Google has teamed up with Masimo and Qualcomm to create an innovative reference smartwatch platform, aimed at simplifying and accelerating the process for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to bring new Google Wear OS-powered smartwatches to market. This strategic partnership emerges as notable brands like Fossil and Casio have recently stepped away from producing Wear OS watches, indicating a potential gap in the market for new players.
This upcoming wearable promises a powerful core, uniting Qualcomm’s Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 system-on-a-chip (SoC) with Masimo’s advanced health-tracking sensors. The Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 boasts impressive features, including four ARM Cortex A53 processor cores, an Adreno 702 GPU, LTE modem, and support for Wi-Fi 4 and Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity. These robust specs suggest the new smartwatches will deliver a smooth and connected user experience.
Health monitoring is a significant focus of the new reference design, with the biosensors mirroring those found in the highly anticipated Masimo Freedom smartwatch. These sensors were central to the legal challenges that led to an import ban on certain Apple Watches. The smartwatch is expected to offer a range of health tracking capabilities, including hydration level, blood oxygen saturation, respiration rate, heart rate, and step count. However, it appears that features like ECG and blood pressure monitoring will not be included at launch.
Masimo emphasizes that while the reference smartwatch will come as a standardized package, OEMs will have the flexibility to customize the physical design and user interface, allowing them to inject their brand’s unique style and features into the wearable. This customizable approach means that these smartwatches will be a unique offering under each OEM’s brand despite their shared core technologies.
As of now, the specifics regarding which companies will adopt this reference platform and the timeline for the market debut of these new wearables remain under wraps. The collaboration signals a promising future for the wearables market, potentially revitalizing interest and innovation in Google Wear OS smartwatches. Stay tuned for more updates as this exciting venture unfolds.
