Skagen has recently launched the Falster Gen 6 in India and unlike a number of premium Android smartwatches, this one is about the aesthetics. However, with the Snapdragon Wear 4100+ platform, faster charging and more, is this new watch in the market as hungry for power as it is for attention? Read our full review to know more.
Skagen Falster Gen 6: What’s good?
Design
The Skagen Falster Gen 6 was built to be an eye-turner, and that’s clear right from the moment you have a look at the main packaging of the watch that features a clear lid so you can look at the device and its Nordic design elements before even opening the package.
The watch comes with a circular metal dial with three buttons on one side. The body feels a little thick compared to the size of the dial here (42mm) but that somehow doesn’t take away from the look of the watch. You have 20mm straps here and they’re really interesting for a couple of reasons.
The Skagen Falster Gen 6 is a gorgeous watch to look at. (Image Source: The Indian Express/ Chetan Nayak)
First, the thin metal bars that attach the dial to the straps look like they’re fixed, like a vintage timepiece. However, straps can be detached towards the end of these metal bars, which means you can add any custom 20mm straps here. Secondly, the leather-like finish on top of the straps transition to a rubberised bottom. This gives you the look of a leather strap with the feel and grip of a more sports-oriented watch underneath, and that’s really great.
The dial and buttons complement each other very well and just ooze premium looks, something which can be said about the entire assembly here. Wearing the Falster Gen 6 on my wrist sometimes made me want to change from my casual outfits to something fancier despite the summer heat. If looks could make you dress better, this is it.
Display
Coming to the more technological aspects of the Falster Gen 6, we have a 1.28-inch 416×416 AMOLED panel here that supports 326 PPI and Always-On display. The display can get bright enough to be seen under direct sunlight and you can choose between automatic and manual brightness modes as needed.
The Always-On display feature is really handy but also affects battery life significantly. (Image Source: The Indian Express/ Chetan Nayak)
The quality of the panel is also good here, and colours look on par with good AMOLED display panels on smartphones. Viewing angles are not an issue here either. The entire panel is touch enabled, allowing you to navigate throughout Wear OS using gestures, while items can be selected and text can be typed with simple taps.
Typing on this tiny screen when replying to texts was more accurate than I expected, but yes, it is time-consuming. If you must type more than a few words when replying, it might just be faster to pull out your phone and respond.
Software and features
You get Wear OS 2.3 with the Falster Gen 6 and using the watch won’t feel very different if you have used other Wear OS watches before. If you haven’t, the learning curve may take you a few days to get used to. You get classic Wear OS gestures and other elements here, along with a few Skagen additions.
The Watch runs on Wear OS 2.3 and is eligible for a Wear OS 3 update. (Image Source: The Indian Express/ Chetan Nayak)
These include a number of the brand’s own watchfaces which can be heavily customised. Certain watchfaces let you change the colour of all elements in the face. When I mean change colour, I don’t mean choosing from a dozen presets. Instead the watch offers you a full colour wheel to choose from. If you’re big on matching your watchface to the colours you’re wearing, this is good news.
The Watch lets you customise watchfaces completely, with precise colour options. (Image Source: The Indian Express/ Chetan Nayak)
The watch also gets a customised charging animation and Fossil’s own Wellness app. The buttons on the side of the watch can be set to open up the app of your choice so you have quick access to your most frequently used tools at the press of a dedicated button.
The watch allows you to download music to the watch itself that you can listen to. This is possible thanks to 8GB onboard storage.
There are your usual health sensors for heart-rate, sleep tracking and even an SPO2 sensor has been added. However, fitness freaks may find the options a little underwhelming compared to wearables more oriented for outdoor activities, like the Garmin Fenix series. This however, works for the watch, which isn’t trying to compete in that segment. Regardless, it’s nice to have a wide range of sensors to track these elements when you do want to.
The watch comes with all the popular fitness sensors, but workouts and tracking is not the priority here, so the experience can be limiting. (Image Source: The Indian Express/ Chetan Nayak)
Apart from this, the watch is also eligible for a Wear OS 3 update, that is expected to come in the second half of the year, although no exact date has been provided yet.
Charging
While the watch may not have the best battery life (more on that below), it does have a good charger. Even though this is a magnetic charging dock with four magnetic pins, you will not be left aligning the magnetic pins when charging this watch as the back of the dial features a full magnetic ring instead of pins. This lets you place the watch on the charger at any angle and charging will always work.
The watch also charges quickly. While Skagen claims 80 per cent juice in 30 minutes, I left the watch on the charging dock for a little less than an hour every morning and got a fully charged battery.
Skagen Falster Gen 6: What’s not good?
The battery life is not particularly bad here, but the Skagen Falster Gen 6 still comes with the single-day battery life most Wear OS watches are synonymous with. I managed to get a full day of usage with the watch, but had to charge it again the next morning without fail on most days.
Thankfully, charging is fast, but don’t forget your adapter if you’re off on a weekend-long trip. The lack of wireless charging may also be a deal-breaker for some.
You only get proprietary charging with the watch and there’s no wireless charging support. (Image Source: the Indian Express/ Chetan Nayak)
Another think is the size of the watch. The single 42mm variant looks great on most wrists, but if you are a fan of bigger dials, you may not like the Falster Gen 6 for its smaller demeanor.
Verdict: Is the Skagen Falster Gen 6 for you?
At Rs 21,995, the Skagen Falster Gen 6 is priced close to other watches like the Fossil Gen 6. However, the focus here is clearly more on the aesthetics, and the watch is less about fitness-tracking or what the watch can and cannot do.
Hence, we’d recommend considering the Skagen Falster Gen 6 as a fashion piece on your wrist that doubles up as a smartwatch. If you’re inclined more towards features and versatility, consider the Fossil Gen 6, which is a more well-rounded pick, or the Galaxy Watch 4, which is arguably the best premium smartwatch for Android users right now. Both of these are priced just a little above the Falster Gen 6.
