Equipment andamp; Design The one advantage Wear OS has ever had over any of its rivals is in terms of design. With this platform, you can find a smartwatch design for just about anyone without sacrificing essential functionality.
The three iterations of Skagen’s Falster design that came before this one are among the most tasteful and versatile I’ve ever utilized on a smartwatch. The thin extended lugs on the spherical chassis look really stunning, and the chassis itself looks sharp. Three buttons are located off to the side, one of which is a rotating crown for navigation and the other two are fully programmable.
The Skagen Falster Gen 6 does an excellent job of incorporating the best features of earlier incarnations into this most recent design. Compared to earlier models, it is a little thicker, but it still functions well. It’s a design that, like earlier iterations, works in almost any situation. It works just as well in casual settings as it does in formal ones or when worn with formal attire.
HEALTH ANDAMP; SOFTWARE The Wear OS 2 that ships pre-installed on the Skagen Falster Gen 6 is, well, the same as it always is. Although Wear OS 2 offers a strong base for a smartwatch, it suffers from significant shortcomings in the areas of health, battery life, and extra functions. The fundamental navigation, notification, and app experiences are good, but Google can do much better with its upcoming update.
The Falster Gen 6 employs 20mm bands rather than the bigger 22mm bands because of its slightly smaller 41mm chassis, which is my favorite improvement to the hardware. It’s a size that, overall, I’ve found to be more comfortable for my wrists. Falster employs a common pin attachment, so you are able to replace the provided band with any other 20mm alternative you own or find online. The provided mesh band ended up making me immediately switch to a leather/silicone band because it was so unpleasant on my wrist. Although it would have been nice, Skagen did not transfer the silicone mesh band from the Falster 3 to the Falster 4. According to Fossil, there are no current, firm plans, but it could come at a later time.
Performance is where the Skagen Falster Gen 6 excels, though. The Snapdragon 4100 CPU has enough power to enable this smartwatch to run Google’s software without any stuttering or performance problems. Even the apps operate without issue. Although it’s unclear how a 4100 chip and 1GB of RAM would function with Wear OS 3, this smartwatch has been confirmed to support it, making it a good option if you’re seeking to get anything right now.
Although the business has no set date for the upgrade and we are unsure of what features Wear OS 3 will offer beyond the Galaxy Watch 4, Fossil is still hoping to get Wear OS 3 by the end of 2022.
When it comes to the foundations of a smartwatch, the Skagen Falster Gen 6 isn’t too far behind the Galaxy Watch 4. When compared to my Samsung watch, which I was experiencing numerous persistent troubles with, Skagen’s watch’s notifications are dependable and feel native for Android users. In my opinion, Google Assistant is more helpful than Bixby on the Samsung watch. I really adore Skagen’s watchfaces, particularly the standard green gradient. They have straightforward designs that complement the hardware well and are both useful and attractive.
Fitness is where Wear OS 2 really stumbles.
On the Skagen Falster Gen 6, the Fossils Wellness suite is regarded as the highlight of the workout program. The suite can monitor your blood oxygen levels, exercise, and sleep in a way that, according to Fossil, won’t drain your battery. However, I did discover that Wellness’ outcomes weren’t exactly great. My Fitbit’s sleep tracking was never as precise, and heart rate information was rarely comparable. The fact that Wellness doesn’t exist on your phone makes the situation worse. It merely dumps data into Google Fit, whose presentation of that data is likewise clumsy.
Actually, Wellness is merely there to fill in the gaps left by Google Fit’s current neglect of features like sleep tracking. Although it technically completes the task, it seems clumsy and is unlike using a Fitbit smartwatch or Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 4.
However, it’s not always Fossils’ fault. The business is making every effort to address the issues that Google has overlooked for years. As it is, the fitness experience on the Fossils lineup is one that is far from motivating if anything, and it just adds another hassle to dealing with when trying to get healthier. We can only hope that Wear OS 3 and the introduction of Fitbit can step in to save the day here.
BANDCAST LIFE The main challenge for Wear OS watches has always been endurance, and things aren’t getting much better now. According to my tests, the Skagen Falster Gen 6’s battery can last between 24 and 30 hours with moderate use, hundreds of daily alerts, Google Fit enabled, and minimal active app activity. Although it’s difficult to consider that excellent, it may be far worse. The battery life is sufficient for me to wear tilt all day without discomfort and squeeze in sleep tracking before waking up with about 10% of the energy remaining. Not amazing, but usable and in some ways superior than what I received on the larger Gen 6 model from Fossils.
However, the Skagen’s rapid charging time saves the day. The Gen 6 charger from Fossils is quick.
In the time it takes to wake up, take a shower, and get ready for the day, I’ve been able to quickly recharge my Skagen Falster Gen 6 from the 10% or so of battery that was left over from sleep tracking in the morning. I’m about 100 percent charged by the time I’m ready for work and have everything on. Of course, depending on how you usually start your day, your results may vary, but if you can go without your watch for around an hour, you’ll probably have a full charge. The Galaxy Watch 4 and practically every other smartwatch I’ve tested recently fall far short of the stated 80 percent in 30 minute claim made by Fossils. In its current state, Wear OS still has terrible battery life, but thanks to Fossils charging system, Skagen’s most recent design is more than functional.
LAST THOUGHTS NEW DAILY SMARTWATCH FOR ME The Skagen Falster Gen 6 smartwatch isn’t flawless. Its software is still subpar compared to what rivals are delivering, its battery life is just above the minimum, and the Wear OS health scenario is now a complete disaster.
Skagen’s offering is still, in my opinion, a solid one. Why? With the help of Google and Samsung working together, it offers a smartwatch-first experience with a helpful voice assistant, a good assortment of watchfaces, and an expanding app catalog. Because it will support Wear OS 3 later this year, it is also a smartwatch with a bright future.
The best endorsement I can provide to any product is that I’ll keep using it after the review period is through, and with the Skagen Falster Gen 6 I’m doing just that. Simply said, it’s a smartwatch that works for me, and I’ll use it for the foreseeable future. That does come with a significant asterisk, though. There is a Fitbit Inspire 2 on my other wrist because the health situation for Wear OS is so bad right now.
Look elsewhere, such as at the Fitbit Versa 3 or the Galaxy Watch 4, if health is your first priority. The Skagen Falster Gen 6 is most known for its excellent design and Android compatibility, and if that’s all you need, it’s worth buying. The watch is now shipping for $295.
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