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It’s only been a couple of days since the Galaxy Watch 4 series was released, and now Fossil is back with its Gen 6 smartwatch. This is the latest Wear OS smartwatch to be unveiled but also marks the first wearable to be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Wear 4100+.
The Wear 4100+ was revealed alongside the Wear 4100 last year, but until now, no smartwatches have been released using the chipset. While this may seem like a head-scratching decision, the 4100+ is said to offer faster app load times, along with being more power-efficient compared to the Wear 4100.
As for the Fossil Gen 6 itself, there are two different case sizes available, coming in either 42mm or 44mm. Both sizes sport the same 1.28-inch round AMOLED display with a 326ppi pixel density. The 42mm version is compatible with 18mm bands, while the 44mm bumps up compatibility to 22mm.
Along with being powered by the Snapdragon Wear 4100+, the Fossil Gen 6 features 1GB of RAM and 8GB of onboard storage. There are a total of three buttons on the right side of the casing, with the top and bottom buttons being customizable. The middle “home” button actually rotates, allowing you to navigate and scroll through your app drawer or notifications without needing to swipe up and down on the screen.
Fossil is touting 24-hour battery life, but this can be pushed even further when you enable “Extended Battery Mode” which will net you “multiple days” of usage. To go along with this, the Gen 6 also supports rapid charging, providing an 80% charge in just 30 minutes.
Other features of the Gen 6 include the addition of a blood oxygen (SpO2) sensor, which brings it in line with Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 4, the Apple Watch, and a few other smartwatches. The heart rate sensor has also been upgraded, offering continuous heart rate tracking, while also being said to be more accurate with its readings. There’s also 3ATM water resistance, which makes this great for swimmers and those who don’t want to take off their watches whenever washing the dishes or getting caught in the rain. There’s even a new built-in speaker so you can take your phone calls without needing to connect some headphones, or just to hear a response from Assistant.
The big question you might have by now is whether it’s running the new Wear OS 3 platform. And unfortunately, the answer is not yet. Fossil confirmed it is bringing the latest version of Wear OS to the Gen 6 sometime in 2022. This is a rather big disappointment, as it looks like Samsung will maintain exclusivity for the next few months.
Pricing for the Fossil Gen 6 starts at $299 for the 42mm model, and goes up to $319 for the 44mm version. Pre-orders for this all-new Wear OS smartwatch begin today before shipping later this year. You can also pre-order the Michael Kors Gen 6 smartwatches from michaelkors.com.
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