Google may have recently killed off Fitbit smartwatches (in favor of its favorite child, the Pixel Watch 3), but Meta is reportedly reviving its dead smartwatch without warning, at least according to a new leak.
Notorious smartphone industry leaker Evan Blass has shared details of future Meta projects on a private X (formerly Twitter) account, one of which he has been told “may be a watch.”
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard about a Meta smartwatch. In 2022, it was reported that Meta was ending its secret smartwatch development project and other non-core hardware development (such as its Portal smart displays, according to Reuters) to focus on other aspects of its business.
The watch would reportedly feature many of the same features you'd expect from an Apple Watch or Galaxy Watch with some XR-focused add-ons like electromyography, a system that can translate nerve signals from your wrists into digital commands (a demo was shown in a blog post).
Not only would this system help improve the accuracy and reliability of hand tracking in VR headsets or AR glasses, but researchers have shown that amputees use similar technology to manipulate the hands of robots. If Meta were to implement something similar, it could help make VR and AR much more accessible than they are now.
Later in 2023, there were rumors that the Meta smartwatch was making a comeback, and now this new rumor from Evan Blass suggests that could very well be the case.
This leak doesn’t provide much in the way of details or substance, so take it with a grain of salt. We only have the project codenames (Hawaii, Moku, Ford, Belmont, Coconut, Vega 1 and Vega 2, believed to be “two generations of budget Quest headsets”) and second-hand assurance that a smartwatch could be coming, though previous leaks suggest that’s no pipe dream.
Don't expect to see the Meta watch at Meta Connect this year (September 25-26), or at least not something you can buy. An early prototype might be unveiled, but I'd be surprised if a fully-fledged smartwatch came out of nowhere.
And if I had my way, it wouldn't be a watch at all.
Smart rings are the new trend in wearables, driven by recent launches like the Samsung Galaxy Ring, in part because they offer many of the most essential health and fitness features of smartwatches in a significantly more discreet and (sometimes) more affordable package.
If the Meta smartwatch were to incorporate features that enhance the XR experience on top of everything else a watch needs (a display, high-end features, etc.), it could be a pretty expensive proposition. Removing the display to create a Meta smartband would make the device much slimmer and hopefully keep the cost down.
Also, if it's primarily an add-on for augmented reality glasses, you don't need a display. The same information could be displayed as a HUD on your glasses or as a virtual screen projected onto your wrist where the smart bracelet is located.
As well as reducing costs, the lack of a screen would mean that the Meta bracelet would retain its battery charge for longer. This would improve its health tracking capabilities as you could wear it all night without worrying about it running out of battery, plus you would have one less item to remember to recharge on a daily basis.
A full smart ring could be an alternative to the Meta bracelet, but it would lose the advantages that EMG offers (mainly in terms of accessibility) and I would like to see Meta keep this feature. XR can only be the future if it can be the future for everyone, and EMG could be a path towards that goal.
I don't expect this to happen anytime soon, though. While I think a wristband makes sense in the long run depending on Meta's release schedule, AR glasses won't be ubiquitous enough to create a device that can realistically only be used with a pair of those glasses.
Still, I think a wristband could be an ideal solution, especially considering that many other big players like Google, Samsung, and Apple (among others) have a huge head start. A Meta wristband could be different enough to help bridge that gap.
We’ll have to wait and see what Meta announces at Meta Connect 2024, or even Connect 2025, 2026, or beyond. And if the leak above is correct, we don’t just have one smartwatch to look forward to in the next few years, as even with a watch, two budget Meta Quest 3S headsets, a tracking Pro, and a regular tracking Quest (the latter of which seems almost certain to be in development) we still have two unaccounted for projects. Maybe they’ll be augmented reality smartglasses, maybe they’ll be something else entirely.
As soon as we are sure, you will be the first to tell us.
