FossilGen 5 Carlyle Stainless Steel Touchscreen Smartwatch with Speaker, Heart Rate, GPS, Contactless Payments, and Smartphone Notifications

I didn't really see a reason to own a wearable, but I was intrigued and I figured I'd see what all the fuss was about. I wanted something that would sync up effortlessly with my Pixel 3, be highly readable, offer vibe, and have physical buttons. I also wanted a round face (I find the square/rectangular ones ugly) and a metal band. That narrowed the field down considerably. The Galaxy Watch was a strong contender until I realized that many of the features are only active with Galaxy phones. A buddy at work has a Garmin Fenix for twice the price of the Fossil. I ordered the Fossil.Setup went easy and I had it running/synced in minutes. The smoked stainless looks very classy, much better than the cheap, plasticky look of many of these devices. There was plenty room in the bracelet even with my thick wrist - I ended up pulling two links (doable, but not very easy).I was initially disappointed with the size of the digital display font despite the large face, and none of the options on the WearOS app seemed to be "just right". In addition, the battery life was not great for the first couple of days. It took me some doing, but I found a free face on a third party app that looks and works terrific, plus it seems to have extended the battery life. I can go 18+ hours on a full charge with the ambient display and BT on, however the charger works very quickly - popping on the charger for even a few minutes can add several hours.It's grown on me over the past few weeks and I am finding it very convenient to simply glance at it to see if the email/text is worth immediate attention. Sending quick SMS/email replies is simple, either with the suggestions or (amazingly) the tiny keyboard. Also, I get an SMS for dual layer authentication at work,12+ times a day, so that alone makes it very useful. The speakerphone is OK only if you have HD voice. I've toyed with some of the apps like Fit and Cardiogram. They seem to do what they're supposed to do, but I was really in for the productivity. About the only complaint I have is the size of the crown/main button. It's quite large and easy to press, so it's easy to accidentally depress any time I bend my wrist back, though wearing it a little higher on the wrist has helped.I'll edit if anything notable pops up, but for now I'll say that this was a very good choice at the price point.

Sorry, fans of the watch from that "other" company: REAL watches are ROUND. This watch is round.I have to say, I love the style of this watch--it's genuine Fossil, and looks sharp. I had to go with the leather band (whose dark brown color goes surprisingly well with the black watch), but I am looking at buying the steel watchband for it since I find those more comfortable. I also own an LG G Watch R in rose gold that looks nice, but the hardware is a few years old now and it's not as snappy as it used to be. But, it is still more than capable. The Fossil is a nice change, and the black case is a nice alternative to the LG!What I like? The buttons on the side do something, even the "stem" that can be rotated in one direction for notifications and in the other for settings. And as I said, the style of it is high quality without looking pretentious (and it's not a ridiculous "rounded square"). There are plenty of Fossil-designed watch faces that can be installed and customized. (I like using Facer, but their app has gotten bloated and drags down the OS on any watch I have tried it on.) Apps are snappy. I don't use the voice features, but it's interesting that is now has a tiny speaker.What I don't like? Battery life is not good. Unless I need to use this a lot more to somehow "calibrate" the battery and the OS, I can't see this lasting throughout a day. Although I admit that I was playing with the watch quite a bit right after I got it. Still, after 20-30 minutes, I don't expect battery life to have dipped into the sub-90% range. Also, the charging pad is rather small. The LG has a nice, large magnetic base that it sits within. This is just a small magnetic charging pad that the Fossil perches on top of.It's a keeper, though! I'm glad I purchased this one on sale, and am looking forward to receiving the steel watch band for it.