Smartwatch

The OnePlus Watch is one of the most anticipated smartwatches of 2021, having been in development for years. After months of leaks, rumours and teasers, Unbox Therapy has revealed the first OnePlus Watch marketing render. It looks like OnePlus has been inspired by Samsung and its Galaxy Watch Active 2, though.

The well-known wearable brand Amazfit hopes to release fitness trackers and smartwatches with ECG and blood pressure measurement in the US. The company is engaging with the FDA to bring these wearables to market.

After the cancellation of the new Galaxy Note series for 2021, SamMobile has confirmed that Samsung still has some interesting hardware due in 2021. We must wait until at least the autumn for any new flagship smartphones, though.

Pete Lau has confirmed that the OnePlus Watch will not run Wear OS, despite offering hints to the contrary last year. Instead, OnePlus has based its first smartwatch on RTOS, apparently because it provides a smooth and reliable experience combined with long battery life.

It is already known that Samsung plans to release new smartwatches this year, such as fourth-generation models of the Galaxy Watch and Galaxy Watch Active. Now, a major component of what may be the Galaxy Watch 4 or the Galaxy Watch Active 4 has been spotted in China at the 3C.

Google has announced that it is reducing the cut of revenue made on apps sold via the Play Store from 30% to 15%. The change applies to all developers who make US$1 million or less per year on the platform. According to the Mountain View giant, this move is intended to help Android app-makers grow at critical stages of their enterprises.

The S888 smartwatch supports 4G, GPS and runs Android 7.0 Nougat. The device is also IP65 rated, has a 1.88-inch touchscreen and has 32 GB of storage.

Leaker Ishan Agarwal has managed to get his hands on the specifications of the eagerly anticipated OnePlus Watch. The device looks set to compete with devices like the Samsung Galaxy Watch range with features including blood oxygen level monitoring and sleep monitoring.

Huawei has announced an Elegant version of the Watch Fit, a smartwatch that the company released last year. Additionally, Huawei has unveiled the Band 6, which will succeed the Band 4 series. Both devices will be available later this month.

The FCC has inadvertently leaked Suunto's next smartwatch, the Suunto 9 Peak. The regulatory body has confirmed not only the smartwatch's design, but also several of its features.

Wear OS might be a no-brainer for consumers choosing a smartwatch to go with their Android phone - or rather, it should be. The wearables platform still has many potentially frustrating limitations, one of which is the inability to set tiles for non-Google or OEM apps. However, the Mountain View giant has announced a solution for this issue is now in alpha.

Huawei is allegedly planning to release the Band 6 and Band 6 Pro next month, thereby skipping the fifth generation of its Band series. The Band 6 series is expected to launch simultaneously with the P50 and P50 Pro.

The OnePlus Watch is official, and OnePlus will be launching it on March 23. The company has offered the briefest of teasers so far, but it has provided even more details about the OnePlus 9 series.

OnePlus may have only teased the OnePlus 9 Pro so far, but it is no secret that it is working on a smartwatch too. Now, the so-called OnePlus Watch has passed through SIRIM, the Malaysian regulation authority.

Mobvoi has introduced a successor to last year's TicWatch Pro 2020. Unfortunately, the company continues to use the Snapdragon Wear 2100 chipset, which should have long been retired. The TicWatch Pro S features 1 GB of RAM, 4 GB of storage and retails for US$259.99.

Xiaomi has started rolling out a new software update to the Mi Watch Lite that improves the smartwatch in many ways. The update brings many new features to the smartwatch, along with bug fixes and improved system stability.

Huami has brought an exciting feature to the GTS 2 mini, albeit one that should have been available at launch. Amazfit is pushing the update as an OTA through the Zepp app.

The Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro has received another update, less than a month after its last one arrived. This month's update is a large one, although its size belies the features it brings to Huawei's flagship smartwatch.

Amazfit is a popular wearables brand with its own e-store that serves several regions, the US included. It is currently running a promotion that offers a free second strap with every purchase of its latest GTS 2 and GTR 2 series of smartwatches. These bands normally cost about US$20, meaning this might be a good chance to get two in different colors for a limited time.

Samsung has two new wearables in store for us, the Galaxy Watch 4 and the Galaxy Watch Active 4. Both smartwatches are expected to be launched sometime in Q2, 2021, and will likely be the first Samsung devices to run WearOS instead of Tizen.

Oppo released its Band fitness tracker last year in China, where it is available in two styles. However, the company has finally decided to bring the affordable device to a wider audience with a global launch, which is planned for March 8.

The Amazfit T-Rex Pro has featured in an unboxing video that shows off all of the features of the upcoming military-grade smartwatch. The T-Rex Pro utilizes software based on real-time operating system (RTOS) and features a BioTracker 2 PPG optical sensor and SpO2 blood-oxygen level measurement all for €169.90 (US$203).

The Apple Watch, Huawei Watch GT and Galaxy Watch lines helped their respective OEMs maintain their leading positions in the smartwatch space in 2020. This was a year in which the market showed relatively little growth, although its premium segment enjoyed a "significant" uptick.

Users in Germany can now use their Samsung Galaxy smartwatches to make purchases via Samsung Pay. A one-time setup is required via a linked Android smartphone. After that, one only requires to enter a PIN to authenticate every transaction. Only a handful of Galaxy Watch and Galaxy Watch models support it, for now.

Initial findings within One UI 3.1 have seemingly confirmed rumours that Samsung plans to switch to Wear OS this year. According to kernel source code, Samsung is working on a new Galaxy Watch or Galaxy Watch Active device codenamed Merlot that runs Wear OS.

Motorola's next smartwatch will feature the latest Snapdragon Wear 4100 SoC, which remains criminally under adopted by Wear OS smartwatch manufacturers. The circular smartwatch will also support GPS, NFC and 5 ATM water resistance.

Images and specs for the Amazfit T-Rex Pro rugged smartwatch have been leaked, indicating that the new Amazfit wearable is likely to be launched soon. The Amazfit T-Rex Pro looks very similar to the non-Pro model but offers at least one new color choice, greater water resistance, and access to the BioTracker 2 PPG health utility.

According to a roadmap published by CE Brands Inc, Motorola plans to release at least three smartwatches in 2021. A Moto G smartwatch for June has been mentioned, as have the Moto Watch and Moto One for July.

According to reports, OnePlus will launch the OnePlus 9, OnePlus 9R, OnePlus 9 Pro and the OnePlus Watch later this month. Apparently, it has been confirmed that the hardware event will not occur until late March, but OnePlus will make some sort of announcement on March 8. OnePlus has hinted at its upcoming Hasselblad partnership, too.

Huami is a wearables OEM that has built a market leadership worldwide, mainly through the popularity of its Amazfit devices. Now, the company has announced that it will be known as Zepp Health from now on. This wholesale re-brand is intended to consolidate its position across all its businesses going forward

A new version of the TTGO T-Watch is here, and it comes with a microphone. The additional component allows Lilygo's smartwatch to be controlled by voice input, improving its versatility. The new version of the TTGO T-Watch retails for under US$30.00 on AliExpress.

Newer smartwatches may have superseded the Galaxy Watch and Galaxy Watch Active, but that does not mean that Samsung has forgotten about them. On the contrary, the two smartwatches have received features that were previously found on the Galaxy Watch 3.

The Zeblaze Vibe 3S HD offers a round display, good battery life and plenty of other features. However, it is also an unashamed copy of the Garmin Fenix 6 Pro.

More news about the Xiaomi Mi Band 6, which will likely be known as the Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 6 for the global market, has been discovered via the Mi Fit app. It seems the Mi Band 6, which is expected to come with a built-in GPS, will allow wearers to reply to SMS messages and may even offer increased functionality for popular messenger services.

The Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro already has many compelling features, including a SpO2 sensor and up to two weeks of battery life, to name but a few. However, the smartwatch can now reply to SMS, thanks to a new app.

Samsung has added some new features to the Galaxy Watch 3 and the Galaxy Watch Active 2, its current flagship smartwatches. Unfortunately, one such feature requires you to have a Samsung Galaxy smartphone, which seems unnecessary.

Recent leaks have supplied possible evidence of a successor to the popular, affordable Mi Band 5. Now, a new tip asserts that the wearable has been registered with Indonesian and Indian authorities, suggesting it may debut soon in those markets, at least. It also seems to spill the 6's model number, if no additional specs for the putative fitness tracker.

More evidence of Samsung's foray into the augmented reality (AR) market has emerged, in the form of a new video that might be marketing material for its first-gen Glasses. They are apparently pitched at use-cases such as gaming and content consumption as well as virtual conferencing and presentations. They may also work as sunglasses and have a virtual DeX modes.

According to a new report, Samsung has two new Galaxy smartwatches in development, model numbers SM-R86x and SM-R87x. These smartwatches may be Samsung's first to run Android since 2013, with a pivot to Wear OS apparently on the cards, too.

Rollme has just launched the Hero, its latest smartwatch with a completely bezel-free display. This is joined by a nano-SIM card slot for 4G/LTE connectivity in this wearable, not to mention up to 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. Not only that, but it boasts an unusually large 1,600mAh battery rated for up to 10 days on power-save mode.

The GSMA has announced that it is currently considering running its flagship conference live and in Barcelona once again, albeit with up to 50,000 in-person attendees. Meanwhile, its Chinese counterpart, MWC Shanghai, is slated to begin on February 23, 2021 with 20,000 such attendees and in accordance with anti-Covid-19 health checks. Its success may determine whether MWC 2021 will return to something like "normality" this year.

Garmin has unveiled the Enduro, a new smartwatch with up to 65 days of battery life. The Enduro has such long runtimes thanks to solar charging technology. Still, it is more than capable in other areas, including GPS tracking, NFC contactless payments and all the fitness functionality one could expect from a Garmin.

Xiaomi has added several features to the Mi Watch with this month's software update. One of the highlights is Amazon Alexa support, as is the inclusion of a camera shutter button. V1.2.52 is hitting devices globally now as an OTA download.

Images of the OnePlus Watch's probable design have been published online, courtesy of the German Patent and Trademark Office. The images show two designs, which are seemingly sports and luxury models of the same smartwatch.

The Deauther Watch V3 is an intriguing smartwatch. Based on an ESP8266 board, the device can hack Wi-Fi networks and can even create fake ones. The Deauther Watch V3 also has a 1.3-inch OLED display and is orderable for US$65.00.

The LS02 smartwatch from Haylou has a simple design and is aimed at price-sensitive buyers. The smartwatch, which has a 1.4-inch display and up to 20 days of battery life, is now orderable for US$25.99, or under US$20 if you are happy to have the device shipped from China.