The rumors of Meta’s plans to develop a smartwatch may not be entirely false. Recently, leaked images shared by Kuba Wojciechowski showed that Meta is back in the game of creating a smartwatch to enhance its metaverse hardware offerings. This time, the watch will run on Android and not Wear OS.
It was reported last year that Meta had abandoned its plans to release a smartwatch powered by Android, which had been leaked extensively. However, recent leaked images suggest that the company is once again working on a new iteration of the smartwatch.
Meta rumored to be developing Android smartwatch with camera
The device appears to be in an advanced stage of development, with the watch face shown functioning. The two devices are very similar in design, except for the black frame, and there is even a notch at the bottom to accommodate a camera.
The new Meta smartwatch has a detachable frame design, which enables users to remove the watch from the wrist while retaining the band. This feature allows for two cameras on the device, a low-resolution front camera and a high-resolution bottom camera.
In Meta’s previous attempt at this design, known as “V1”, the placement of the second camera was problematic as it interfered with nerve signals used for gestures. The new design seems to address this issue and better integrate both cameras and gestures.
New photos reveal that the form factor of the Meta smartwatch has remained largely unchanged, with some modifications to the sensors on the bottom. The front of the device features a new watch face with a blue design and a red second hand.
According to the source, Meta still plans to release the smartwatch for users to familiarize themselves with the form factor before it is used with Metaverse-related devices, although the launch timeline has not been shared.
The original plans for the smartwatch included LTE connectivity, integration with Meta’s messaging apps, and health-focused features. Although the first smartwatch was reported to have been cancelled in mid-2022, and development was said to have stopped at the end of the year, these new photos suggest that Meta may be revisiting its plans with a similar design, albeit with minor cosmetic differences and changes to the sensor array.