The much anticipated Fossil Gen 6 has been announced and is set to start shipping later this month. It succeeds the popular Fossil Gen 5, and like the Gen 5E, Fossil Gen 6 comes in two sizes; 44mm and 42mm. The Gen 6 has a lot of similarities with the Gen 5, it has the same 1GB RAM and 8GB storage as Gen 5 plus a microphone, loudspeaker, and also shares the same health tracking features as the Gen 5. However, the Gen 6 powered by a more sophisticated Snapdragon 4100+ welcomes Spo2 tracking and features Bluetooth v5.0 for faster transfer and connectivity. In this post, we’re comparing the differences between Fossil Gen 5 vs 6 to find out what’s new.
Fossil Gen 5 vs 6: Full Specifications Compared
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Fossil Gen 5 vs 6 – Similar Features
Before we talk about the differences between Fossil Gen 5 and 6, let’s talk about similar features.
Design
Nothing much has changed with respect to design except that the Gen 6 comes in two sizes; 44mm and 42mm case size, while the Gen 5 is only available in 44mm case size. However, both Gen 5 and 6 have cases made of stainless steel. The straps can be swapped with compatible sizes, 18mm and 22mm for the 42mm and 44mm sizes respectively.
Just like Gen 5, Corning Gorilla Glass DX still protects the display of Gen 6, and both smartwatches are rated 3ATM which represents swim-proof up to 30 meters. That’s to say these two are waterproof going by that rating. So, you can wear any of these to the shower or pool.
Display
The display of both smartwatches is powered by AMOLED which is rich in colors and offers a vivid display. Touchscreen is supported on both smartwatches as well, and there are three physical buttons by the side on both smartwatches with the middle button acting as a rotating crown.
Fitness Tracking
Both Gen 5 and 6 are equipped with the same number of sensors. You will get heart rate tracking, sleep tracking, including tracking your daily activities like steps and calories burnt. You also get inbuilt GPS on both smartwatches as well as an altimeter for counting floors climbed.
Media and Storage
Both Gen 5 and 6 are equipped with an 8GB storage capacity that allows you to store your favorite track onboard. A microphone that allows you to access Google voice assistant and a loudspeaker that lets you play music aloud are onboard both watches. Moreover, You can make and receive calls with both smartwatches directly from the watch (phone must be nearby).
Managing Notifications
Both smartwatches will allow you to manage notifications received on your phone. You can enable notifications alerts for your favorite apps like WhatsApp, Gmail, and more. The ability to reply to notifications is supported on both smartwatches for only android phone users for now. Google Pay is also available and this will allow you to make payments directly from any of these two.
Fossil Gen 5 vs 6: What’s New?
The difference between these two is that Snapdragon 4100+ powers the Gen 6. Spo2 has also been added to the Gen 6, it comes with Bluetooth v5.0 and has a slightly longer battery life than Gen 5.
- Snapdragon 4100+ Powers Gen 6
- Fossil Gen 6 Has an Spo2 Sensor For Blood Oxygen Measurement
- Fossil Gen 6 has Bluetooth 5.0 for Faster Transfer and Connectivity
- Gen 6 Has a Slightly Longer Battery Life
While this might not being very cheerful news, it’s certainly a decent improvement from the Snapdragon 3100 chip which powers the Fossil Gen 5. The 4100+ is a 12nm chip compared to the 28nm process of the 3100 chip. It boasts a performance by up to 30%. It also features the QCC1110 co-processor introduced to the 3100 chip. This co-processor handles the always-on display mode feature and other small tasks, thereby saving you battery life.
Spo2 blood oxygen measurement has been introduced to Gen 6. It will allow you to measure your blood oxygen which can help you see how well your blood utilizes oxygen. This feature can come in handy in helping you understand how well you sleep and if you are climbing, it can help you know when to stop climbing. Although this feature is long overdue, it’s better late than never.
Another new feature of the Gen 6 is that it comes with Bluetooth 5.0 compared to Bluetooth 4.2 of its predecessor. This enables faster transfer allowing you to save time and battery life.
As a result of the 4100+ chip paired with 1GB RAM, the Gen 6 has slightly faster performance than its predecessor. Fossil claims a 30% boost in performance which will allow you to do more in lesser time. As a result, it has a slightly longer battery life than Gen 5.
Fossil Gen 5 vs 6: Should You Upgrade?
Snapdragon 4100+ doesn’t represent a significant difference. However, any boost in performance for a Wear OS smartwatch is highly welcomed on our end. Beyond that, Spo2 blood oxygen measurement is now available. If these and other few additions are worth more to you, then it’s worth upgrading.
On the other Gen 5 isn’t doing bad either. It’s undoubtedly the most popular Wear OS before the arrival of the Galaxy Watch 4. It’s a fine smartwatch and a comprehensive one loaded with lots of features.
Fossil Gen 6 Features
- It comes with a 1.28 inches Always-on AMOLED display with Corning Gorilla glass covering the screen. Navigation is via touchscreen and 3 physical buttons (2 push-in buttons and 1 rotating button).
- The case is made of stainless steel, same as the bezel. The 44mm size supports 22mm interchangeable straps.
- Comes with preloaded sport modes.
- You get access to lots of apps like Google Assistant, Google Play store, Spotify and more.
- Clock features include time/date, alarm, timer and stopwatch.
- Customize the watch face from available watch faces or download watch faces from the pool of many watch faces available on the app store.
- Find my phone, control music on Smartphone and also use remote camera to take photo.
- Keeps you connected to all that matters to you, so you never get to miss important notifications. You can also reply to messages (Android only).
- Rated 3ATM (swim-proof).
- Compatible with both Android 6.0+ and iOS 12.0+ devices.
- Inbuilt microphone supports Google Assistant and with a loudspeaker, you can make and receive calls directly from the phone via Bluetooth. Thus, you can make and receive calls directly from the watch, but your phone must be nearby.
- 8GB onboard storage capacity lets you take your music and playlists with you.
- Inbuilt NFC supports Google Pay that lets you make payment directly from the watch on the go.
- Custom battery saver modes allow you to get a little longer battery life.
- There are lots of preloaded apps like Google Assistant, Spotify and more to choose from.
Fossil Gen 6 Fitness Tracking Features
- It comes with inbuilt GPS that allow you track your outdoor activities like routes and location which can then be viewed from the companion app.
- It can track your sleep stages with the Fossil sleep tracking app.
- Heart rate monitor tracks your heart rate so you can see your heart rate in real-time and also get to manage the intensity of your training.
- Features lots of preset sport modes.
- Tracks your steps, distance, cardio level, calories and sedentary reminder.
- It is equipped with an altimeter that enable you manage and monitor elevation changes.
- It comes with a compass that can help you in navigating and finding your geographical orientation.
- NEW: It comes with an SpO2 sensor that enables you to measure blood oxygen levels – a critical indicator of how well your blood utilizes oxygen.
Fossil Gen 6 Pros
- Classy, stylish and durable design.
- 8GB music storage capacity.
- NFC onboard supports Google Pay.
- A fitness-focused smartwatch.
- Snapdragon 4100+ chip boosts performance.
- Inbuilt microphone and loudspeaker (make and receive calls from watch).
- Custom battery saver modes keeps you connected longer.
Fossil Gen 6 Cons
- Battery life is not so great.
- Quite heavy.
Fossil Gen 5E vs Gen 5
The Gen 5E is a lower-end edition of Gen 5, it has a lower storage capacity, lacks inbuilt GPS, lacks an altimeter, and lacks two physical buttons all present in Gen 5. However, it’s cheaper and comes in two sizes; 42mm and 44mm. Just like Gen 5, Gen 5E is fitness-focused housing a couple of sensors that enable tracking of steps, sleep, heart rate, and outdoor activities with connected GPS to phone. A Microphone and loudspeaker are also present on both smartwatches, this enables Bluetooth calling from the watch, and there is also Google Pay for payment directly from these two.
However, Snapdragon 3100 still powers the Gen 5E despite the release of the Snapdragon 4100 chip that powers Ticwatch Pro 3, this is quite unfortunate. Its good to note that the Fossil Gen 6 which succeeds Gen 5 is powered by the 4100 chip.
Fossil Gen 5E vs Gen 5: Full Specifications Compared
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Difference Between Fossil Gen 5E and Gen 5
The difference between the Gen 5E and Gen 5 is that the latter comes with an altimeter that enables elevation monitoring, it also has an inbuilt GPS for outdoor activity tracking, a slightly larger display, and a higher 8GB storage capacity. On the other hand, Gen 5E lacks inbuilt GPS but can track your outdoor activities via connected GPS to your phone. It also lacks an altimeter and has a smaller 4GB storage capacity.
There is only one physical button on Gen 5E compared to Gen 5 which has three buttons, thus giving more ways to navigate the device.
Nevertheless, Gen 5E which comes in two sizes; 42mm and 44mm, gives you more options to choose your preferred choice unlike Gen 5 which is only available in one size.
Fossil Gen 5E vs Gen 5 – Which is Better?
The Gen 5 is clearly a better smartwatch, it has a higher storage capacity, altimeter, larger display, and inbuilt GPS but will cost you more. On the other hand, Gen 5E is cheaper and is available in two sizes, 44mm and 42mm which gives you the option of choosing the right size for you.