Fossil Gen 6 Hybrid Smartwatch Review: Feature-Rich, Classy Yet Bulky

In The Box

The best thing about the packaging of Fossil smartwatches is the transparent case at the top. It not only sets the brand apart from the numerous brands out there but also shows the stunning looks of its offerings even before unboxing. In the box, we have the Fossil Gen 6 smartwatch, a charging cable with the propriety tech of the brand, and some necessary documentation. I have received the Machine variant with a Black strap.

 

Fossil Gen 6 Hybrid Is Bulky Yet Classy

Fossil's experience in making watches is evident as you take a look at this latest offering. It is a good-looking and classy smartwatch I have reviewed in recent times. The Gen 6 Hybrid is available in Machine and Stella designs. The unit at I received is mostly aimed at men and flaunts a 45mm case size and offers Black, Smoke, and Silver color choices for buyers.

The Fossil Gen 6 Hybrid lacks a touchscreen display as it is not a typical smartwatch but a hybrid offering. There is a trio of buttons at the right of the dial to operate the machine. The button at the center is quite standard and it is for pairing and selection purposes. This is something that we have seen on the Gen 6 and Gen 5 models as well. Besides, there are two buttons at the top and bottom of the right edge of the dial to navigate through the various features and settings.

While I like the strap on the Fossil Gen 6 Hybrid, be it any material, the metal strap on this offering is quite premium. I have used a couple of smartwatches from the company and the want bands do not degrade in quality with use and offer good comfort levels. However, if you want to swap the bands, then you can do it with ease. The one aspect that I did not feel good about this offering is its dial, which doesn't give it a smartwatch feel and it looks more like a conventional watch.

Besides, the device is pretty bulky and it might not suit all users. It can become a sophisticated fashion accessory and will not be ideal for those who exercise due to its metallic straps and heavy build.

Display Is Viewable

The Fossil Gen 6 Hybrid flaunts a 1.1-inch circular E-ink display with backlights and a resolution of 240 x 240 pixels. It offers great sunlight visibility and helps the smartwatch to save some power. Unlike the Android Wear OS-powered smartwatches, this one does not support any watch faces and it is acceptable as it is a Hybrid variant.

The display can protect the smartwatch from accidental drops and scratches but with 10 days of use, I could see a few minor scratches on the dial. However, these scratches can be avoided by installing a screen protector. If you are planning to use the Fossil Gen 6 Hybrid for a long term, I would suggest that you install a screen protector to maintain its new look. Notably, there is a backlight that can be enabled from the settings menu but I did not notice a great difference even with it turned on.

Companion App For Pairing

The pairing process of the Fossil Gen 6 Hybrid is quite easy. You just have to download and install the proprietary Fossil smartwatch app on your smartphone. There is a QR code seen on the dial during setup to make it easy. Now, you need to open the app and follow the instructions to add the watch. Also, you will have to press and hold the center button on the smartwatch and accept the request for pairing.

Once the smartwatch is paired with your smartwatch, you can play around with the settings and turn some features on and off as per your requirements and let the notifications display on your watch.

Performance Is Acceptable

During my review, I did not witness any sort of lag or stutter while using the Fossil Gen 6 Hybrid smartwatch. The watch usually connects to the paired smartphone via Bluetooth. You might miss out on some of your favorite apps on the Wear OS as it is a hybrid smartwatch. Another bummer is that it does not have the feature to answer calls but it does display notifications flawlessly.

In terms of voice assistant, there is support for Alexa. Given that it is a Wear OS device, it could have been better with the Google Assistant. It also includes the usual health-centric features that are found on most fitness bands. This includes sleep tracking, step tracking, SpO2 for bloody oxygen monitoring, continuous heart monitoring, and more. When trying out these features, there were slight differences in the metrics such as pedometer and blood oxygen levels.

When it comes to the battery life, the Fossil Gen 6 Hybrid comes with a battery that can last up to 14 days, as claimed by the company. The proprietary charging technology of Fossil delivers 80% of charge in just one hour of charging the smartwatch. In that aspect, this smartwatch is quite respectable but in my usage, it delivered close to 10 days of usage on using it continuously. Again, the battery life does depend on a lot of factors like the number of notifications, and screen on time.

One flaw that I noticed during my review is that there was a slight shock-like vibration while I had plugged the smartwatch for charging and accidentally touched it. This is the first time I faced such an instance in a smartwatch that has a metallic strap given that I have reviewed a couple of them earlier.

Verdict

Overall, the Fossil Gen 6 Hybrid is definitely one of the good-looking smartwatches available in India, and it brings along a lot of functionalities except for its bulky build. For fashion-conscious users, the Fossil offering goes great with both formal and casual dressing. Unlike the Apple Watch, Fossil's offering can be used with either an Android phone or an iPhone. If you are looking for a smartwatch that shows you all metrics and provides a good user experience except for a few flaws, then you can opt for the Gen 6 Hybrid.