q Venture and Q Explorist will both have fully circular displays, another first as the rest of Fossil’s touch screen smartwatches have the “flat tire” at the bottom edge.
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.
Fossil has implemented a Digital Crown on the Q Venture and on the Q Explorist so users can navigate through the menus by twisting the crown instead of having to swipe on the screen. This new way of interaction minimizes the amount of times users will physically have to interact with the display, and it helps keep things a little more smudge-free. 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 $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.
