VERDICT
Fossil Q Marshal has a proper 'watch' like design and build, but the 'smart' factor is quite limited to basic Android Wear features. It is a great option for those who are looking for a conventional watch that cuts-down the need of pulling out your smartphone over and over again.
PROS:
- Classic design
- Good build quality
- Impressive battery
- Smooth software
CONS:
- No heart rate sensor
- average display
- lacks features
Renowned watchmaker Fossil has received enough praise for its analog watches. The company expanded its business to smartwatches in 2015, making sure they don’t lag behind in the race to smarter future. Fossil brought Q series smartwatches to India in October last year, competing with the likes of Apple, Moto, Huawei, Samsung.
Fossil Q Marshal is the freshest product in the Q series line-up and costs Rs 21,995. Looking at the competing smartwatches, the price seems reasonable as most of them are priced around the same price range. Also, we cannot ignore that Fossil is a premium watchmaker with impactful brand image.
I have been using the Q Marshal for over 40 days; it feels like an Android Wear watch but the design and looks are something that make it remarkable. My experience with thesmartwatch was more on the positive side, but frankly, I am not a very big fan of Android Wear UI.
The Q Marshal comes in three variants—Dark brown, Black and Silver. Brown and Black variants come with a leather strap, while the Silver one has a classic metal band. I am using the Silver variant of the smartwatch.
If you are someone who likes a classical metal design similar to a conventional watch, then this design will surely satisfy you. Q Marshal is bulky too, which gives it a rugged and solid feel of a classic watch. It is made up of stainless steel but it looks more like a polished metal. One fact that I loved about the watch is that it didn’t scratch even after I accidentally rubbed it against rough surface a couple of times. It further comes with IP67 rating, which makes it water-resistant. However, it is not made for swimmer so think twice before dipping it in water.
The quality of the strap is top-notch; it stays free at joints and doesn’t get locked at odd angles. It has a push button latch which is smooth and easy to use, but the outer cap got some scratches after sometime.
Positives include great touch response and good viewing angles. I think Fossil should work on the display a bit more next time; it will definitely make the smartwatch a much better product overall.
It comes with only one physical button at the right which looks like a crown. Single tap on that button wakes up the watch, and double-press will take you to the menu. It also supports hand several gestures, which helps you control each and every task with just a flick of your hand.
Other Android Wear features like instant reply, music control, taking pictures using watch as second screen and shutter button, voice commands, and more add up to the utility of the smartwatch.
It can also be used as a fitness tracker but it misses on the heart rate sensor which is a common feature in such wearables now a days. Other than that, if you are thinking to use Q Marshall for running, swimming or any other fitness activity, then this is not the one (especially the one with metal band) for you.
Apart from this, the smartwatch packs a wide range of watch faces to enhance the style quotient. It also packs basic step counter and a sleep tracker to keep a check on your movement and sleep.
In a nutshell, the Q Marshal is particularly aimed at style and has nothing much to do with fitness. But we all agree that Android Wear is not something that has been as successful as its smartphone OS. It is good enough to keep you notified, track activity, and control some features of your smartphone but still has a room for betterment.
The Q Marshal comes with Qualcomm’s dedicated wearable chipset—Snapdragon Wear 2100 SoC. It has 4GB of on-board storage out of which, only 2.1GB is usable. Sensors include compass, a gyroscope, and an accelerometer and has Bluetooth 4.1 Low Energy, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n for connectivity.
It comes with a small magnetic charger that sticks to the bottom of the dial and does charging via USB. It took more than two and half hours to charge from 0-100% using a 10W charger, which varies when you charge it using a standard USB port.
The smartwatch is good enough in terms of battery until you are not a suer-busy person who doesn't get a chance to charge it overnight.
If you are looking for a smartwatch with long-battery life and dedicated fitness features, then are at the wrong place. It is for professionals who prefer the style of a conventional watch but want the utility of a smartwatch.
Fossil Q Marshal is the freshest product in the Q series line-up and costs Rs 21,995. Looking at the competing smartwatches, the price seems reasonable as most of them are priced around the same price range. Also, we cannot ignore that Fossil is a premium watchmaker with impactful brand image.
I have been using the Q Marshal for over 40 days; it feels like an Android Wear watch but the design and looks are something that make it remarkable. My experience with the
The Q Marshal comes in three variants—Dark brown, Black and Silver. Brown and Black variants come with a leather strap, while the Silver one has a classic metal band. I am using the Silver variant of the smartwatch.
Design and Build Quality
It comes with a silver metal dial and a matching metal strap, which obviously makes it slightly bulky but it has all the class of a traditional watch. The dial looks quite similar to the one on Samsung Gear S2 but there are some changes in the craftwork, and it does not rotate either. The size of the dial is of 45mm diameter and 14mm thick, which seems perfect for most of the users. It is neither too small, nor too big like the Moto 360.If you are someone who likes a classical metal design similar to a conventional watch, then this design will surely satisfy you. Q Marshal is bulky too, which gives it a rugged and solid feel of a classic watch. It is made up of stainless steel but it looks more like a polished metal. One fact that I loved about the watch is that it didn’t scratch even after I accidentally rubbed it against rough surface a couple of times. It further comes with IP67 rating, which makes it water-resistant. However, it is not made for swimmer so think twice before dipping it in water.
The quality of the strap is top-notch; it stays free at joints and doesn’t get locked at odd angles. It has a push button latch which is smooth and easy to use, but the outer cap got some scratches after sometime.
Display
Fossil Q Marshal comes with an 1.4-inch LED display at 320x190 display resolution with 229dpi. The display looks fine on paper but it lacks in areas like outdoor visibility and sharpness. It has the Moto 360 like flat tyre design, which takes some space at the bottom for proximity and ambient light sensor. The thick black mark at the bottom of the display also takes away some charm from it.Positives include great touch response and good viewing angles. I think Fossil should work on the display a bit more next time; it will definitely make the smartwatch a much better product overall.
Fossil Q Marshal Features
When it comes to features, the Q Marshal is like any other Android Wear that is seen on most of the Android based smartwatches. However, my experience on Q Marshal was smoother and lag-free compared to few smartwatches running on the same software.It comes with only one physical button at the right which looks like a crown. Single tap on that button wakes up the watch, and double-press will take you to the menu. It also supports hand several gestures, which helps you control each and every task with just a flick of your hand.
Other Android Wear features like instant reply, music control, taking pictures using watch as second screen and shutter button, voice commands, and more add up to the utility of the smartwatch.
It can also be used as a fitness tracker but it misses on the heart rate sensor which is a common feature in such wearables now a days. Other than that, if you are thinking to use Q Marshall for running, swimming or any other fitness activity, then this is not the one (especially the one with metal band) for you.
Apart from this, the smartwatch packs a wide range of watch faces to enhance the style quotient. It also packs basic step counter and a sleep tracker to keep a check on your movement and sleep.
In a nutshell, the Q Marshal is particularly aimed at style and has nothing much to do with fitness. But we all agree that Android Wear is not something that has been as successful as its smartphone OS. It is good enough to keep you notified, track activity, and control some features of your smartphone but still has a room for betterment.
Hardware
The Q Marshal comes with Qualcomm’s dedicated wearable chipset—Snapdragon Wear 2100 SoC. It has 4GB of on-board storage out of which, only 2.1GB is usable. Sensors include compass, a gyroscope, and an accelerometer and has Bluetooth 4.1 Low Energy, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n for connectivity.
Battery
I have been getting one day of battery backup from the Q Marshal’s 360mAh battery, which is close to what the company claims. Using a flashy watch face may consume a little extra juice but still it can last for a full day at work.It comes with a small magnetic charger that sticks to the bottom of the dial and does charging via USB. It took more than two and half hours to charge from 0-100% using a 10W charger, which varies when you charge it using a standard USB port.
The smartwatch is good enough in terms of battery until you are not a suer-busy person who doesn't get a chance to charge it overnight.
Verdict
It is pretty clear that Fossil has focused more on style than the smart experience. It comes with all the basic smartwatch features and functions, without looking like a smartwatch. The only downside of the watch is its software experience, which could be made better if Fossil comes up with its own OS in coming time. The hardware is good enough to cater a lag-free software experience, and the optimisation is also commendable.If you are looking for a smartwatch with long-battery life and dedicated fitness features, then are at the wrong place. It is for professionals who prefer the style of a conventional watch but want the utility of a smartwatch.
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