Massive Fossil Gen 6 leak reveals ‘way faster’ watch with upgraded chipset

The Snapdragon Wear 4100+ has a notable advantage over the non-Plus variant.

What you need to know

• The Fossil Gen 6 just got its first major leak.
• Images show a design similar to its previous Gen 5 series watches.
• The smartwatch may be the first Wear OS watch to feature the Snapdragon Wear 4100+ chipset.
• Fossil may launch Gen 6 by the end of September.

While the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 grabs its moment in the spotlight, Fossil is preparing to launch its “way faster” next-generation smartwatch. Thanks to a new leak, we might finally have an idea of what to expect from the Fossil Gen 6.

Images of the Fossil Gen 6 emerged from WinFuture, which shows a smartwatch with a design, not unlike the Gen 5e smartwatch. It looks like it will feature a ridged stainless steel casing and a rotating crown flanked by two buttons. The watch is said to feature a 1.28-inch OLED display with a 416×416 resolution. There will likely be 42mm and 44mm case sizes, two different styles, and several colorways.

One small but notable change comes to the charging rings on the back of the watch, which look like they are held more firmly in place by the chassis. A common issue for Fossil’s previous smartwatches was the charging ring coming off, which looks like a simple and hopefully effective solution.

Spec-wise, the Fossil Gen 6 is said to be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 4100+, which could make it the first Wear OS watch to feature the Plus variant of the chipset. This differs from the standard variant with the additional co-processor that will help run the low-power and ambient features like an always-on display, sleep tracking, and some health monitoring. This should help to make it more efficient, especially compared to the Snapdragon 3100 found in Fossil’s current batch of smartwatches.

Some of the best Wear OS watches like the Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 3 GPS are powered by the non-Plus variant of the chipset and manage to run very smoothly, so this gives high hopes for the Fossil Gen 6. That said, battery life may be rated at just 24-hours in full-smartwatch mode, which may come short of Mobvoi’s offerings. Fossil tends to offer various battery modes, though, and may offer an energy-saving mode that “should last for several days,” according to WinFuture.

Other specs include built-in GPS, Bluetooth 5, and 8GB of storage, although there’s no word on RAM. It should also come with the bevy of health monitoring features found in many of the best Android smartwatches.

According to WinFuture, the device may be launched on or around September 27, and pricing may come in at around €299 or €329, at least in Germany. It’s unknown if there will be an LTE model available, and while Fossil’s upcoming smartwatch is expected to run Wear OS 3, the update may not arrive until next year.

The new Wear OS

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4

From $250 at Best Buy (Galaxy Watch 4)
From $250 at Amazon (Galaxy Watch 4)
From $350 at Best Buy (Watch 4 Classic)
From $350 at Amazon (Watch 4 Classic)

Wear OS at its best

The Galaxy Watch 4 is the first smartwatch to run the new Wear OS powered by Samsung. Thanks to its powerful new chip, Samsung’s new wearable can take Wear OS to the next level with new seamless integration and better app experiences.