Fossil Gen 6

Fossil Gen 6 review

Among the Wear OS devices, the Fossil series has had a death grip on the masses. Everyone wants one. fossil watches for women and black fossil watches are in high demand.

The design, the software, everything about these watches was just perfect. The Fossil series, in particular, focuses on having the sleekest design among other smartwatches on the market. Due to this reason, they are not usually at the top when it comes to adding in new and innovative features.

The Fossil Gen 6 follows the tradition. However, it does have its own range of perks. It has within its design the ability to communicate, be entertained, and also keep up to date with your fitness.

Where the Fossil Gen 6 separates from other Wear OS watches such as the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 is the fact that it is usable with any kind of smartphone. Samsung or iPhone, the Fossil Gen 6 will have no problem.

When comparing the updates, there are a few noticeable differences between the Fossil Gen 5 and the Fossil Gen 6. They mainly come down to the overall design of the watch and a few internal. However, whether or not the differences are worth the upgrade or not is completely up to you.

To make this decision easier for you, we have compiled all the new features of the Fossil Gen 6 along with the pros and cons. By the end, you will know whether or not the Fossil Gen 6 watch is for you or not.

What’s New?

With every new generation of products such as watches, phones, and other tech devices, changes and upgrades are done to attract new and old customers. These changes and upgrades are sometimes massive but sometimes they are subpar. Let’s take a closer look at what has changed with the Fossil Gen 6 and whether or not this watch is worth the upgrade.

Design

Design

Among the other Watch OS devices, the Fossil series has remained the sleekest of them all. The Fossil Gen 6 is designed to look like a traditional wristwatch. The body is constructed out of stainless steel surrounding the Gorilla Glass-made display. The outer rim also shows off ridges that add a lot of movement into the design and makes it look a lot more interesting,

As pretty as the watch looks, one has to admit that it does not look massively different from the Fossil Gen 5. The only difference that can be spotted is the fact that the top and bottom lugs seem thicker.

Additionally, there is an added layer of housing on either side of the rotating crown. This housing helps protect it. This might be a preventative measure to protect the crown from catching on pockets or sleeves.

The pusher buttons on either side of the crown have also received an upgrade. The ends are wider and make these buttons easier to push and use.

The texture on the rim is also new but is deceiving. At first glance, one might assume that it rotates but no such luck.

Although the Fossil Gen 6 watch is slightly heavier than other smartwatches, its weight is balanced nicely. This means that it won’t feel awkward and weigh down your hand when you are trying to work out.

There are plenty of new fossil watch bands available as well. You can use those or swap them out for wide leather watch bands.

Display

Display

The screen is where many people have griped about when it comes to the Fossil Gen 6. The display is the same as that of the Fossil Gen 5.

The display is the same 1.3-inch AMOLED display. This display is good enough for a smartwatch. However, there are others in the Watch OS line that have a better display. This fact tells us that a better display could have been put there but was not.

The display is bright enough for outdoor use and can easily be read outdoors. The 326ppi of the screen helps with that. The colors are rich and bright. Such a display makes using this watch an absolute delight.

Additionally, the viewing angles on this watch are pretty spectacular. There is no need to twist the watch trying to get a look at the screen. Color cast is also an issue that you have to deal with.

Although this screen is well-loved, some complain that the screen does not stretch to the edge of the bezel. Due to the comparatively smaller screen size, there is a gap between the edge of the bezel and the face of the watch. This gap is not an issue per se, but with an upgrade, one hopes that a company keeps up with the current trends.

Software

Software

There have been significant changes made to the software for the Fossile Gen 6. The Fossil Watch Series finally has the Snapdragon Wear 4100+. This new chipset really takes the usability of the watch to the next level.

This upgrade allows the overall software to be super smooth, and there is next to no slowdown. Using the Watch OS 2, the Fossil Gen 6 watch runs smoothly and quickly, which is a huge bonus. Additionally, it makes use of Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi, NFC, and GPS to ensure smooth functionality.

Other features of this watch include an ambient light meter, compass, gyroscope, IR presence sensor, blood oxygen sensor, and more. It also has a microphone and a speaker, which makes using the Google Assistant easier to use through the watch itself.

When looking at the Wear OS software, there is no doubt that it was made to be based on Android and is primarily for Android users. It has a lot of features available for the user, but they are scattered. Finding what you are looking for at first can be a nightmare because there are so many menus and screens.

However, some users have complained that there are moments of lag that are erratic and unpredictable. Along with that, the watch is slow to function after you wake it up.

Battery

Looking at the battery life, we notice that it is a bit disappointing, to say the least. It lasts an entire day on regular use. However, if you fancy features like exercise tracking, you will have to charge it before the day is up. 

When compared to the previous-gen, the battery life has seen no improvement. It lasts about the same amount of time. However, there are ways that you can extend its usage. If you turn off the fancy features and the Always-on display, then you can use this watch for more than a day. 

On the other hand, the charging is much faster than its predecessors. The charger in the box is capable of charging up the watch from 0 to 100 within an hour. This is quite impressive and almost makes up for its abysmal battery life. 

If you make use of all of its features then do not expect more than a day’s use from this watch. However, if you are not a heavy smartwatch user, then you may just be able to use it for a day and a half. This method allows enough time to track your sleep as well. A piece of advice would be to take out the time to charge this watch before you go to sleep. 

Features For Health and Fitness

The Fossil Gen 6 offers users a number of fitness and health benefits that are intended to help them keep track of their everyday activities. It has an updated heart rate monitor module that replaces at least 50% of the original. The watch also has a GPS for precisely monitoring distances and elevation changes. It is not recommended to immerse it in liquid even though it is rated to 3ATM, and the device is strong enough to withstand some moisture and sweat.

 In addition, the Fossil Gen 6 watch has Google Fit technology, which offers a variety of workouts and other activities. The Wellbeing app compiles various data points for a clearer picture. It instantly gathers a variety of data points for a thorough analysis, including rest and regular activity.

Lastly, The Gen 6 incorporates a SpO2 sensor that can measure blood oxygen concentrations but should not be relied upon for medical purposes.

Pros

When deciding on whether or not you should buy a new device, it is important that you consider all the pros and cons of the device. Here are some of the pros of this device:

  • The design is sleek and modern.
  • The build quality is durable as it makes use of stainless steel and gorilla glass.
  • Buttons are made more accessible.
  • The crown has extra housing that protects it and prevents it from catching onto clothes.
  • The display is AMOLED.
  • The screen is sharp and has good viewing angles.
  • Charging is fast and can recharge the watch within an hour.
  • This watch has a lot of cool features such as an ambient light meter, compass, gyroscope, IR presence sensor, blood oxygen sensor, and more.
  • This watch is customizable and has various different watch faces as well.
  • Has smooth navigation

All these features and more make this device a really good smartwatch worth the fossil watch price. However, something that has pros also has cons. 

Cons

With this massive list of pros, there are of course a few cons that make this watch a little less than perfect. Of course, we can expect a few of these to be fixed with updates to the software but if you are spending money on something, shouldn’t it be perfect out of the box?

Here are a few cons that you should consider before you make this purchase.

  • Short battery life
  • The software is old, and an upgrade is not expected any time soon
  • Software is slow and can lag as well.
  • The health features are incomplete
  • The crown of the watch is not properly protected. You can accidentally press it when bending your wrist.
  • The scene is the same
  • No infinity display. There is space between the screen and the edge of the bezel.

Fossil Gen 6 Video Review

Conclusion

Conclusion

There are many smartwatches available on the market, but there is a reason why the fossil watches for women and Fossil watches for men are extremely popular. They are gorgeous and sleek to look at, plus they have a lot of cool features that set them apart from everyone in the game.

So, are fossil watches good? Yes.

This is not to say that there aren’t any flaws or that it is definitely better than other watches such as the smoke galaxy watches. One of the most glaring con one might notice is that the Fossil Gen 6 is not very different from its predecessors.

If you are in the market for a watch or if your apple watch won’t turn on, then the Fossil Gen 6 is a good option. However, if you already have a Fossil Gen 5 or a fossil smartwatch gen 4, then maybe skip out on this one.

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Abdul Wahab is a Software Engineer by profession and a Tech geek by nature. Having been associated with the tech industry for the last five years, he has covered a wide range of Tech topics and produced well-researched and engaging content. You will mostly find him reviewing tech products and writing blog posts. Binge-watching tech reviews and endlessly reading tech blogs are his favorite hobbies.