Fossil Gen 6 Wellness Version overview: historical past repeats itself

The unique Fossil Gen 6 type of acquired shafted. Whereas Fossil was nonetheless growing the watch, Google and Samsung sprung the information that Put on OS 3 was on the horizon. Fossil apparently discovered at the same time as the rest of us. Then, Qualcomm introduced a newer, faster wearable chip. By the point the Gen 6 debuted, it was working a soon-to-be last-gen chip — and Samsung’s first Put on OS 3 watch, the Galaxy Watch 4, was already out. It wasn’t Fossil’s fault, however the Gen 6 was outdated earlier than it ever hit cabinets. Sadly, it looks as if the brand-new $299 Gen 6 Wellness Version, Fossil’s first native Put on OS 3 watch, acquired the quick finish of the stick, too. 

Like the unique Gen 6, the Wellness Version has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 4100 Plus chip. It’s acquired the identical 1.28-inch OLED show, the identical 1GB of RAM, and the identical 8GB of onboard storage. The Wellness Version additionally has the identical sensors. It’s successfully the identical watch, with a barely completely different aesthetic and Wear OS 3 installed out of the box. (Older Gen 6 watches shipped with Put on OS 2 however can now be updated to Wear OS 3.) Looking back, I’m unsure what I assumed could be completely different this time round. However, having frolicked with all of the out there Put on OS 3 watches on the market, it looks like there are two tiers of the working system: the Put on OS 3 you get on Samsung and Google watches and the one everybody else is caught with.

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The 44mm Gen 6 Wellness Version is a trendy watch. Though it’s barely larger than my 42mm Gen 6, I dig the sleeker total aesthetic, and I desire the extra trendy tackle the buttons — I had fewer unintended presses this time round, because of the flatter profile of the pushers. You’ll be able to simply swap out the default 20mm silicone straps, however I wouldn’t be ashamed to put on it as is to a proper occasion. It’s snug for on a regular basis put on, and whereas it wouldn’t be my first selection for health monitoring and even within the high 5, the chrome steel case provides a bit of additional sturdiness. Simply don’t take it within the pool, because it’s solely acquired 3ATM of water resistance. That’s high-quality for laundry dishes however isn’t thought-about secure for swimming.

However a snazzier design isn’t sufficient to redeem the Gen 6 lineup as a complete. The massive factor I used to be on the lookout for with the Wellness Version was a greater total expertise. I acquired that, however I ended up with some surprising annoyances, too.

Put on OS 3 on the Gen 6 is healthier than Put on OS 2, however not essentially quicker. Scrolling by menus is zippy, and notifications pop up shortly. However typically, there’s a slight pause whenever you launch apps, or a display freezes for a scorching second earlier than transferring alongside. After I tried to obtain Strava by way of the on-wrist Play Retailer, it crashed. A number of instances. And when the search did “work,” Strava by no means really appeared as a downloadable app. I ended up having to push it from the net model of the Play Retailer, but it surely took some time earlier than it put in. That is so bizarre since I’ve positively downloaded Strava from the on-wrist Play Retailer onto each different Put on OS 3 watch I’ve examined. It wasn’t an enormous difficulty as a result of Adidas Working got here preloaded, and you may also monitor exercises by way of the native Wellness app. However nonetheless. 

None of that made the Wellness Version unusable. It was simply odd. However except for occasional stutters, Put on OS 3 was nonetheless an enchancment. It was so good to have extra third-party apps that truly work. You may use Spotify on Put on OS 2, but it surely wasn’t an incredible expertise. It’s a lot improved in Put on OS 3 and at last helps offline playlists. You may also use YouTube Music, SoundCloud, or Deezer. (Does anybody use Deezer?)

Nevertheless, it’s not higher than Put on OS 3 on the Pixel Watch or the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 and 5 lineups. I believe a few of my efficiency points have been as a result of 4100 Plus chip, which launched in 2020 however didn’t actually seem in lots of watches till the top of 2021. By then, Samsung had already moved on to a next-gen chip for its Galaxy Watch 4 and 5 lineups. The Pixel Watch makes use of a last-gen Samsung chip, but it surely’s been bumped as much as 2GB of RAM to make up for it. I’ve a sense a future Fossil Watch working the Snapdragon W5 Plus chip will carry out higher, however that’s not an choice simply but.

However Put on OS 3 itself has extra options on Google and Samsung watches. These watches have Google Assistant. The Gen 6 Wellness Version doesn’t. It’s unclear if that’s coming someday sooner or later, however for now, you’ll need to make do with Amazon Alexa. (It’s high-quality.) 

Alexa is healthier than nothing, however a smartwatch working Google software program should have Google Assistant. For well being and health monitoring, Google and Samsung’s Put on OS watches have robust native apps, too. Fossil has the Wellness app, however whereas it’s aesthetically pleasing, it’s not built-in properly into the general Put on OS 3 expertise. The Pixel Watch has a Fitbit integration, which, although imperfect, is extra polished than Fossil’s Wellness app. It’s straightforward to see a day by day Fitbit dashboard in your Tiles as properly. Samsung’s watches have Samsung Well being, which additionally integrates extra easily throughout the One Watch UI pores and skin Samsung runs over Put on OS 3. Even the previous Google Match Tiles may no less than provide you with a fast visible of how far alongside you have been in your day by day targets. 

That brings me to Fossil’s new companion app. Put on OS 3 has accomplished away with the previous Put on OS app, which means firms need to drum up their very own companion apps. Montblanc did it with the Summit 3, and Fossil’s accomplished it right here, too. This places non-Google and non-Samsung Put on OS watches at a drawback. Google has the Pixel Watch app, whereas Samsung has the Galaxy Wearable app. For well being, they depend on the Fitbit and Samsung Well being apps. It’s not elegant to depend on a number of apps, however settings are straightforward to edit, and there are ample methods to view your day by day and historic well being information.

No offense to Fossil, however its app is skeletal. It appears fairly, and it’s greater than sufficient at swapping watchfaces and customizing Tiles. However viewing historic well being information is, to place it properly, unintuitive, and the minimalist information isn’t that helpful. Then once more, no less than you possibly can view well being information within the Fossil app at launch. You couldn’t with the Montblanc app after I examined, and I don’t have it anymore to test. 

The one “edge” Fossil’s acquired over Google and Samsung is that its model of Put on OS 3 is iOS suitable. However that is extra of a philosophical win for individuals who both double-wield Android and iOS telephones or like to change between the 2 platforms. iOS loyalists are more likely to go for an Apple Watch or possibly a Garmin in the event that they’re actually into health.

Over time, Fossil has tried to take the sting out of the not-so-great battery life on its watches. It was one of many first so as to add quick charging and a number of battery-saving modes. However it’s nearly 2023, and a smartwatch has acquired to final you thru the workday. This one not often did.

With the always-on show enabled, I used to be fortunate to make it to bedtime earlier than the watch robotically switched to considered one of its battery-saving modes. At some point, I had AOD on and took the watch off the charger at 9AM with one hundred pc. By 11:30AM, it was right down to 69 %. To this point, all I’d accomplished was sit at my desk and hop on the bus to go to work. I acquired extra mileage if I turned AOD off, however going for a 30-minute GPS run nonetheless meant I needed to high off the battery earlier than mattress if I wished to trace sleep.

On the very least, Fossil’s made it in order that the watches cost tremendous quick. You’ll be able to rise up to 80 % in half-hour. 

I attempted futzing round with some settings to see if I may stretch battery life additional, however that led me to a different one of many Wellness Version’s quirks. It could seemingly reset my settings after I caught it on the charger. Not each time, however usually sufficient to gaslight me. For instance, I all the time flip off sounds on smartwatches. My marriage depends upon it. My partner hates all kinds of digital dings, beeps, and bloops, however they particularly hate Fossil watch alerts. And but, the sounds stored turning again on. I really haven’t any clarification for it, and I hope it’s one thing Fossil fixes in future updates.

The Gen 6 Wellness Version isn’t notably good at wellness. Take SpO2, or blood oxygen, monitoring. As with the Apple Watch and Samsung Galaxy Watches, you possibly can take SpO2 spot checks with the Wellness Version. It’s a comparatively new addition to Fossil watches, which I used to be pleased to see because it was an indication that Fossil was making headway so far as superior well being monitoring goes.

Too unhealthy that the primary time I attempted it, the watch mentioned my SpO2 ranges have been at 83 %. For context, 95 to one hundred pc is taken into account normal, whereas anything below 90 percent is cause to hunt medical care. In fact, I attempted to see if this was a one-off, however the watch then failed to finish a number of subsequent readings. It stored telling me to put on my watch larger on the wrist and to regulate the strap, however neither appeared to make a distinction. (I additionally couldn’t have worn it any tighter — it was on the smallest potential strap gap.) I rebooted the watch, and that appeared to do the trick, however I nonetheless acquired extra errors than I often do with smartwatch SpO2 readings.

The opposite metric I’d been wanting ahead to was Cardio Health, or VO2 max. However regardless that I’ve been carrying this look ahead to over every week, I’ve but to get a rating. Fossil’s troubleshooting FAQ says that you need to be capable to get a rating in about 24 hours however that intermittent put on may imply taking up every week. I’ve been carrying this watch all day, every single day, apart from when it’s on the charger or when it dies whereas I’m out and about. I’m nonetheless solely 60 % of the best way to a Cardio Health rating. It’s not remarkable to attend that lengthy to gather sufficient information for a metric, however it’s longer than common for VO2 max. 

The Wellness Version can monitor sleep, but it surely’s not a great sleep tracker due to its poor battery life. A couple of instances, the watch had converted to time-only mode earlier than I wakened, regardless that I’d gone to mattress with no less than 40 %. (That’s the minimal most different smartwatches recommend for sleep monitoring.) The outcome was that my sleep information was unreliable as a result of the watch minimize sleep monitoring early. As an example, on an evening that my Apple Watch Extremely and Oura Ring tracked 7.5 hours of sleep, the Fossil tracked 4.5 hours. All three gadgets have been round 30–40 % charged, however solely the Fossil did not make it to the following morning. It doesn’t imply sleep monitoring is inconceivable — it simply means you’ve acquired to be way more conscious of battery ranges than you’ll with different gadgets. 

However, the Wellness Version was means higher at monitoring my outside runs than different current Fossil watches I’ve used.

Right here’s how GPS exams are likely to go along with Fossil watches. I strap it on, begin up the native health monitoring app, do my little run, and facepalm after I load up the recorded map. Often, there’s a stretch the place the GPS says I’m working within the East River or zigzagging by partitions like Kitty Pryde. Not this time. I went on two 30-minute runs, which I recorded on my telephone, the Gen 6 Wellness Version, the Garmin Fenix 7S Sapphire Solar, and the Apple Watch Ultra. The GPS maps corresponded throughout all 4 platforms, as did coronary heart price, tempo, and distance information. That’s a giant enchancment over the Fossil Gen 5 lineup. In any other case, coronary heart price, tempo, and distance information have been additionally on par throughout all 4 gadgets. 

I don’t count on a complete lot from Fossil watches on the well being and health entrance. That is nonetheless a vogue smartwatch, even whether it is known as the Wellness Version. So regardless that my outcomes right here have been extremely blended, I wouldn’t say that’s a serious con. So long as you’re conscious that these options aren’t the principle focus, you possibly can nonetheless use this look ahead to informal well being and exercise monitoring.

For the previous few years, I’ve instructed Android customers to attend for the following Fossil watch. I’m loath to offer that recommendation once more, however historical past appears to maintain repeating itself. As soon as once more, Fossil’s accomplished the perfect job it might to make lemonade out of Put on OS’s lemons. However older {hardware} and a less-finished model of Put on OS 3 hasn’t arrange any of the Gen 6 watches for fulfillment. 

That mentioned, in case you’re selecting between a Fossil Gen 6 (or the Skagen Falster 6, Michael Kors Gen 6, and so forth.) and the Gen 6 Wellness Version, I’d go along with this. Fossil has began rolling out Put on OS 3 to the vanilla Gen 6, however you’ll save time if it’s preloaded. Even when that’s not a priority, the Wellness Version has a extra elegant design, and the chrome steel case is a perk. I’d additionally positively choose this over the Montblanc Summit 3. Not solely will you save roughly $1,000, but it surely’s additionally a much less cumbersome watch, and the Fossil companion app is marginally higher, too.

However for the worth, you’re going to get a fuller expertise with the $280 Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 or the $350 Pixel Watch. Each these watches have a extra polished model of Put on OS 3, quicker processors, higher battery life (although it’s an in depth name with the Pixel Watch), and extra sturdy well being options. If you happen to’re prepared to pay $50 additional, you may also get mobile connectivity. 

Hopefully, Fossil lastly will get a extra even taking part in area with the Gen 7. Ideally, it’d get the brand new Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 Plus chip, and as soon as the Put on OS 3 transition nears completion, maybe there’ll be a extra uniform expertise throughout all Android smartwatches. (Trace trace, Google Assistant for everyone else, maybe?) Lord is aware of Fossil has had quite a lot of endurance with the Put on OS platform over time. It’d be good to see that repay — for them and the Android smartwatch ecosystem as a complete.