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Qualcomm confirms which chips are "capable" of supporting Google's new Wear OS version
Qualcomm has confirmed to XDA which of its Snapdragon Wear platforms are capable of supporting Wear OS 3.0. Here's what that means for you.
Wear OS is about to get its biggest upgrade in years. At last month's I/O developer conference, Google announced that it had partnered with Samsung to develop a "unified platform" that combined "the best of Wear OS and Tizen." The new software update, internally called Wear OS 3.0, will bring a new design, new health and fitness features, new apps, and a lot more to the platform. Both Fitbit (owned by Google) and Samsung have confirmed that they're building new smartwatches on top of the updated platform, but there's an open question about what's going to happen to smartwatches from other brands.
Skagen's new hybrid smartwatch has an always-on e-ink display
Skagen's new Jorn Hybrid HR hybrid smartwatch has an always-on e-ink display that helps the smartwatch achieve a battery life of up to 2 weeks on a single charge.
Skagen's Falster 3 smartwatch from last year is easily among the best WearOS-powered smartwatches that you can buy today. However, priced at around $300, the smartwatch isn't the best option for the budget-conscious. This is why Skagen has now unveiled a new hybrid smartwatch, called the Jorn Hybrid HR, which offers most of the crucial fitness tracking features found on the Falster 3 at a more affordable price.
Fossil's Gen 5 LTE smartwatch goes official starting at $349
Fossil has released a new model in its Gen 5 Wear OS smartwatch line. The new Fossil Gen 5 LTE models start at $349.
Last month, we caught wind of Fossil's plan to launch its first LTE-enabled smartwatch. Documents submitted to the FCC revealed few details about the smartwatch, so it wasn't clear if Fossil Group was planning on launching a new lineup or a new entry to its existing Gen 5 line. Today, we have an answer. The new Fossil Gen 5 LTE smartwatch has essentially the same hardware as the other models in the Gen 5 line, but it adds LTE connectivity so you can use it as a standalone device while on-the-go.
Montblanc brings its luxury Summit 2+ smartwatch with LTE to Verizon
After unveiling the Summit 2+ earlier this year in March, Montblanc has now finally launched the LTE smartwatch to the US with Verizon.
Earlier this year in March, German luxury goods manufacturer Montblanc unveiled the Summit 2+ smartwatch. The WearOS-powered watch followed Montblanc's Summit 2 from 2018, and it featured the same design as its predecessor. However, the new smartwatch featured a slightly larger 43.5mm case, a bigger 440mAh battery, and LTE support. At the time, Montblanc had announced that the watch would be available through Verizon in the US and Orange/Vodafone in Europe. But since its launch, the watch has only been available on Orange in Europe. Months after the official announcement, US residents can now finally purchase the Summit 2+ through Verizon.
Fossil Gen 5E are new Wear OS smartwatches with Qualcomm's Snapdragon Wear 3100
The Fossil Gen 5E series of Wear OS smartwatches come in two sizes and retail for just $249 — but they feature Qualcomm's last gen processor.
Fossil on Monday introduced the Gen 5E series, a lineup of new Wear OS smartwatches that start at just $249. The new wearables are essentially paired-down versions of last year’s Gen 5 series, and come in two different sizes and a variety of colors.
[Update 2: Snapdragon 730G] Xiaomi shows off Mi Watch UI and Mi CC9 Pro's 50x zoom capability
Rounding up the teasers from Weibo, Xiaomi is showing off the UI on the Mi Watch, called MIUI for Watch, and the Mi CC9 Pro's 50x digital zoom. Check it out
Xiaomi is in full teaser mode for the launch of its upcoming smartphone, smartwatch and smart TV, as the company continues to drip-feed information about the products before the official unveiling. Taking to its official Weibo channels, Xiaomi has revealed more information on the products, as well as shown some of their highlight features.
Fossil Sport is the first affordable smartwatch with the Snapdragon Wear 3100
Now that the Snapdragon Wear 3100 is available, Fossil is the first one to put it in an affordable device with the Fossil Sport smartwatch.
We've been talking about the Snapdragon Wear 3100 chipset for all throughout the year. Google is said to be leveraging this new wearable SoC in upcoming smartwatches and then there were rumors about the chip being used in devices other than smartwatches (think the successor to Google Glass). Finally, just two months ago Qualcomm officially announced the Snapdragon Wear 3100 platform and gave us a lot of details about its improvements over the predecessor. So now that the chips are available for vendors to put into their products, Fossil is the first one to put it in an affordable device as they have just announced the Fossil Sport smartwatch.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 3100 Platform is here to bring better battery life to Wear OS smartwatches
The Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 3100 platform has been announced. It's the latest chipset designed to bring better battery life to Wear OS smartwatches.
While much of our attention has been focused on the latest smartphone innovations, wearables have quietly been doing great. IDC projects the shipment of wearable devices to double by 2021, and by 2022, smartwatches are projected to account for 40% of all shipments of wearable devices. Much of the growth is thanks to the success of the Apple Watch brand even though the number of smartwatches running the Wear OS platform continues to grow. Wear OS smartwatches just don't offer the kind of battery life you'll get from smartwatches running Apple's watchOS or Samsung's Tizen OS, and that's because Wear OS smartwatches have mostly been using the old Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 platform. Today, the Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 3100 platform has been announced, and the many improvements in Qualcomm's latest wearable platform are poised to bring great battery life to upcoming Wear OS smartwatches.