Fossil may be about to launch LTE-enabled smartwatches

Fossil has almost single-handedly been keeping Wear OS watches going for the past few years, offering a huge array of fashionable designs across its various brands. And now it seems the company is about to jump onboard the LTE train. 

This latest revelation comes through an FCC application which means that, firstly, the product is real and, second, it's going to arrive in the near future. 

As pointed out by 9to5Google who originally unearthed the evidence, the watch is given model number C1NF1 and - as well as featuring the usual Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and NFC wireless technologies - it's also LTE capable. 

Currently there aren't that many 4G Wear OS watches on the market, primarily because Fossil Group is yet to adopt it, but if the FCC listing is an indication of an imminent release, that will change soon. 

Unlike smartwatches, having a constant 4G connection isn't as beneficial on a smartwatch as it is on a phone, but having used it successfully on Apple Watch, we can say it is definitely a useful feature. 

For the end user, it'll mean having the ability to stream music while out on a run or - in an emergency - being able to make a phone call if (for whatever reason) you don't have your phone to hand. 

The downside perhaps is that it appears the watch is going to be built on the Snapdragon 3100 platform, so won't come with the additional benefits afforded by the most current 4100 chipset. Namely: speed and battery life. 

Apart from that, this watch appears to have a circular screen and - given the C1NF1 model number - will be a Fossil-branded watch, and not one from its other family of brands. 

With January almost upon us, it wouldn't be unusual for these watches to be announced within the coming weeks, given the face that CES usually kicks off a while new slew of gadgets for the upcoming year. 

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