Wearable

Nubia has just introduced the late-2020 refresh of its RedMagic 5G gaming smartphone. However, it also debuted a successor to the interesting Alpha flexible-display wearable alongside it. This product, simply called the Watch, has a similar form-factor but may be more durable and user-friendly this time around.

Huawei and Porsche Design appear to be working together again, but this time on smartwatches. Huawei is already working on a Mate Watch, a Watch GT 2 Pro and an Honor GS Pro, but two Porsche Design smartwatches are on the horizon too. Called the Watch RS and Watch GTRS, the two Porsche Design-branded devices may arrive as early as October.

The Huami Amazfit Band 6 has been confirmed thanks to a combination of some code digging and the fitness tracker appearing in all its glory on a retailer site. The Amazfit Band 6 comes with Amazon Alexa, blood oxygen monitoring, heart-rate tracker, menstrual cycle tracker, and stress detection. The “York” codename was previously thought to belong to a global version of the Xiaomi Mi Band 5.

Images and specs for the Redmi K30 Ultra have been shared online, with the upcoming device featuring a MediaTek Dimensity 1000+ chip and up to 12 GB RAM. Apparently, Redmi will also be launching its first smartwatch soon, possibly in August, with some speculating that it will simply be a scaled-down version of the Xiaomi Mi Watch.

Razer's latest gaming headset is the BlackShark V2. Its 50 millimeter (mm) drivers feature the OEM's TriForce Titanium coating, as well as its SpeedFlex cable. It features THX Spatial Audio for an immersive experience and a removable cardioid mic with a USB sound card.

The EEC has confirmed that Huawei is working on two new smartwatches. One is called the Watch GT 2 Pro, making it a good candidate as the successor to the Watch GT 2. The other is headed to Honor, and its name suggests that there is a new series planned for Huawei's sister company.

Huawei has officially launched its new TalkBand B6 fitness tracker and Bluetooth headset combination wearable. Three editions of the Huawei TalkBand B6 have been released, with prices starting at 999 yuan (US$143). The versatile gadget comes with a blood oxygen monitor, Kirin A1 chip, Bluetooth 5.2, and heart-rate monitor.

Qualcomm has announced that its third fiscal quarter of 2020 (3FQ2020, which ended on June 28 of this year) ended with a total of US$4.89 billion in revenue. It also reported $848 million in pre-tax profits, and paying $0.74 per share in dividends. However, it also already projects that, thanks to a new deal with Huawei, 4FQ2020 will turn out much better.

The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) has announced that there will be a Consumer Electronics Show (CES) scheduled for January 2021. However, it will not be held in Las Vegas as usual: instead, an "all-digital" experience is planned to replace the usual physical event. However, the Association is still confident it will be worthwhile for exhibitors and e-attendees alike.

The Huawei TalkBand B6 wearable has become the chief suspect for a teased product launch by the popular Chinese OEM. Although the promo image doesn’t specify what device is being marketed, the curved display certainly points to the TalkBand B6 fitness tracker and Bluetooth headset. A launch date of July 30 is also mentioned.

Amazfit claims that its ZenBuds TWS earbuds are so light and comfortable that they can be worn in bed all night. In fact, this is part of their use-case: to emit custom-designed audio that helps improve the user's sleep pattern. The brand has launched this product via Indiegogo, where they have now attracted just over US$1 million in backing.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch is finally getting a successor, according to some leaks. The latest of these reiterates several details currently linked to this accessory, and also claims that the rotating bezel that was so particular to its first generation is back. It is also now said to have stainless steel and a blood-pressure monitor in its hardware make-up.

Samsung has announced new headphones branded and optimized by AKG. The Y600NCs are the more premium of the two, and come with active noise cancellation (ANC) and an innovative rotating ear-cup for volume control. The Y400s, on the other hand, are smaller on-ears that come in a fresh range of colors.

Some new images of the Huawei TalkBand B6 have been leaked, with the upcoming wearable shown off in four different color variants. The fitness tracker/Bluetooth headset looks particularly elegant in stainless steel. The TalkBand B6 is expected to feature a Kirin A1 chipset for smart operations and a blood oxygen monitor.

WinFuture's Roland Quandt was the first tipster to assert that Samsung had developed a new, kidney-bean-like form-factor for its next-gen TWS earbuds. Now, this seems to have been borne out in increasingly convincing leaks since. Now, the same blogger is back with a more complete gamut of specs for these Galaxy Buds Live.

More details have spilled about the next-gen Oculus Quest including some images of the headset in the wild, confirming the leak earlier this week was legit. VR fans will be interested to learn that it is tipped to launch on September 15 and will come with design improvements among other tweaks.

Oppo has released an animated trailer for a Wear OS device that will reportedly launch worldwide on July 31, 2020. It is most likely for its first-gen smartwatch, which has been released in China but runs a variant of ColorOS in that region. This device is Apple-esque in its design and has a Qualcomm processor for wearables.

The GW16 is another budget smartwatch, and one that looks surprisingly like the Huawei Watch GT 2. The device can be purchased for under US$25 and features a large touch IPS display, a thermometer, a heart rate monitor and is IP67 certified.

The Huawei TalkBand B6 wearable fitness tracker and Bluetooth headset combination has leaked in some live images and short video clips. The dual-function accessory looks to be a step up from the previous generation, with the TalkBand B6 bearing a larger display and utilizing a Kirin A1 processor.

Movano wants to revolutionise the way people measure their glucose levels. Instead of the invasive or expensive methods that diabetics currently use, Movano is developing a solution that could be embedded within a conventional smartwatch.

The sequel to the Oculus Quest has leaked on Twitter. The revised VR headset looks to have addressed some of the ergonomic issues of the first gen model based on its appearance, but we can only speculate on which Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset powers it.

Xiaomi has slashed the price of its Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 in India to counter the upcoming threat from the recently launched OnePlus Buds. The Xiaomi earphones are now priced at ₹3,999 (US$53), which should help the Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 take on the OnePlus Buds that have an advertised price of ₹4,990 (US$67).

The latest figures on the Indian hearables (or personal audio accessories with smart features) market show that Realme has rocketed into its top 5 brands. This success is particularly impressive as it only started selling products in this category in December 2019. Nevertheless, it now has more of a share than Sony or Xiaomi in that market.

Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked Event looks increasingly like it will include the reveal of both the Galaxy Z Fold 2 and the Galaxy Z Flip 5G. Samsung’s President and Head of Mobile Communications Business TM Roh has revealed in a blog post that the company will “be introducing five new power devices” at its upcoming Galaxy Unpacked event.

The Xiaomi Mi Band 4C has been spotted appearing on Amazon Spain, where the budget fitness tracker can be bought for a very reasonable €19.99 (US$23/£18). While the Chinese OEM is busy releasing wearables in Europe, it looks like Xiaomi might be also planning on adding some new Mi TVs to its range in India.

Samsung Health is an app perhaps mostly associated with this OEM's phones and wearables, but in fact also works across more of its hardware ecosystem. Some of its users have seen a notification that its latest update will remove its Food (or Calorie), Weight and Caffeine Tracking sections. Therefore, their widgets will stop functioning after this OTA is implemented.

Heart rate monitoring may seem to be a feature of many smartwatches and fitness trackers, but some OEMs have been including fakes in their budget fitness trackers. Instead of including photoelectric heart rate sensors that are found in many devices, these fitness trackers have two green LEDs.

Xiaomi has announced the new Redmi AirDots 2 earphones, which will be officially launched on July 22. The TWS earphones are currently priced at 79 yuan (US$11) during the crowdfunding stage. The budget earphones offer Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, virtual assistant functionality, and they weigh in at just 4.1 g per earbud.

The new Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 5 fitness tracker is now available on Amazon US and at a reasonable price, too. US shoppers can pick up the Mi Smart Band 5 from US$49.98, which is similar to the price of the wearable in Europe. However, buyers should be aware that this is the non-NFC variant of the smart band.

OnePlus is currently busily hyping its upcoming take on the mid-range 5G phone, the Nord. Its latest teaser indicates that it comes with certain communication-related Google apps out of the box. This, apparently, is done to keep its software experience the "smoothest" it can be.

Mobvoi is a wearables brand that is teasing its next upcoming products, the Earbuds Gesture, via Indiegogo. They can be controlled through either head movements (in line with their name) or touch-sensitive panels. The OEM also claims they have a whopping 50 hours of battery life.

Samsung promoted the Galaxy Watch Active 2 as a health-focused wearable that would rival the Apple Watch series thanks to its in-built medical-grade electrocardiography (ECG). However, the function was disabled at its launch. This is not the case anymore; however, German and Austrian users are reportedly still waiting for their access to this feature.

A recent Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approval has confirmed that the upcoming Samsung SM-R220 is a wearable of the fitness-tracker variety. Now, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) has set its wireless connectivity spec in stone. This new device may launch alongside the Galaxy Note 20 series on August 5, 2020.

An Amazfit Band 6 device has been spotted getting its FCC certification, which is something of a surprise considering the Amazfit Band 5 from Huami only recently went by the same agency too. It could be possible that "Amazfit Band 6" might be the US market name for the widely rumored Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 5 Pro wearable.

Mobvoi has debuted the TicKasa headphones. Although this is only the first product in this category from the band, they have progressed directly to active noise cancelling (ANC) and wireless features. They are Bluetooth 5, have 40 millimeter drivers and have button controls.

Xiaomi has launched the global edition of the Mi Band 5, called the Mi Smart Band 5. Featuring a 1.1-inch AMOLED panel, 11 sports modes and 5 ATM water resistance, the Mi Smart Band 5 retails for €39.99 or £39.99 in the UK. The fitness tracker also has a PPG heart rate sensor and supports up to 14 days of battery life, but NFC, a SpO2 sensor and Alexa integration are absent.

Belkin has debuted BoostCharge wireless charging accessories that support the iPhone, Apple Watch or AirPods, or, in some cases, all three at once. One of these can also become a power bank at need. They start at US$49.95 on the OEM's website at present.

Mobvoi has announced that today (July 14, 2020) is the anniversary of its birth as a wearables and smart-things brand. Accordingly, it is holding a sales event for the next 11 or so hours. It includes 10% off a new TicWatch C2+, or a third off the 4G/LTE version of this series' Pro variant.

"OnePlus Buds" has just been acknowledged as a real product name by their OEM. The company has also announced that they will launch on the same day as its upcoming first-gen Nord smartphone. The former are expected to be TWS earphones that look much like Apple AirPods.

Foxconn has reportedly begun to test out the fabrication of lenses for Apple's rumored first-gen smart glasses. Apparently, these components are to be semi-transparent, and to be capable of displaying projected images to the user. They would be superimposed on "real-world" objects in this wearer's field of view.

The Lumos Ultra smart helmet has been in the news thanks to its highly successful Kickstarter project, which still has a week left to run on it. The smart bike helmet has attracted over US$2.2 million from backers. The Lumos Ultra has integrated LEDs for turn signaling and can be operated via an Apple Watch or the included wireless handlebar remote.

GoPro has addressed an increasingly prevalent issue for many users who have shifted their work, learning or hobbies online in a new update under development at this action-cam OEM. It confers a new function on its HERO8 Black model that allows owners who also use Macs to use the device as an FHD, wide-angle upgrade on their default webcams.

A new Samsung fitness tracker has been certified by the FCC. Possibly a replacement to the discontinued Galaxy Fit, the budget device may launch at Samsung's next Galaxy Unpacked event on August 5.

Xiaomi has been celebrating again, this time in regard to its wearables division. The Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 4 (Mi Band 4) has been crowned the best-selling wearable band in the world. The Mi Band 5 has been selling out constantly as well, although stories of success for the Mi Band range are nothing new.

The latest truly wireless (TWS) earbuds from UGREEN upgrade to a USB type C port for charging and to an IPX5 rating for ingress protection. They also have a Qualcomm chipset which confers some up-to-date audio specs on these new HiTune accessories. They include Bluetooth 5.0, cVc v8.0 for noise cancellation and aptX.

Leaked marketing renders of the Galaxy Watch Active 3 seemingly put the upcoming smartwatch on a collision course with a July 22 launch date, two weeks ahead of Samsung's next Galaxy Unpacked event on August 5. Now, a rumour has emerged that the Galaxy Tab S7 and Galaxy Tab S7 Plus will also be arriving on July 22 alongside the Galaxy Watch Active 3.

HarmoniQLabs is a company that has an in-house 3D-printing process to make its new TWS earbuds. The OEM claims that the resulting unique shape created is better for prolonged wear and for passive noise cancellation. These new accessories will launch via Indiegogo on July 13, 2020.

A couple of leaked images of the upcoming Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 5 global activity tracker have offered up some clues of what a Pro model of the wearable could deliver. According to the poster of the images, the global Mi Smart Band 5 does not feature NFC functionality, Alexa assistant, or the SpO2 pulse oximeter sensor for blood oxygen monitoring.

A promo video for the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 has been leaked at the same time as some live images of the upcoming smartwatch were revealed via NCC certification. The video clip for the Galaxy Watch 3 focuses more on the software functions of the wearable rather than its overall physical appearance.

The Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 4C has been launched in Malaysia. The global version of the budget activity tracker has gone on sale there for 99 MYR (US$23). The Mi Smart Band 4C is basically a rebranded Redmi Band and offers users a heart-rate monitor, 5 ATM water resistance, and a 1.08-inch touchscreen.