Fossil Gen 6 review: Nearly there

(Pocket-lint) - It seems an property since manner brand, Fossil, archetypal got into the smartwatch market. In immoderate ways it was astir seen arsenic the saviour for Google's Wear OS operating system. Along with respective of its brands - including Diesel, Skagen and Michael Kors - Fossil Group released smartwatches that really looked similar due watches. Unlike those launched by astir of the big-name tech manufacturers. 

In 2021, however, the communicative has shifted somewhat. Google has partnered with Samsung to make a amended operating strategy that includes features much connected par with the Apple Watch than immoderate different erstwhile Wear OS version. The occupation for Fossil, however, is that it doesn't person that moving connected its latest watches. So, with an older mentation of Wear OS, tin the Gen 6 variation watches truly compete? 

Design 

• 44mm stainless alloy case
• 22mm quick-release strap 
• 3ATM waterproof

It's successful plan you'll spot the lone existent tangible quality betwixt the assorted models successful Fossil's Gen 6 lineup. Because each the watches fundamentally usage the aforesaid hardware components - similar screens, bosom complaint monitors, batteries and chargers. 

Our peculiar reappraisal portion is the modular Fossil Gen 6 ticker successful black, which features a achromatic silicone set and a achromatic anodised aluminium case. Other colour variants are available, including 1 with a metallic lawsuit and brownish leather strap. Whichever exemplary you spell for, however, there's nary hindrance to choosing your ain strap. 

As has go customary for astir modern smartwatches the Fossil Gen 6 has a quick-release 22mm strap that's casual to popular retired and regenerate with immoderate different that mightiness instrumentality your fancy. 

The lugs that clasp them are rounded and compact, truthful don't permission excessively overmuch of a spread betwixt our wrist and the metal. That combines with the sleek lawsuit to marque a ticker that's comparatively compact and debased profile. As a effect the ticker ne'er feels arsenic large and bulky arsenic immoderate of the manufacturer's erstwhile models, truthful it'll look bully connected astir wrist sizes. 

A scalloped borderline surrounds the bevel connected the front, giving the ticker a spot of other texture, portion 3 buttons beryllium connected the close borderline - the mediate 1 besides acting arsenic a rotating crown. These buttons are perfectly capable and click nicely erstwhile pressed. The apical 1 launches a wellness snapshot by default, portion the bottommost fastener is for rapidly launching GPay for NFC-based contactless payments. As is usual, the mediate button/crown is for launching your app database and going backmost to the location screen. 

However, there's 1 ailment astir the buttons: they're excessively casual to property by accident. We'd regularly find ourselves accidentally activating Google Assistant erstwhile we bent our wrist back, for example. 

Display and software

• 1.28-inch circular AMOLED screen
• 416 x 416 solution (326ppi)
• Wear OS by Google

As ticker screens go, the AMOLED sheet connected the Fossil Gen 6 is precise good. It features truly deep, inky blacks which travel to the fore erstwhile 1 of the darker ticker faces is selected, oregon erstwhile the always-on show is activated. The achromatic sheet blends successful with the achromatic bezel astir it to signifier a seamless acheronian surface. 

Some of the ticker faces - similar the Hombre look shown beneath - diagnostic colour that blends into the achromatic background. It makes it look similar the frame, surface and colour each blend successful together. 

In immoderate ways, it's ticker faces that are Fossil's beardown point. There are rather a fewer options you tin prime close distant without having to spell to the Play Store to download more. And successful tons of antithetic styles, galore of which person an ambient always-on look that activates aft a fewer seconds of inactivity. 

If there's immoderate anemic point, it's deficiency of customisation. But a batch of that regulation is down to the complexity of the Fossil ticker faces. Many of them diagnostic rather analyzable gradients, layers and shading, and truthful erstwhile you spell to customise them, you lone get a fistful of antithetic colours to take from. That's 1 happening that could alteration erstwhile Fossil yet offers the latest mentation of Wear OS (the 1 that, astatine the clip of writing, is lone disposable connected the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4). 

Saying that, portion of the joyousness of Wear OS is that you person the enactment to browse the Play Store and instal immoderate 1 of hundreds of third-party ticker faces, galore of which person much granular customisation, frankincense allowing you to alteration the ticker look inheritance colour, accent and complications. 

Otherwise it's modular Wear OS affair, with Google's Discover provender connected the near of the location surface giving you snapshot updates, and glimpse screens/widgets to the close of the location screen. You tin add/remove the ones you privation - truthful whether you privation to glimpse rapidly astatine the weather, your upcoming schedule, regular activity, oregon commencement a workout, it's each available.

You tin brace with Android oregon iPhone, but the acquisition with the second is simply a batch much limiting. Android pairing means you tin work and respond to messages and notifications from messaging apps, portion a regulation with Apple's iOS means you tin lone presumption notifications alternatively than reply straight from the watch.  

Performance and artillery life 

• Snapdragon Wear 4100+ processor
• 1GB RAM and 8GB storage
• Bluetooth 5.0 LE, NFC, Wi-Fi
• 24 hr artillery life

Fossil Gen 6 is among the archetypal smartwatches to diagnostic the Snapdragon Wear 4100+ processor, making it faster and much responsive than its predecessors. There is simply a noticeable quality erstwhile comparing it to older Wear OS models.

Loading the apps database is much instant erstwhile you property the cardinal crown, portion searching for and installing apps from the Play Store is besides quicker, portion on-screen animations look smoother. There isn't the flimsy lag we'd sometimes spot successful the Gen 5 oregon older generations.

Add that to its database of functions and the Gen 6 feels similar a genuinely utile smartwatch. Google Pay, for instance, is truly convenient. Once setup, you conscionable property the bottommost fastener and past clasp the ticker adjacent a contactless terminal to authorise a payment.

You don't request to benignant successful your PIN each clip you motorboat it, arsenic agelong arsenic you've typed successful your PIN erstwhile you enactment your ticker connected successful the morning. It'll observe erstwhile it's been taken disconnected your wrist if you (or idiosyncratic else) removes it, and inquire for your PIN again adjacent time.

There's Wi-Fi connected committee to assistance with the velocity of downloading apps, contented and updates, and a regular Bluetooth audio transportation truthful that you tin usage your ticker to reply telephone calls from your paired watch. All successful all, it's a coagulated diagnostic set.

If there's 1 country that could beryllium improved, it's artillery life. We inactive struggled to get overmuch much than a time of usage retired of a afloat battery. So if you privation to usage the ticker to way your slumber each night, you're going to walk a small clip the adjacent time with the ticker connected charge. 

If you bash spell with this enactment past thankfully you don't person to hold arsenic agelong arsenic you utilized to for it to refill. When empty, the Gen 6 tin scope an 80 per cent complaint successful conscionable 30 minutes, which is simply a immense betterment implicit the older generations. The charging method is inactive a alternatively cheap-looking magnetic charging disc with interaction points successful it though.

If you don't privation to way sleep, oregon aftermath up with a debased artillery successful the morning, you tin conscionable edifice to the defacto charging-it-overnight option, rendering that faster charging redundant. 

Fitness and wellness tracking 

• GPS, Altimeter, Gyroscope and Compass
• Heart Rate and SpO2 sensors
• Wellness app, Google Fit

Being WearOS means you tin download and instal immoderate fig of fittingness tracking apps connected to your watch, whether you privation Strava, Nike Run Club oregon another, determination are galore options to take from. But for each day, all-day tracking, determination are 2 routes to spell down. 

Fossil has its ain Wellness features pre-installed connected its modern watches, offering a decent array of features similar basal workout tracking, measurement counting, slumber tracking and bosom complaint monitoring. The lone issue: that information doesn't spell anywhere, it conscionable stays connected your wrist. So arsenic utile arsenic it is to person connected your watch, you can't past presumption that information connected your phone, oregon sync it to different service. 

The safer stake is to usage Google Fit instead, which requires a small spot of fussing with the software, removing the Wellness widgets from the widget screens and replacing them with akin functions from Google. This way, erstwhile you way your regular activity, it volition sync with Google Fit connected your phone. 

For this benignant of tracking, the Gen 6 works beauteous well. It volition springiness you a decent overview of however progressive you are and uses a bosom points strategy wherever it measures however aggravated your enactment is and tries to motivate you into gathering a play mean goal, alternatively than hitting the regular extremity each azygous day. However, for those who privation to way circumstantial activities similar moving oregon cycling, determination are amended options retired there.

We recovered the Gen 6's GPS show was mediocre successful examination to different watches we've tested implicit the past mates of years. Even connected abbreviated 3.5km interval sessions it was mode disconnected the mark, often measuring 300-500 metres further than our watches from Garmin, Samsung and Huawei.

Looking astatine the way representation afterwards made it evident that the determination tracking was inconsistent, with consecutive roads showing way lines squiggling each implicit the place. It's decidedly not a ticker we'd urge for superior outdoor activities. 

Writing by Cam Bunton. Editing by Mike Lowe. Originally published connected 24 October 2021.