Fossil’s New Smartwatch Is Here, however the Timing Is Unfortunate

When you image a Wear OS watch, you’re in all probability pondering of a Fossil, or one of many many designer manufacturers beneath the corporate’s umbrella (Kate Spade, Michael Kors, and so forth.). So after all when Google and Samsung introduced they’d teamed up on an overhauled Wear OS platform, it was solely a matter of time earlier than Fossil launched a brand new watch. Well, the wait is over. Today, the corporate introduced the Fossil Gen 6, and whereas it looks like a strong improve, the timing might be higher.

The Gen 6 will probably be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Wear 4100+ platform, which can allow quicker efficiency and a number of overdue options lengthy absent from Wear OS. These embody an SpO2 sensor, a speaker for taking calls, an always-on show, quicker charging, and computerized syncing. It’s nice that we’re lastly seeing a few of these options on an Android-friendly smartwatch different than a Samsung, however the 4100+ chip isn’t precisely excellent news at this level.

First off, the 4100+ chip is already greater than a 12 months outdated, and Qualcomm is rumored to be popping out with a brand new platform inside the subsequent 12 months. Tright here’s good cause to consider that the chip isn’t optimized for the brand new Samsung-Google Wear OS, known as Wear OS 3. The new Wear OS isn’t coming to the Gen 6 till mid-2022 on the earliest, so in case you purchase this watch when it launches, you’ll be utilizing Wear OS 2 for a number of months.

The Gen 6 appears to be like like your typical Fossil watch. It is available in 42mm and 44mm case sizes, with a 1.28-inch colour show. It’s acquired 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage, which is pretty normal for Fossil watches. In addition to the brand new SpO2 sensor, it additionally has built-in GPS, steady coronary heart rate-monitoring, and is rated waterproof as much as 30 meters. Fossil says the brand new watch’s battery life can cost as much as 80% in half-hour, and lasts a minimum of 24 hours on a cost. That’s not wildly spectacular, nevertheless it’s higher than the outdated Snapdragon Wear 3100-powered watches.

Altogether, the Fossil Gen 6 seems like a transitional smartwatch. It’s not that you simply’re not getting upgrades. You are. The 4100+ platform is a big bump up in processing functionality from the 3100 chip, which has powered all of Fossil’s watches since 2018. But Samsung’s wonderful Galaxy Watch 4 lineup can also be right here, already has the brand new Wear OS, and runs on a processor that’s a lot extra highly effective than the 4100+. The $250 40mm Bluetooth Galaxy Watch 4 can also be cheaper than the Gen 6, which can price $299-$319 relying on which model you get. None of this fairly provides up.

Fossil doesn’t dictate when Wear OS 3 will probably be able to run on its {hardware}, nor does it resolve when a extra highly effective wearable chip that may deal with the brand new Wear OS comes out. It’s working with restrictions put in place by Google and Qualcomm. Fossil’s final watches, the Gen 5E and the Gen 5 LTE had been each watches that appeared to be stalling for one thing higher to come back alongside. The Gen 6 may meet the same destiny.

But the Gen 6 is likely one of the few Android watches which were confirmed to be receiving Wear OS 3. That a minimum of makes it an alright purchase for anybody nonetheless caught on a 2100-powered smartwatch (which, yikes). We’ll have to check for ourselves to see how effectively the watch features—each with Wear OS 2 and Wear OS 3 when it’s obtainable.

The Fossil Gen 6 will are available seven colorways—4 for the 44mm model and three for the 42mm—and can function interchangeable straps. It’s Fossil, so there are a zillion totally different equipment as effectively. You can preorder the watch on Fossil’s web site beginning at the moment.