The Skagen Falster Gen 6 looks basically the same as its predecessor
The design of a product is the first thing you notice when you get it out of the box, so that’s the first thing we’ll talk about here. The variant that arrived for review is the ‘Midnight Silicone’ model. There are several different options that you can choose from at Skagen’s website, though. This particular variant combines a black body with a black silicone strap. There are also variants with a leather band, and a stainless steel mesh band, with a different frame color. The chassis of this smartwatch is made out of metal. It has that industrial design that we’re used to when it comes to Skagen, and it basically looks like its predecessor, the Skagen Falster 3. The two watches offer the same design, basically. Skagen included three physical buttons on this smartwatch, and all of them are placed on the right. The middle button doubles as a rotating crown, and it works great. The buttons are very tactile. The watch is quite comfortable to wear, and it’s not too thick. This silicone band is also very comfortable, though it attracts dust, hair and various other things like nobody’s business. I constantly have to clean it, though that’s something I’m used to when it comes to silicone bands. The Skagen Falster Gen 6 is actually quite light, and it actually feels great to wear.
The Snapdragon Wear 4100+ is included, and the performance is great
Now, this watch may look like its predecessor from the outside, but Skagen did improve its specs. It is fueled by the Snapdragon Wear 4100+, the most compelling SoC for wearables from Qualcomm. This processor, in combination with the other internals, kept Google’s software running really smoothly. I’ve had issues with Wear OS performance in the past, but that was not the case here. In fact, the performance was excellent on the Falster 3 as well. In the last couple of days, since I’ve been using it, I haven’t witnessed considerable lag. It did skip a beat on one occasion, but that’s perfectly normal. Other than that, the performance was really smooth. I did use it quite a bit, actively, since I put it on my wrist, trying to get it to slow down. But it did not, which is a great sign. The Snapdragon Wear 4100+ is a really capable SoC, and it seems like the software optimization is also in place here.
The battery life is not stellear, but it’ll get you through the day
Wear OS watches are not exactly well-known for their excellent battery life. Well, the same goes for this watch. Don’t get me wrong, the battery life is not horrible, by any means, and it will get you through the day just fine. You will have to put it on a charger every day, though, most probably. Even with lighter use, I’m not sure if you’ll be able to get two days out of it, maybe. With my, rather intense use, I was able to get through the day just fine. Do note that I’ve been using it for a couple of days thus far, so these are definitely not final results. I’m interested in seeing how will the watch behave moving forward. The good news is that it charges really fast. This watch will actually charge twice as fast as the Falster 3, so even if you end up having to charge it in the middle of the day, that shouldn’t be a problem. Skagen is, unfortunately, sticking to a proprietary charger, and wireless charging is not included here. I was expecting wireless charging in this model, but that didn’t happen.
Wear OS runs great on this watch
Some of you are probably wondering why doesn’t this watch ship with Wear OS 3, the latest version of Google’s wearable OS. Well, because Samsung got the exclusive on it, apparently. The Galaxy Watch 3 is the only watch to ship with that OS, and with Samsung’s skin on top of it. Do note that the Skagen Falster Gen 6 will get the update this year, but we’re not sure when exactly. The rumors said that watches are expected to start getting the update from mid-year, but we’re not sure when it’s coming to the Falster Gen 6. It would be great to see it arrive as soon as possible, though the Wear OS 2 will serve you just fine on this watch. It runs much better than on most other watches out there, that’s for sure. The Skagen Falster Gen 6 is also “swimproof”, so you can take it for a swim to keep track of your fitness data. Considering it’s swimproof, you can also get caught in the rain with it without a problem. The full review of this smartwatch is coming soon. I’ll focus on writing it as soon as I spend enough time with the watch.
