I got to spend some time with both the Razer watch and the new Skagen Falster - the 4100-chip does make a significant difference in performance and battery life over the 3100-powered Gen 5 watches. (You generally want 5ATM of water resistance for the pool.) The Skagen Falster Gen 6 is powered by the faster Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 4100+ platform.
They both also have 3ATM of water resistance, meaning they’re safe enough for the shower and rainy days but not entirely swim-proof. The 4100+’s greater power efficiency also means you can finally use Fossil smartwatches for sleep tracking, though you still have to charge daily. In a world where smartwatches keep getting bigger, it’s refreshing to see a watch stay small.īoth watches feature the same health features - a new SpO2 sensor, sleep tracking, and Fossil’s new Wellness app. Fossil says the more powerful 4100+ chip meant it was possible to cram more features while maintaining the Falster’s 42mm case size.
RAZOR TKEYBOARD GAMING MODE UPGRADE
The main upgrade here is it adds the 4100+ chip and six colorways. If the Razer watch is a gamer version of the Gen 6, the new Skagen Falster is the Gen 6 with a Danish minimalism veneer. (And who can forget that Razer also once tried to launch its own ill-fated line of fitness bands and a not-so-smart smartwatch?) As for why Razer wanted to collaborate on a smartwatch, Fossil says it ties back into the gaming company’s recent efforts to promote mental health and wellness in e-sports. However, it didn’t rule out collaborating with Razer again down the line. Like Fossil’s other watches, it’s capable of fast charging, meaning you can get 80 percent battery in 30 minutes.įossil demurred as to whether it would re-release the watch if it proved popular, saying that nothing was 100 percent planned. It’s got also got a 1.28-inch color touchscreen, built-in GPS, and contactless payments. The Razer X Fossil smartwatch is basically the same as the Gen 6, which means it’s a Wear OS watch with a faster Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 4100+ chip. While Garmin launched an esports fitness watch in late 2020 that lets you track esports activities and stream your biometrics on Twitch, you shouldn’t expect that here. That’s pretty much the extent of what makes this a “gamer” smartwatch unless you count the fact that there’ll only be 1,337 of these available for purchase. The Razer X Fossil Gen 6 (left) and the Skagen Falster Gen 6 Photo by Victoria Song / The Verge The 44mm watch comes with a matte black case and two interchangeable straps: black and a spectacularly neon green. One is an analog face with the Razer logo, the other spells out the time in a Razer-inspired font. It’s technically not RGB, but you can enable “breathe” and “wave” lighting patterns, so it’s the next best thing. It does, however, come with three Razer-branded watch faces - including a “Chroma” face that you can customize to match Razer’s other Chroma products. Given the circumstances, this year, Fossil is keeping it relatively simple with a limited-edition Razer smartwatch and an updated version of the Skagen Falster.īefore you ask, no, the Razer X Fossil Gen 6 smartwatch does not come with RGB lighting. Google and Samsung announced a new unified version of Wear OS, but the catch was that non-Samsung watches - including Fossil’s - won’t be eligible for an upgrade until mid to late 2022. Fossil usually shows up to CES with a hoard of smartwatches, but last year was a weird one for Wear OS.