Wearable

Xiaomi India has now set a joint March 2022 launch date for the Redmi Watch 2 Lite and Note 11 Pro. Now, a new leak purports to spill approximate pricing info for the upcoming, reasonably spec-rich wearable. Should it prove accurate, the cost in question might help the Watch 2 Lite fly off the shelves in its new market.

The Mi Band 7 is around the corner, but it will be compatible with Zepp OS, not Xiaomi's smartwatch platform. It appears that Xiaomi has equipped the next Mi Band with a larger display too, among other changes.

Garmin has unveiled the Descent G1 and Descent G1 Solar aimed at divers. However, the pair should work just as well as regular smartwatches thanks to their support for Garmin's suite of exercise modes, its Connect IQ Store and Garmin Pay. The Garmin Descent G1 series starts at US$549.99 and is available in four colours.

Some renders of the Xiaomi Watch S1 Active emerged online. The fitness-centric smartwatch has differently shaped hardware buttons and will be sold in three colours Black, White and Blue. It is expected to cost around €200 and launch alongside the Xiaomi 12 series.

The German company DiaMonTech has secured over US$20 million in funding to help it with device miniaturization and US expansion. The firm wants to offer its pocket-sized non-invasive blood glucose monitor, the D-Pocket, to people with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes as an accurate alternative to invasive methods.

Mobvoi has revealed the TicWatch Pro 3 Sports Version, a Wear OS-based smartwatch that features 4G and GPS connectivity. The new smartwatch also supports over 100 exercise modes, along with numerous sensors for tracking your health and wellbeing.

Fitbit has announced a recall of the Ionic, a smartwatch that it launched over four years ago. Supposedly, the Fitbit Ionic has a habit of going up in flames because of an overheated battery. There have been at least 174 reports of the issue occurring globally, of which 118 caused burn injuries. Fitbit is recalling all units, which amounts to nearly 1.7 million sold between September 2017 and December 2021.

Twitter leaker Max Weinbach has learned that mentions of the Google Pixel Watch and Pixel 6a have shown up in the inventory of a network provider. The former is slated to offer 32 GB of storage and the latter 128 GB, the leak adds.

Mobvoi has unveiled the TicWatch GTH Pro, a US$99.99 smartwatch that can determine the age of your arteries, among other features. The TicWatch GTH Pro is orderable now in North America and offers up to 10 days of battery life.

Nemaura, the British company behind the BEAT technology platform for biomarker monitoring, has announced promising financial results. In addition, the firm has also recently won two innovation awards for its work with non-invasive biosensors. The results bode well for MySugarWatch, which aims to give type 2 diabetics an affordable needle-free continuous glucose monitor.

Honor has finally released the Watch GS 3 outside its home market. To be available in the Eurozone for €229, the Watch GS 3 features a dual-band GPS module, over 100 workout modes, SpO2 monitoring and a particularly accurate heart rate monitor. The Honor Watch GS 3 will be available in Classic Gold, Ocean Blue and Midnight Black colourways.

Xiaomi already sells some of the highest-end and powerful wireless chargers on the market. Now, it has announced that the next round of these accessories will rival Apple's MagSafe, with increased accuracy and speed. Its new "magnetic absorption" technology is rated to reach 50W of power delivery, although this also requires active cooling.

The Glacier Lake Blue Edition is the latest version of the Watch 2, a smartwatch that Oppo sells in two sizes. The Oppo Watch 2 Glacier Lake Blue Edition joins the Oppo Watch Free, which also launched this week. The new Oppo Watch 2 features a few improvements over the standard model, including the ability to track your ski runs.

Oppo has finally released the Watch Free outside China. Introduced last September in its home market, the Watch Free features a large AMOLED display and plenty of health tracking features. The Oppo Watch will be available in Europe and the UK from late March.

A non-invasive continuous glucose monitor wearable from Movano Inc. has taken an important step on its development path by finishing a second approved pilot study. Testing involved people with type 1 diabetes comparing results from finger-stick methods and existing CGMs with those produced by the Movano prototype wearable.

OPPO has now rounded its new product showcase off with the new, second-gen Enco X earbuds. These new flagship TWS peripherals are rated for Bluetooth 5.2, a new coaxial dual driver system and the LHDC 4.0 codec. The OEM also touts them as accessories with improved active noise cancellation (ANC) thanks to a new chipset.

OPPO has been tipped to launch successors to its Dynaudio-tuned top-end Enco X TWS earbuds alongside its upcoming flagship smartphones. Now, the OEM has confirmed that this is the case, and has also decided to go ahead and leak their design in full ahead of this event. The executive Pete Lau also now claims the buds are so good, they are worth ditching wires for.

OPPO's latest Find X5 poster contains a launch date for the upcoming flagship series, and that's not all. It shows one of the smartphones in an arrangement of a number of other devices. One might be the OEM's first-gen tablet, whereas the others are wearables that could be of the OPPO Watch and Enco X lines.

The GraphWear company has introduced two new key players into its project for creating a “no-needle, no-blood” platform that will be used for a non-invasive continuous glucose monitor (CGM). The latest personnel additions bring experience from both Dexcom and Fitbit, offering a boost to the GraphWear wearable project.

The Sony LinkBuds are here and at a cheaper price point than the WF-1000XM4. While not replacements for Sony's high-end earbuds, the LinkBuds offer a unique take on a saturated market with an open-back design. Initial reviews point towards the LinkBuds delivering better call quality than the WF-1000XM4 too.

The Xiaomi Watch S1 has leaked on Amazon Germany before its European release. Surprisingly, the leather model could arrive for less than €200, contrary to previous rumours. The Watch S1 will be available with a sportier look, too.

It looks like Sony could be on the verge of bringing the WH-1000XM5 to market, a successor to the 18-month old WH-1000XM4. According to an FCC listing, the upcoming headphones have a different design than their predecessor, along with a larger battery and fast charging support.

Jabra aims to cater for the millions of users in the United States affected by mild or moderate hearing loss with the new Enhance Plus wearables. They are touted to combine the size and convenience of TWS products with "advanced hearing technology", and might well be the first in a wave of products compatible with the FDA's potentially upcoming Over-The-Counter (OTC) Hearing Aid criteria.

GoPro has now released its financial report for the final quarter of the past year (4Q2021). It has enabled the household name in action-cams to add up its total revenue for the year and come up with a sum well over US$1 billion. Its average street prices (ASP) per camera and cash on hand have also hit new heights in 2021.

Apple's AirTags have become embroiled in a scandal that highlights their potential to facilitate crimes such as stalking, theft and general unsolicited e-tracking. Accordingly, the Cupertino giant has responded with an "update" that outlines its new policies and procedures intended to reduce the risk of the malicious abuse of its first-gen personal-effect security accessories.

Reportedly, Xiaomi will be releasing the Watch S1 in Europe soon. Allegedly, the Watch S1 will launch for between €200 and €260, depending on the watch strap chosen. The Watch S1 has plenty of features, but those prices put the Watch S1 into Galaxy Watch4 territory.

TAG Heuer has presented a new generation in its Connected Watch series. The Connected Calibre E4 arrives with a Snapdragon Wear 4100+ chipset and Wear OS 2, not Wear OS 3. TAG Heuer will upgrade its latest smartwatches to Wear OS 3 'when the update becomes available' though.

The latest batch of rugged GPS smartwatches by Garmin consists of both solar and non-solar models, in two sizes. Compared to their predecessors, the new Instinct smartwatches feature an improved SpO2 sensor, an NFC chip, as well as the ability to calculate VO₂ max levels. Solar models also promise unlimited battery life.

Apple has typically offered a three-month free trial for new users considering an account with its first-party Music service. However, this offer has been cut in more than half in a long list of countries where the Cupertino giant operates. The normal price thereafter remains unchanged, however.

It seems that Sony has a new pair of WF earbuds planned, but not successors to the WF-1000XM4. Instead, Sony has created the Linkbuds WF-L900, a strange pair of earbuds without ear tips. The Linkbuds WF-L900 will launch in two colours, matching the WF-1000XM4.

The Reno7 and 7 Pro has launched in the Indian market, having only been available in China prior to this. The series is still touted as the "Portrait Experts" in its new region. Then again, the vanilla 7 is not exactly the same phone as it was in China; its new international units come with a MediaTek Dimensity SoC rather than one from Qualcomm as before.

Know Labs has issued a press release to announce IRB approval for internal clinical trials for its KnowU Bio-RFID non-invasive blood sugar monitor. The company is now looking for eligible participants to test a prototype version of the glucose monitor so that its efficacy can be compared with continuous glucose monitors and painful fingerstick methods.

Xiaomi has confirmed the impending arrival of the Redmi Smart Band Pro in India. Already available in China, the Redmi Smart Band Pro will launch in India during the Redmi Note 11S' event on February 9. The Redmi Smart Band Pro could cost as little as INR 2,999 (~US$40) initially, too.

OPPO has announced that it will introduce the Watch Free, one of its latest fitness trackers, to the Indian market soon. It will debut when the Reno7 series does in early February 2022. They will be joined by the Enco M32 wireless earbuds in a new color.

According to reports, Realme is preparing to launch the Watch T1 globally as the Watch S100. Due to arrive in India first, the Watch S100 should be available in at least two colours. Realme may host a Watch S100 launch event later this month in India, too.

The Pebble Pace Pro is a new smartwatch with a large display and IP68 certification. Supposedly, the smartwatch comes with comparatively accurate sensors too, at least for its price. Also, the Pebble Pace Pro should last up to 15 days between charges on its 230 mAh battery.

According to reports, DIZO is planning to release another smartwatch in a few weeks. Following on from the DIZO Watch R, the Realme sub-brand will announce the DIZO Watch S, which will also have an AMOLED display.

Many consumers pair their smartphones with wearables capable of showing their heart rate these days. However, according to Realme, those accessories will not be necessary with its upcoming 9 Pro+. It will have a new kind of fingerprint sensor that apparently also doubles as a specific times of fitness tracker.

The company behind the Noctura 400 sleep mask for treating diabetic eye disease (DED), PolyPhotonix, has secured a vital US$10 million investment as support during FDA clinical trials. The Noctura 400 uses OLEDs fitted inside a pod and is for people with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes to manage or prevent diabetic retinopathy.

Huawei has revealed the Watch GT Runner in Europe, a 46 mm smartwatch with up to 14 days of battery life. The Watch GT Runner comes with numerous health tracking and exercise features, plus wireless charging support. Unusually, the Watch GT Runner supports reverse wireless charging, too.

Mobvoi invites its fans to turn down their distractions and turn up the fun via a pair of TWS earbuds with active noise cancellation (ANC) and a succinct new name to match. They are rated for IP5X ingress-protection, "all-day" comfort and up to 21 hours of battery life thanks to their USB type-C charging case.

Garmin's website has already listed the Forerunner 955 LTE, a smartwatch that also has GPS connectivity. The Forerunner 955 should cost as much as the fēnix 7 and fēnix 7S, at least in its LTE form. The Forerunner 955 is one of many Garmin smartwatches that the company has released this year or plans to, including the Instinct 2 series.

While Apple Watch became the number one best selling watch in the world, surpassing Rolex back in 2017, the smartwatch still feels very much like a unique utility for Apple enthusiasts. Here are four amazing apps that casual users and dedicated techies alike will find entertaining, useful, & packed full of utility.

Reebok has joined already offers various watches under its subsidiary brand Reebok, both analog and digital, now Reebok has presented its first smartwatch. The ActiveFit 1.0 offers up to 15 days of runtime and a SpO2 sensor at an attractive price.

A new leak has revealed details about yet more Garmin smartwatches. Reputedly, the Instinct 2 and the Instinct 2S will be more expensive than their predecessors, but they will receive a superior SpO2 sensor, plus an NFC chip and the ability to calculate VO₂ max levels.

Rockley Photonics Holdings has announced the successful completion of the first human studies trial for its biomarker sensing platform. Future VitalSpex modules should be able to non-invasively provide data about biomarkers such as blood alcohol content, blood pressure, and blood sugar. Rockley is also known for its association with Apple.

Reportedly, Google has set a date for the Pixel Watch's release. Likely also the date of this year's Google I/O conference, Google could use the launch event to showcase the finished version of Wear OS 3, an OS that it debuted at last year's event.

OPPO debuted flagship TWS earbuds with Dynaudio tuning in 2020. Now, they are tipped to get a second generation this year. According to a new leaked render for these accessories, they will retain their high-end co-branding and largely the same design as their predecessors.

The Finnish smartwatch manufacturer Suunto has announced a new version of the Suunto 5, the Suunto 5 Peak. The new model is cheaper, lighter and smaller than the original version. The extensive GPS features of the Suunto 5 remain though, despite the price cut, plus over 80 sports modes.