Fossil Gen 3 Q Explorist: Review

We review the brand-new Fossil Q Explorist. This is the latest Android Wear smartwatch by Fossil and is part of their Gen 3 product line. With a full 360 screen and a $250 price tag, could this be your next smartwatch? Does it tick all the boxes?

PRODUCT DETAILS
Activity Tracking: Built In Fitness Tracker
Notifications: Social Media / Text / Email / App Alerts / Multiple Time Zones / Alarm Clock / Calendar Alerts
Functions: Personalize Your Dial / Control Your Music / Voice Activated Google / LED Flashlight / Google Maps Enabled / Interchangeable Watch Band
Connectivity: Bluetooth® Smart Enabled / 4.1 Low Energy, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n - Powered by Android Wear™
Compatibility: Android™ Devices 4.3+ and iOS 9+ / iPhone 5+

[TheIngoBeck]

I don't understand the comments about the screen washing out in the sun. I live in Phoenix, Arizona - 300 days of sunshine, at least, per year and I haven't looked down at my Q Explorist once and not been able to see the screen.

My favorite watch I ever owned was an original Big Tic that I bought with a gift card I found on the ground. That's the only face I use on my Explorist, so far. Very happy they included that.

I love that this thing is just a good watch first and a wearable comm device second. I'm glad it has no GPS or NFC payment. I don't mind pulling my phone out for payment and I don't navigate with my wrist raised to my face.

If you buy this watch make sure you turn the auto-Wi-fi off or you'll end up on Amazon reviews bitching about the terrible battery life. I get up at 4:15am and go to sleep at 9-10pm every night and there's always juice left when it hits the puck.

Granted there are plenty of great wearable devices that do more than the Fossil Q Gen 3 watches, I feel like the Fossils - particularly the Explorist - are the best smart WATCH for the value on the market.

[Fayknol]

Probably the only good reviews I saw of this watch

[aidan]

Great video but AMAZING TASTE IN MUSIC

[runsslic]

Another solid review.. really enjoy your vids. Got mine yesterday still quite user friendly but for some reason I cant get apple music on it. Any suggestions?

[markkomis]

Is it okay to charge overnight or is that going to kill the battery faster? I just bought one to replace my Moto 360 which has major battery issues after 3 years and I was told could be because I overcharged it while I slept

[MikeFuUnboxed]

@lohtec Hey man, thanks for the review. How did you get it so early? I got mine a couple of days ago and really like it. I wanted to say that I think the mushy middle button was by design. I accidentally kept engaging it when using a screw driver at an awkward angle and realized it lets me trigger the watch face one-handed without gestures. I now regularly do this when I want to see the info on the watch face. I could be making all this up, but it seems to be useful either by accident or intentionally. Anyway, keep up the good work.

[matroska]

Thanks for the review. Does the crown clicked by mistake summon google assistant?

[timetroy]

Can't believe you missed the biggest point of the new fossil watch THE FLAT TIRE IS GONE. And who puts their watch on so tight on the wrist that it doesn't move a bit on the wrist to keep you from accidently pushing the button?

[ourblendedbaseballteam]

How does this compare to the Samsung Watches speaker and feature wise.  As short as your video is, this is amazing. thanks so much.

[JEF]

Can this be charged on any Qi wireless charging pad?

[TratzPatratz]

Great video.
This has an ambient light sensor yes? "auto brightness"

Also, does anyone know if this uses standard QI charging? Can I use my old Moto 360 V2 stand with it?

[alpacino]

Hi, thanks for the review, but I have a question, the battery is for 24 hours, BUT with the screen always on or off, I like the Always screen on like a regular watch, did you try it??

[NewtonDKC]

Does the crown rotate to allow navigation without touching the screen (is to scroll thru Notifications, App List, etc)?

[stefanofenbock]

Does the smartwatch have a brightness sensor, so that the display lighting is adapted to the daylight? How long did the battery last for normal use?

[mhreese]

If i have an iphone 6s is there anything i can't do on it? will i get notification from snapchat?

[gavindundee]

Did you buy a Genesis longboard? I saw the notification on your Fossil xD

[anthonyz]

So can you make or receive calls with this watch either iPhone or Android phone? Do you need a separate line with your cell carrier to make and receive calls? I've heard that if you have iPhone you have to add a line which is stupid.

[bengtkarlesved]

Thanks for a great presentation!
I purchased same watch to run with my IPhone 7. Everything works quite good but the "contacts" show just 2 although I have much more.Do you know how to get my contacts at least my "favorites"? As I understand pretty much is based on Google&googlemail so if I want to see my mails from yahoo....is that possible?
Would appreciate a lot your thoughts about this. Keep up the good work, Thanks.

[billmahroof]

Would you recommend this or the huawei w1?

[production]

Does turning the crown affect the UI in any way like scrolling through menus?