Fossil’s new Diesel-branded Fadelite smartwatch packs a unique design

Fossil has unveiled a new smartwatch that takes an interesting new tack when it comes to design.

Fossil has announced a new wearable, the Diesel On Fadelite. It’s evident that this is not meant just as a timepiece, but as a real fashion statement.

The device has a circular 43mm case with a crown, encased in nylon and finished off with a transparent strap available in several colours (including blue, black, and red). As for the tech specs, it will run on the Snapdragon Wear 3100 chip, with Google Wear OS software.

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Fossil is proud to boast of the various apps and services that will be available on the new watch. For instance, it will have NFC, enabling apps such as Google Pay, and it also has GPS, allowing for more accurate fitness tracking when you’re on the go. Fossil also claims that the device is swim-proof, and we assume it’ll mirror the same IP rating as other Fossil watches

On top of that are more features you’d expect of a premium smartwatch, such as phone notifications, customisable watchfaces, music controls, and Google Assistant. The Diesel On Fadelight has an RRP of £249, and will be available at select retailers worldwide from March 2019.

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We hope for good things from this latest Fossil wearable, since we rated the Fossil Gen 5 smartwatch very highly. This device is packed with features and also boasts a distinctive design; we found that it worked well to record fitness activities like running, although it’s weight-training mode was disappointingly threadbare. But the main area we’d like to see improved is the battery life, which isn’t very enduring despite four battery-saving modes. We hope that the Diesel On Fadelite has a battery you can rely on for longer, making it an even more attractive package.