Fossil Gen 6 Smartwatch revealed with a distant Wear OS 3 promise

Fossil this morning announced its next-generation smartwatch, simply called the Gen 6 Touchscreen Smartwatch. While Fossil's latest smartwatch may have a rather basic name, it seems to offer most of the features we expect from smartwatches these days. Moreover, the Fossil Gen 6 Smartwatch comes with the promise that it will be upgraded to Wear OS 3 at some point next year.

There's a lot of anticipation riding behind that Wear OS 3 release, as it sees Google and Samsung combining aspects of both Wear and Tizen into one unified operating system. Having confirmation that the Fossil Gen 6 Touchscreen Smartwatch will receive that Wear OS 3 update next year be the assurance prospective buyers need to take the plunge.

In any case, Fossil says its new smartwatch comes outfitted with the Snapdragon Wear 4100+ platform, and it's the first smartwatch to use the platform, according to Qualcomm. Like a number of smartwatches on the market today, the Gen 6 Smartwatch offers heart rate tracking, sleep tracking, and a SpO2 sensor for tracking blood oxygen levels. The Gen 6 also has a 1.28-inch touchscreen display and will be available in 42mm and 44m case sizes.

The Gen 6 watch is swim-proof up to 3 ATM and comes with an onboard speaker and microphone that can be used to make calls or talk to Google Assistant when the smartwatch is tethered to a smartphone. While we don't have specifics about the battery in the Gen 6 Smartwatch, Fossil does say that it can last for a full 24 hours when Fossil's Smart Battery mode is turned on. With Extended Battery Mode, Fossil says that battery life stretches into multiple days, but again, that isn't a very specific timeframe.

While we may not have a precise battery size, Fossil does say that the Gen 6 Smartwatch can be charged up to 80% in 30 minutes, though unfortunately, we're not sure how long it takes to achieve a full charge. The Fossil Gen 6 Smartwatch is up to pre-order today from Fossil's website in seven different colors – three for 42mm and four for 44mm. Prices range from $219 to $319, with shipping currently slated for the end of September.