HIGHLIGHTS

• Fossil has launched the Gen 6 series of smartwatches in the US.
• There is a new Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 4100+ SoC and SpO2 monitor.
• The new Fossil Gen 6 smartwatches, however, run old Wear OS software.

Fossil Gen 6 is the next generation of Wear OS smartwatches from the company that is among the few that are ambitiously pushing Android in the world of wearables. On Monday, Fossil unveiled a series of Gen 6 smartwatches that boast the new Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 4100+ processor and new health-related functions, such as a SpO2 monitor. However, the Fossil Gen 6 smartwatches will ship with the old Wear OS software as the company said the latest Wear OS 3 version will arrive in 2022.

The all-new Fossil Gen 6 smartwatches are not a big upgrade to the Gen 5, except for a few changes in the hardware. The design of the Gen 6 is more or less similar to that of the Gen 5, although there are subtle changes in it that would need a keen eye to spot. There are new sizes and styles for the smartwatches this time, in a bid to attract all sorts of customers. There are also four Michael Kors branded Gen 6 smartwatches that come at a premium. Fossil has launched seven designs, on the other hand.

Fossil Gen 6 price

The Fossil Gen 6 series costs between $299 (roughly Rs 21,900) and $319 (roughly Rs 23,400) and is now available for pre-order in the US. The company has not revealed the Indian prices of the Gen 6 yet.

Fossil Gen 6 specifications and features

Even though everything seems nice about the new Fossil Gen 6 smartwatches — mostly because these are one of the leading wearables with Android software, the fact that these smartwatches do not run the latest Wear OS software may be a dealbreaker. Fossil is shipping the Wear OS 2 software on these smartwatches, but it has promised that next year, there will be the Wear OS 3 update available for the entire series. That is a long time even if we consider January as the rollout month because Samsung’s latest Galaxy Watches already come preloaded with Google’s Wear OS 3, as a part of the partnership both companies announced back at the Google IO 2021. Fossil has not said when in 2022 the rollout will begin.

Away from the old software, which most customers are going to find some issues with — for example, the battery life — the Fossil Gen 6 comes across as a solid series of modern smartwatches. You have a new Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 4100+ processor, which the company said gives 85 per cent higher performance and consumes 25 per cent less power over the Snapdragon Wear 3100 processor that powered the Fossil Gen 5. There are various battery modes, including an extended mode that disables features to extend battery life to several days. Wear OS has always had a battery problem, so I am not sure how much of that the Gen 6 will reduce.

Fossil, however, is banking on new charging capabilities of the battery on the Gen 6 smartwatches. According to the company, the Gen 6 battery charges “two times faster than the leading smartwatch”. I am not sure what leading smartwatch Fossil is talking about, but if it is a dig at Samsung, then it is justified. Samsung’s Galaxy Watches take a lot of time to charge, as compared to the likes of the Oppo Watch that take less than an hour to fully charge. Fossil says the Gen 6 smartwatches can top up 80 per cent juice in 30 minutes. There is also smart charging that will allow the watch to charge just before you wake up.

There is an upgraded heart rate sensor on the Fossil Gen 6 smartwatches with continuous tracking and better signal accuracy. While that is good, Fossil has added the essential SpO2 monitor on the Gen 6 smartwatch that will help users measure blood oxygen levels, a health trend propelled by the pandemic. Alongside, there are sensors that count calories, steps, cardio fitness level, and even track your sleep.

The Fossil Gen 6 smartwatches also come with Wi-Fi, GPS, NFC, Bluetooth, altimeter, gyroscope, accelerometer, compass, ambient light sensor, and off-body IR sensor. There is water resistance up to 3ATM, which means you can go swimming with these smartwatches on. Fossil Gen 6 watches also support Google Pay through NFC, although that is unlikely to arrive on the Indian version.