Fossil has introduced its fall 2021 smartwatch lineup working Put on OS, which it’s calling the Gen 6 Touchscreen. As with the Gen 5 Fossil watches, the Gen 6 will are available in a number of completely different shapes and sizes and there can even be variations offered underneath the Michael Kors model. Costs will begin at $299 they usually’ll be out there for preorder instantly. It doesn’t seem that Fossil will provide LTE choices.
Sadly, these watches will likely be delivery with the present Put on OS 2 software program and never the brand new Put on OS three that runs on the latest Samsung Galaxy Watches. Fossil says that it’s going to supply upgrades to Put on OS three for Gen 6 watches in 2022, although precisely when in 2022 is a trickier query. Google has said that Put on OS 2 watches wouldn’t have updates out there till “late 2022” and that even then these updates would require a tough reset.
Though Fossil’s Gen 6 watches received’t have essentially the most up-to-date software program for a while, the corporate continues to be making a stable go of packing extra know-how in than earlier than. Fossil is including an SpO2 sensor and claims it has an “upgraded coronary heart charge sensor” with “improved sign accuracy.”
Fossil additionally says the Gen 6 would be the first watch to make use of the Qualcomm Snapdragon Put on 4100+ processor. The “+” a part of that 4100 is meant to equate to sooner speeds, “extra environment friendly energy consumption,” and in addition sooner charging. All three of these have traditionally been pretty dangerous on Put on OS units, however particularly the primary two. Even Fossil’s own Gen 5 watches from 2019 (which used the common Snapdragon 4100) had been pokey and required a complete subsystem of complicated battery preferences to get via a traditional day.
One small benefit Fossil might have over Samsung’s new Galaxy Watch is that the Gen 6 will use the Google Assistant and Google Pay as a substitute of Samsung’s Bixby and Samsung Pay. For Samsung customers, the Galaxy Watch four is prone to be a greater match, nevertheless.
There will not be many Put on OS producers left to compete with, so for Android customers searching for a full-featured watch the pickings are slim. Other than Samsung’s choice, there’s little else past Fossil and Mobvoi’s TicWatch line — nearly all the opposite producers have both given up or switched to light-weight, in-house software program.
All of which might work in Fossil’s favor. If Fossil’s Gen 6 watches can a minimum of rise to an appropriate degree of velocity and battery life, they might be a viable choice for Android customers. Google is backporting a few of its improved Put on OS apps to the present platform, too, which might assist.
Though Fossil’s information at this time is concentrated on the improved specs, speeds and feeds have by no means been the principle promoting level for its smartwatches. As a substitute, it primarily goals to make one thing that individuals can be pleased to put on. You may check out a small gallery of the completely different Gen 6 fashions Fossil is releasing beneath.
