Leak: HMD's first smartwatches will run Wear OS and have a camera

HMD seems to be ready to expand its portfolio of products with the launch of its first smartwatch, and it isn't planning to launch just any smartwatch but one that runs Wear OS. Actually, two Wear OS smartwatches; one of which will have a camera according to a leaked spec sheet.

The upcoming smartwatches will launch as the HMD Rubber 1 and HMD Rubber 1S according to HMD_MEME (@smashx_60). The spec sheet posted on X by the leaker reveals the HMD Rubber 1 will have a 1.85'' OLED display. It will be able to measure heart rate, blood oxygen, and record steps taken. The Rubber 1 will also have a 400mAh battery capacity and support for USB-C charging and Qi wireless charging. The leak also mentions a 5 ATM waterproof rating, Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi, and NFC.

An interesting feature the Rubber 1 is reported to have is a 2MP camera. So far there have not been any Wear OS smartwatch with a camera, but it seems HMD will be the first to push one to the market. It is not clear how the camera will be integrated, but it most likely will be placed above the display like that of the JrTrack 4 Kids Smartwatch (available on Amazon for $129.99).

The Rubber 1s will have a smaller 1.05-inch OLED display and a smaller 290mAh battery. Like the Rubber 1, it will be able to measure heart rate and blood oxygen level. It will also have an accelerometer, Bluetooth 5.0, and Wi-Fi but no NFC. It will have a 5 ATM waterproof rating and support both USB-C and Qi wireless charging.

While the leak doesn't say, there's a possibility the Rubber 1 and Rubber 1s are actually designed for kids. The health tracking features are pretty basic and the presence of a camera on the Rubber 1 seems like a way for kids to keep in touch with their parents or vice versa. There's also the fact that last October, HMD announced a partnership with Xplora Technologies, a Norwegian company known for making smartwatches for children.

The timing could also not be more perfect considering Google and Samsung announced Galaxy Watch for Kids earlier this year. Galaxy Watch for Kids provides a kid-friendly interface on select smartwatches. It also allows parents to keep an eye on their kids and manage their watch settings with the Family Link app. Google also announced that it has partnered with developers to bring teacher-approved apps and watch faces to Google Play.

Although this kid-friendly version of Wear OS made its debut on a Samsung smartwatch, there's a chance it is now being made available to other manufacturers. Anyway, this is just speculation at this point but there's a possibility that HMD's upcoming smartwatches will actually be targeted at kids and not adults.