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Specs and interface
- Responsive performance
- No GPS, heart rate or NFC
- On-watch app store options
The Fossil Q Venture packs in a Snapdragon 2100 processor, paired with 512MB of RAM. We were a little worried about that, as the processor in the past has been known to underperform (check it out in action on the Huawei Watch 2, for instance, where it was paired with a larger 768MB of RAM).
But, whether because it’s not being overly stretched by bloat processes, or that it’s been more finely tuned for this particular watch, that RAM / processor combo was perfectly responsive.
Whether flicking through lists, or playing wrist-based games like the pre-installed Bolt Bot, apps loaded quickly, and screens refreshed smoothly.
But while the processor specs impress, there are a few omitted elements that make the feature list a little less complete than it could (and arguably should) be.
First up is the lack of onboard GPS. While mapping apps can piggyback off a phone for this feature, it means you won't be able to get accurate navigation tips from apps or run route tracking without a phone being present.
The lack of a heart-rate monitor will affect the watch’s usefulness for fitness fanatics, while there’s also no NFC connectivity, making pairing wireless headphones a chore, and preventing the Fossil Q Venture from being useful as a payment device through Android Pay.
If you’re familiar with Android Wear 2.0, you’ll know what to expect from Fossil’s Q Venture interface, as it’s a very clean, vanilla take on the operating system. Aside from some Fossil-specific watch faces, some lightweight games and a cool build-your-own-watch-face app, it’s very much Android Wear as Google intended it to be.
So, swiping in various directions on the face activates different functions – from notification views to connectivity options, while a firm press on the bezel button brings up a scrollable apps list. It takes a little getting used – it’s a relatively limited control set, especially compared to your smartphone, and there can be some inconsistencies across apps. But given a little time with Android Wear 2.0 and you’ll feel relatively comfortable navigating it.
You can also long press the button to trigger Google Assistant, letting you talk to the wearable to get Google’s hands-free helper to answer questions, set timers and other simple requests. It worked surprisingly well, hearing my voice even among the din of a crowded place.
Android Wear 2.0 is a solid evolution of Google’s wearable ambitions, going a step towards making all Android Wear devices more independent of their connected smartwatches – particularly if you’ve got a 4G-enabled smartwatch, which unfortunately the Fossil Q Venture is not.
But with 4GB of storage for downloading apps from the onboard store and sideloading your own music for phone-free playback, the Q Venture does have the means to survive a short separation from your smartphone.
The frustration for the most part lies with Android Wear 2.0 itself, rather than with Fossil’s design then – too often you’ll find yourself receiving a useful or interesting app notification, tapping it with the hope of interacting with it, and finding yourself prompted to open up the accompanying app on your smartphone instead.
If you’ve struggled to see the point in smartwatches, considering smartphones are capable of the majority of the wearables’ functions, there will be little here to change your opinion.
The Fossil Q Venture will vibrate whenever you get a notification (from the apps you choose to receive them from, that is). But it felt a little bit weak for our liking – you may find yourself missing calls or important info if you’re not careful, and we’d have been happy to ramp up its intensity at the expense of some battery life.
Compatibility
- iPhone and Android supported
- Requires Android 4.3 or above, and iPhone 5 or above iOS devices running at least iOS 9
- No NFC means no tap-to-spend Android Pay features
The Fossil Q Venture will work best with an Android phone – so long as that phone is running Android 4.3 or above that is.
With an Android phone accompanying the wearable, you’ll get the widest range of app support possible and, by virtue of a shared ecosystem, you’re more likely to already be using the Google apps and services that underpin Android Wear on that other device.
That’ll mean you’ll seamlessly have access to shared calendar, contact lists and supported apps, in an interface that mirrors what you’re already familiar with on your smartphone.
Just because it’s running Android Wear, that doesn’t mean iPhone fans can’t enjoy the Fossil Q Venture too though. Provided you’re packing an iPhone 5 or newer, running iOS 9 software or a more recent build, you’ll be able to get the smartwatch paired.
However, note that you’ll lose the ability to respond directly from the watch to some notifications, while Apple’s first party services, such as iMessages, reserve their notification support for the Apple Watch, and battery life will likely be impacted
Whichever phone you’re pairing it with, the lack of NFC will hurt. It means that core features of the Android Pay payment system, such as paying for items with a tap of a wearable, just won't be possible.
Connecting over Bluetooth 4.1, and making use of Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, the Fossil Q Venture never lost connectivity our paired smart devices, and was useful in at least one occasion in helping us to locate a misplaced phone, despite it being quite a distance away. From the watch I was able to remotely call my handset and locate it – it had been inexplicably left in a wardrobe.
Fitness
- No GPS
- No heart rate monitor
- Not suited to workouts
The Fossil Q Venture has clearly been designed with fashion rather than fitness in mind. It’s design is lightweight and compact in terms of standard wristwatches, but its smooth metal finish isn’t ruggedised for the rough and tumble of sporty pursuits. Likewise, its IP67 rating may be good for a quick shower, but it won’t survive a session in the pool.
This extends to the devices connectivity and metric tracking options. With no GPS onboard you won’t be able to get an accurate reading of your run routes and the higher-end features of some fitness-tracking apps, and the same goes for the lack of a heart-rate monitor. These are pretty standard fare these days, even in cheaper fitness-focussed devices, so the Fossil Q Venture is showing its intentions quite clearly in that respect.
But it’s not devoid of fitness options, so long as you’re not looking to go incredibly in-depth with your monitoring or readings.
Google Fit and Google Fit Workout come preinstalled, letting you keep an eye on steps and reps, with gyroscopes and accelerometers tracking progress within an acceptable margin of error. It was enough to highlight the days when we really should have put down the PlayStation pad and worked those muscles a little more, but wouldn’t have been enough for us to have assessed my entire fitness schedule around.
