Razer x Fossil Gen 6 review: The Wear OS smartwatch you cannot get

The Razer x Fossil Gen 6 smartwatch, as its name implies, is a collaboration between the gaming giant and the fashion colossal.

Razer x Fossil Gen 6 smartwatch. (Photo: Razer)

Only 1,337 units of this limited edition smartwatch was available for purchase. Thankfully, I pulled some strings and managed to cop one for myself. It has since been sold out.

  • Price: S$549, sold out at Razer Store
  • Display: 1.28-inch AMOLED
  • Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 4100+ Platform
  • Connectivity: Bluetooth 5

Based on Fossil’s Gen 6 black stainless steel mesh model, this smartwatch features three exclusive Razer watch faces. And it comes with two 22mm custom-made Razer silicone bands in black and bright Razer green.

There are three Razer exclusive watch faces – Analog, Chroma and Text. (Photo: Trevor Tan)

In essence, it is very much a Razer-skinned Fossil Gen 6 smartwatch. In the inside, it is packed with Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon Wear 4100+ Platform built especially for Wear OS smartwatches. This chip is said to offer 30% performance bump over the Fossil Gen 5 smartwatch.

PROSCONS
Sleek designSold out
Accurate fitness featuresWear OS 3 readyPeriodic disconnections with smartphone
Wear OS 3 readyOne-day battery life

On the outside, it has a round black stainless steel case with a button on the two o’clock position and another button on the four o’clock position. You can customise these two buttons to your liking. But by default, the top button activates the Wellness app while the bottom button gives you Google Pay.

Sandwiched between these two buttons is a pushable rotatable crown that you can use to navigate the smartwatch’s interface. It also doubles as the Home button.

I think the watch looks simple but yet sleek at the same time. I prefer the black watch band to go with the black case for a complete stealthy look. With the right watch face, it can pass off as an analog watch. In fact, I think it is the best looking Fossil Gen 6 model (sorry, Fossil…).

I like the stealthy looks of this smartwatch. (Photo: Razer)

With Google’s Wear OS 2 powering the smartwatch, you can easily download tons of watch faces and change it to your heart’s delight. But I personally like the simple Razer Analog watch face. And I didn’t bother to change it ever since I have the watch.

In terms of notifications and taking calls, it works as you might expect from a latest-generation smartwatch. The display is responsive when swiped, while browsing through the Wear OS interface is a breeze.

The biggest downer though is the smartwatch having a habit of disconnecting with my Android smartphone from time to time. Once, I even have to unpair and reset the watch in order to re-connect it to my smartphone. Not to mention, its battery life is mediocre at only one day at best.

However, you will be happy to know that, like the Fossil Gen 6 models, this particular smartwatch is eligible for the Wear OS 3 update (whenever it is available). Hopefully, that will solve some issues it currently has.

But in terms of steps tracking and GPS-logged runs, this smartwatch works like a charm. There was only around a 100m difference to the distance I jogged based on the distance markers of a park connector.

The smartwatch has accurate fitness tracking features. (Photo: Razer)

Compared to my calibrated Apple Watch Series 7, this Razer smartwatch only differs by 2 per cent in terms of steps tracking. Sleep tracking is spot on as well. The smartwatch also has a SpO2 sensor that estimates your blood oxygen level.

If you like this design and missed out on this limited edition smartwatch, you can consider the Fossil Gen 6 smartwatch models here. You just don’t get the Razer watch faces and watch bands.

VERDICT: It is a shame that the Razer x Fossil Gen 6 smartwatch comes in a limited run. I think it would have sold more units, as it is the Wear OS smartwatch that many Android users would love. Of course, you can always go for the Fossil Gen 6 models. But I think this one has more sleek and character in it. I’m glad that I am one of the lucky 1,337.