The Skagen Falster 3 is a smartwatch with style to spare, but has it also got the fitness features you need to get the most from working out?
What we love — an eye catching design with a great battery and performance
This smartwatch is essentially a fashionable makeover of the Fossil Gen 5, and so you won’t be surprised to hear that it is indeed a good-looking timepiece, that’s elegant yet striking, and can be worn comfortably as a fashion accessory. In fact, we’d call it the best-looking Wear OS watch to date.
Fortunately there’s more to it than just its appearance. The battery, for one thing, is pretty good for a Wear OS device, and will last you a few days if you’re careful to implement the Extended battery mode (though it’s not likely to get you through a marathon if you’ve got GPS turned on).
The relatively powerful chipset means that everything runs very smoothly on this watch, and useful features include Google Pay, active heart-rate monitoring, and untethered GPS tracking. That makes it great for keeping track of your steps, even if rival Garmin products might be able to analyse your workouts in a bit more detail.
What we don’t like — Fiddly to adjust, dull watch face designs
Although the casing certainly looks the part, we found that the exclusive watch faces that come pre-installed with the Falster 3 are incredibly bland. That’s a shame, because the screen itself is nice and sharp, and always very clear to read.
Another finickity problem arises with the adjustment of the loop; it’s not as simple as a buckle or Milanese loop, so you might find yourself struggling a bit to make sure you’ve got the perfect fit.
Verdict
If you’re after a Wear OS watch that features a decent battery, bright screen and can also be used as a fashionable timepiece, then the Skagen Falster 3 has you covered. Its eye-catching design puts it at an advantage over its somewhat utilitarian-looking rivals, but the strap is a bit fiddly and the pre-installed watch faces don’t live up to the standard set by the swish casing.
