Fossil Gen 5 Carlyle Bluetooth Sport Watch

Last updated: October 26, 2022

Fossil Gen 5 Carlyle Bluetooth Sport Watch

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We looked at the top Sport Watches and dug through the reviews from some of the most popular review sites. Through this analysis, we've determined the best Sport Watch you should buy.

Overall Take

In our analysis of 31 expert reviews, the Fossil Gen 5 Carlyle Bluetooth Sport Watch placed 9th when we looked at the top 11 products in the category. For the full ranking, see below.

From The Manufacturer

Smart watches powered with Wear OS by Google work with iPhone and Android Phones. Case size: 44 millimeter; Band size: 22 millimeter; interchangeable with all Fossil 22 millimeter bands. Battery: 24 Hr+ multi day extended mode. Varies based on usage and after updates install. USB cable with magnetic charger snaps to rings on watch case back and spins 360 degrees for ease of use. Charge up to 80% in under an hour. Health and fitness: Heart Rate & Activity Tracking using Google Fit; Built-in GPS for distance tracking; Swimproof design 3ATM; New wellness enhancements allow you to track sleep history, monitor your restfulness and set sleep goals. Lifestyle: This smart watch has always on display with thousands of watch faces to personalize your look and always see the time. Hundreds of apps from assistant to fitness, payments, music, social, news, games, stop watches, and more. With a swimproof design and charging in less than an hour, it’s perfect for all your activities. Smart watch functions: Stay connected with notifications for calls, texts, apps and automatic time, time zone and calendar syncing. Never miss a call – answer and make calls directly on your watch when your phone is out of reach. Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 3100 platform helps deliver high performance, superior connectivity, smart sensing, and compelling features for smartwatches running Wear OS by Google.

Expert Reviews

Expert Summarized Score

6.8
6 expert reviews

User Summarized Score

8.8
8,819 user reviews

What experts liked

Other Products We Considered.
- BestReviews
That buttery smoothness is helped along by 1GB of RAM, nearly double what other Wear OS watches offer. Fossil also included a full 8GB of onboard storage — plenty to store apps and music. That amount of ROM is good news for people who like to work out while leaving their phone at home.
- Audio Authority
The Gen 5 is a good-looking watch in its own right, with various different colours, finishes and straps available. It doesn’t immediately scream that it’s a piece of technology, which is a good thing. The 1.28in AMOLED screen is crisp, clear and bright enough to see in direct sunlight with automatic adjustment.
- The Guardian
One of the best Wear OS smartwatches out there at the moment. The Fossil Gen 5's display is the most eye-catching thing about it. It's bigger than most at 1.28 inches with a resolution of 416 x 416 and a pixel density of 328ppi. It's consistently sharp to look at.
- Tech Radar
For its Gen 5 series, Fossil packed in the much-needed Snapdragon 3100, a heart-rate sensor and GPS location tracking as well as replacing the sluggish and weak wireless charging disk for a much more reliable and speedy contact charging system. If there's one thing Fossil knows how to do well, it's fashionable watches. So when it creates smartwatches, it builds them in different styles, colours, finishes and with different straps and bands available.
- Pocket-lint
I especially like that the contacts for charging the watch are two complete rings — so you don’t have to line up the charger. Can last through a day, look good, and run much better than previous generations. I would have no major qualms about making the Fossil Carlyle my daily watch.
- The Verge

What experts didn't like

So-so battery. I normally don’t have enough juice in the tank to wear it overnight for sleep tracking. I had the always-on display turned off, so expect even worse longevity if you keep it turned on.
- Audio Authority
Fossil said the battery cannot be replaced, meaning the watch is ultimately disposable.
- The Guardian
It's also quite thick at 12mm. On a small wrist, that makes a noticeable difference and means the Fossil Gen 5 doesn't lend itself to more delicate fashion requirements. It feels quite heavy too, weighing just under 100g, presumably because of its chunkiness.
- Tech Radar
There is a slight issue with the Julianna though: size. Originally pitched to us as a watch for narrower (supposedly female) wrists, the Julianna is 44mm. That's a big watch size, and both the women who tried it on for testing purposes found it far too large to be comfortably worn throughout the day. So in the end, it found its way onto this male reviewer's arm instead.
- Pocket-lint
Outdoors, however, it can be difficult to see — especially in direct sunlight. Fossil added a “Sunlight boost” option, but I think it takes a second to realize it’s necessary. I spent that second staring at a nearly black screen, wondering if something was busted.
- The Verge

Overview

If you want to improve your fitness and optimize your performance, a sport watch is a useful gadget to have. The watch can help you measure important metrics and track your improvement over time, ensuring you achieve your goals and overcome physical challenges. With a sport watch, you can track how well you’re doing, where are you are in meeting your goals and what else you have to work on to get there.

There are many different sport watches available, and the type you need will depend on your physical fitness goals. Some sport watches act as a fitness tracker. These watches capture basic data you need to know about your fitness performance, such as steps taken, calories burned and distance walked. Some fitness tracker sport watches also monitor things like how much sleep you had or what your heart rate is. They are ideal for beginners who are just starting out using sport watches to monitor their performance.

GPS sport watches are another choice for those who want to record their routes and analyze them to optimize training. For example, they can help you see things like pace, elevation or cadence. GPS-equipped watches are perfect for long-distance runners or cyclists.

A next level of sport watch offers advanced heart-rate monitors through an external wrist monitor or chest strap. They can help you analyze your pulse during a workout to boost your fat burn, endurance, strength and speed. Many of these kinds of sport watches also enable you to see your maximum oxygen consumption and your recovery rate.

If you participate in different types of fitness activities, go with a multi-sport watch. It has many of the features of the other watches, but can actually be programmed for specific activities. For example, you can set it for running, cycling, hiking, skiing or snowboarding. If you have a waterproof watch, you can also wear it while swimming and paddleboarding.

Buying Advice

  • The features you need on a sport watch depend on your fitness goals. For example, do you want to see how many calories you burn with each workout or do you want to know the optimal pace you should run to burn the most fat? Do you want to set routes for the best workout or do you just want to see how many steps you took in a day? Outlining your fitness goals will help you figure out the best kind of sport watch for you.
  • While you’re busy working out, you may not want to be constantly checking your sport watch. Opt for one that has audio or vibration prompts so you can set it to alert you at specific times or when you’re in a certain heart-rate zone.
  • Many sport watches are connected to apps or websites, where you can upload your personal data and analyze it. This is a great feature to have if you want more insight on your fitness performance.
  • If you train alone but like being competitive with others, check to see whether your sport watch’s manufacturer has built an online community. You may be able to compare your data with virtual fitness partners, join group challenges and get insight on your performance. Being competitive can motivate you to exceed your goals.
  • Some sport watches can help you create customized workouts or training circuits, which is a great way to optimize your fitness and improve your performance. It’s like having a little personal trainer right on your wrist.