IFA 2018: Skagen’s Falster 2 brings subtle design and hefty functionality upgrades
Skagen has launched Falster 2, today, the next generation of its touchscreen display smartwatch. The device comes with design updates, heart rate tracking, GPS, NFC payments, rapid charging, swim-proofing and more.
Essential reading: Top fitness trackers and health gadgets
“The Falster 2 represents everything Skagen stands for: beautiful, design-focused products that are functional for the way people live,” says Frederik Thrane, creative director for Skagen.
“An appreciation of simplicity and a thoughtful approach to how your time is spent are key elements in the Danish way of life—and we capture them in our smartwatches through minimalist execution and customizable function.”
Just 9 months after the debut of its predecessor, Falster 2 is inheriting Fossil Group’s 4th Generation technology. We’ve already seen similar upgrades on Fossil’s Q Explorist HR, Q Venture HR, as well as the Michael Kors Access Runway.
The design tweaks mean the watch diameter has shrunk by 2mm to 40mm. There are new minimalist watch dials and two customizable push buttons. These can be programmed to perform tasks such as providing quick access to often used apps.
The biggest design tweak, however, is the water-resistant casing. You’ll be able to use Falster 2 come rain or shine and it will track your swim sessions, too.
The Wear OS device is also inheriting some serious fitness smarts. In addition to tracking your steps, distance, sleep and activity, Skagen’s new smartwatch will keep tabs on your heart rate. There is built-in GPS as well, something those serious about exercising outdoors will appreciate.
Finally, the watch also comes with NFC technology. This will allow users to make on-the-go payments via Google Pay.
Unfortunately, Folster 2 comes with the ageing Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 platform. Now some two years old, we are expecting its successor in the next month or two.
The bump in specs means that battery life is only about 24 hours on a single charge. The good news is the gizmo has rapid charging functionality. Plugging it in for an hour will get the battery back to full capacity.
Falster 2 starts at $275. It starts shipping on September 12th.
Like this article? Subscribe to our monthly newsletter and never miss out!
