Huge Diesel Full Guard 2.5 smartwatch does it all, but on a soon-to-be-outdated chip

• Fashion brand Diesel just unveiled a new smartwatch at IFA 2018: the Diesel Full Guard 2.5.
• This new Diesel smartwatch does it all: heart rate tracking, GPS tracking, NFC payments, and more.
• However, the chipset on this new Diesel smartwatch is over two-years-old at this point, making it hard to recommend.

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IFA 2018 is just starting to ramp up, and to start things off we have a new Wear OS smartwatch reveal from Italian fashion brand Diesel: the Diesel Full Guard 2.5.

As you can see from the photo above (there's more below), the new Diesel smartwatch is enormous. Diesel's design aesthetic usually has a chunky look to it, so the look of the Full Guard 2.5 will likely appeal to those who already love the brand's clothes.

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The Diesel smartwatch might be so huge because of all the features the company crammed into the device. If you are looking for a full-featured Wear OS smartwatch, this one has pretty much everything you need:

• Heart rate tracking using fitness apps like Google Fit
• NFC contactless payments using Google Pay or other payment apps
• GPS tracking for logging distance and speed during your runs, bikes, hikes, etc.
• Swim-proof construction with a depth rating of three meters

The watch's specs are the kind we've come to expect from higher-end units: a 300mAh battery with magnetic charging, 4GB of onboard storage, 512MB of RAM, a 1.39-inch display with a resolution of 454 x 454, and support for all Android versions above Android 4.4 KitKat (aside from Android Go versions). It also looks pretty good on DJ Steve Aoki's wrist:

However, there is one major downside to the Diesel Full Guard 2.5, and that's its chipset: it is running on the woefully outdated Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 chip, which at this point is over two-years-old. The follow-up to this chipset arrives in a few weeks on September 10, making this a really ill-advised time for Diesel to release a new smartwatch.

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But, as with the recently-released Fossil and Michael Kors smartwatches, the fashion-conscious buyer likely doesn't care that much about internal specs, so it might not really matter.

Speaking of being fashion-conscious, the Diesel Full Guard 2.5 smartwatch ain't cheap at an MSRP of $325. However, that price applies to the leather, sport, and metal band versions, so it's nice that Diesel isn't asking a premium for premium bands.

The Diesel Full Guard 2.5 smartwatch hits store shelves and Diesel.com in October of this year.

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