Last Updated on March 31, 2020 by Jude Simeone

Fossil in august 2018, unveiled the Gen 4 Q Explorist which unlike the Gen 3 series has an NFC chip that supports Google pay, Heart rate monitor and a GPS for tracking outdoor activities plus the design is even more stylish now. Just like the Gen 3, the Gen 4 runs on Google wear OS which means more access to apps.

Fossil Gen 4 Q Explorist Full Specifications

	Fossil Gen 4 Q Explorist
EDITOR'S RATING	Design: (4.5 / 5) Battery: (2.5 / 5) Fitness tracking: (4.0 / 5) Features: (4.2 / 5) Price: (3.0 / 5) Average: (3.6 / 5)
WHERE TO BUY	Check at Amazon
ABOUT DEVICE
Device name	Fossil Gen 4 Explorist
Device type	Classic/Fitness smartwatch
Predessesor	Fossil Gen 3 Q Explorist
Successor	Fossil Gen 5 Calyle
Released date	August, 2018
Ideal for	Men
DISPLAY
Display type	AMOLED
Display size	1.4 inch
Display resolution	454 x 454 pixels
Pixel density	--
Input type	Touchscreen plus 3 physical buttons
Always-on	Yes
BODY
Shape	Circular
Dimension	45 x 45 x 13 mm
Weight	--
Casing material	Stainless steel
Strap/band material	Leather Stainless steel straps
Bezel Material	Stainless steel
Strap size	22mm
Screen protection	Corning Gorilla glass
Water resistant/Protection	Yes, 3ATM
Swim-proof	Yes
Color(s)	Smoke Black Brown
MEMORY
RAM	0.5GB
Internal storage	4GB
Memory card slot	No
CONNECTIVITY
Bluetooth	Bluetooth smart v4.2 LE
Bluetooth calling	No
Wi-Fi	Yes
NFC	Yes
GPS	Yes
CELLULAR TECHNOLOGY
Technology	No
SIM	No
Band	No
NOTIFICATIONS
Email alert	Yes
SMS alert	Yes
Calls alert	Yes
Event reminder	Yes
Weather	Yes
Third-party apps	Yes
FITNESS TRACKING
Sleep apnea	No
Sleep tracking	Yes
Steps	Yes
Floors climbed	No
Heart rate monitoring	Yes
Calories	Yes
Distance	Yes
Stress	Yes
VO2 Max.	Yes
Blood oxygen	No
Blood pressure	No
Menstrual cycle tracking	No
Swim tracking	Yes
Under-water heart rate tracking	No
Preloaded maps	No
On-screen workout modes	No
Triathlon mode	__
ECG Tracking	No
Preloaded sport modes	Yes
Safety tracking	No
MEDIA
Audio	mp3/mp4
Music streaming	Yes
Bluetooth music	Yes
Radio	No
Loudspeaker	No
Microphone	Yes
Camera	No
SENSORS
Accelerometer	Yes
Barometer/Altimeter	No
Heart rate monitor (HRM)	Yes
Compass	No
Gyroscope	Yes
Ambient light	Yes
Pulse Ox.	No
ECG	No
Thermometer	No
Other sensors	__
PLATFORM
Operating system (OS)	Wear OS
Chipset	Qualcomm Snapdragon 2100
CPU	--
GPU	--
BATTERY
Type of battery	Non-removable Li-ion battery
Battery capacity	__
Battery life	Standby: 2 days+ Mixed usage: ~1 day
Charging type	Inductive charging magnet
Charging time	About 1-2 hours
Battery saver mode	No
Solar power	No
Rapid charging	Yes
CLOCK FEATURES
Time/Date	Yes
Stopwatch	Yes
Alarm	Yes
OTHER FUNCTIONS
Control camera	Yes
Music control	Yes
Find phone	Yes
Text response	Yes
MISC
Payment system	Google pay
Compatibility	Android 6.0 (excluding Go edition)+ iOS 10.0+
Companion app	Fossil Q app
Customizable watch face	Yes
Interchangeable band	Yes, 22mm
Voice command	Yes
BOX CONTENTS
	Fossil Gen 4 Explorist
	Straps
	Inductive charging magnet
	Quick start guide
NOTE: We can't guarantee that all the information on this table are 100% correct. Read full disclaimer. Please, report an error.
	Official Site

Fossil Gen 4 Explorist Features

1. Design

The new Gen 4 Q Explorist from Fossil is a classic and elegant piece that will look great for any event. The screen size is 1.4 inches which is great, the casing is built for durability with stainless steel while the strap is a 22mm silicone material that is interchangeable. We don’t know what the glass is made of but from all indications, it’s certainly a tempered glass material similar to that used on most phones.

The display quality is great. It features a bright full-color display with a high resolution of 454 x 454 pixels. It’s touchscreen and features additional 3 physical buttons by the right side which aids accessibility on the 1.4-inch screen. The top 2 buttons can be customized in wear OS while the center button rotating button acts as the home button.

2. Battery

The battery life of Gen 4 Q Explorist is not too great, however, it’s a little bit better than the Gen 3. First, it’s still powered by the Qualcomm snapdragon wear 2100 which is considered outdated and drains the battery. The battery is a li-ion, on standby you should expect a battery life of about 2-3days while on mixed average usage it’s estimated to last the whole day.

The Gen 4 Q Explorist battery can be charged simply by plugging the USB end to a low-power source, then place the smartwatch on the inductive charging magnet. It takes about 1-2 hours for the battery to be fully charged, an improvement from Gen 3 which took longer to charge. To avoid damage to the device, it is recommended that you use only inductive chargers. Also do not use a USB hub, USB splitter, USB y-cable, battery pack or other peripheral devices to charge.

3. Media

The Gen 4 Q Explorist is fun-packed as it comes with about 4GB internal storage space that lets you store your favorite tracks and other files. You can listen via a Bluetooth enabled earbud. However, Gen 4 Explorist lacks a loudspeaker.

4. Water Resistance/Protection

The Gen 4 Q Explorist is water-resistant, It is IP67 and 3ATM certified which means it is water-resistant up to 30meter. As a result, you can wear this under the rain or perhaps to the shower without worrying about damaging it. You can also wear to the pool or ocean, track your swimming activities.

5. Activity/Fitness tracking

The Gen 4 Q Explorist comes with all the standard sensors which include an accelerometer, gyroscope and heart rate monitor (HRM) these are capable of tracking various activities such as monitoring your heart rate variations, calories burned, calories consumed, steps and distance covered.

The Gen 4 Q Explorist, unlike the previous versions, comes with an in-built GPS sensor that is able to track outdoor activities such as distance, routes, and locations.

6. Notifications & Application

The Gen 4 Q Explorist comes with a Bluetooth v4.1 LE which can connect to your phone to enable notifications alert as they arrive. Notifications include;

One good thing about Gen 4 Q Explorist is that the straps are interchangeable with any 22mm strap of your choice. Besides this, the watch faces can also be customized to your choice. You can set the watch face to your favorite social media photos.

The Gen 4 Q Explorist also has a LED flashlight that you can use to illuminate dark spaces.

The Gen 4 Q Explorist is compatible with android 4.4 (excluding Go edition) or later and iOS 9.3 or later.

Unlike previous versions, The Gen 4 explorist now has an NFC chip that powers Google Pay, a contactless payment system that lets you make payments on the go with a simple swap.

The Gen 4 Q Explorist has a loudspeaker and a microphone which lets you use the voice command feature for text and otherwise via Google assistant. Besides this the Gen 4 is able to keep track of multiple time zones, your local time as well other time zones. Also when you travel out to another country it automatically updates to the correct time of that country.

The three button on the right side of the Gen 4 can be customized. You can assign functions to the buttons you use most.

Pros

Cons