Google, Masimo, and Qualcomm are collaborating to create a reference smartwatch platform aimed at assisting original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in launching new Google Wear OS smartwatches.
Background of the Collaboration
This initiative follows the decision of several companies, including Fossil and Casio, to cease production of Wear OS watches. The planned wearable will integrate Qualcomm’s Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 system-on-a-chip (SoC) along with health-tracking sensors from Masimo. The SoC features four ARM Cortex A53 processor cores, an Adreno 702 GPU, an LTE modem, and connectivity options including Wi-Fi 4 and Bluetooth 5.3. The biosensors are identical to those found in the forthcoming Masimo Freedom smartwatch, which was associated with the import ban on Apple Watches. Expected features of the reference smartwatch include hydration level tracking, blood oxygen saturation monitoring, respiration rate assessment, heart rate measurement, and step counting. However, it seems that capabilities for taking ECG or blood pressure readings will not be part of this offering.
Customization for OEMs
Masimo states that while this will be a "standardized package," OEMs will have the freedom to customize the physical design of their smartwatch and the user interface. These smartwatches will be marketed under the respective OEM brands. As of now, it remains uncertain which companies will adopt this reference smartwatch platform, or when the initial wearables might be released.
