For at least a couple of years, we’ve been hearing aboutFacebook owner Meta working on a smartwatchthat looks very different fromthe best Android smartwatchesright now. Considering Facebook’s reputation,the smartwatch could’ve had some serious privacy implicationswith its weird dual-camera setup. But then, the companyreportedly scrapped itlate last year — or so it was believed. A new leak suggests that the Meta smartwatch is not only alive, but the company is working on a second, more refined version.
In its first leaked photo from 2021, the watch appeared with two cameras, one each on the front and the back. It wasn’t immediately clear how Meta planned to use these cameras, especially the one facing the wrist, but it sure was a radical choice. The second iteration of that prototype smartwatch reportedly sticks to the same design but brings a couple of improvements under the hood.
Leaker Kuba Wojciechowski got hold of a few new photos of the Meta smartwatch in its current avatar. From these images, it’s really hard to tell this version of the smartwatch apart from the first one. You get the same squircle design that is reminiscent of theFitbit Sense 2but with that distinct camera notch on the bottom bezel. The only big change from its previous version is the rearranged sensor array on the back.
The Meta smartwatch is said to be powered by a Qualcomm processor and a custom version of Android (notWear OS). We don’t have any more specifics of its internals, nor do we know when — or if — it will see the light of day.
While both Android and iOS aretightening their grip on developerslike Facebook that siphon off user data, this smartwatch could potentially give some control back to Meta. But Facebook has had a hard time selling its consumer hardware — itsPortal smart speaker business shutting downis a good example. Meanwhile, Meta has high hopes from its metaverse venture, and it would be interesting to see how this smartwatch fits within that ecosystem.
