All Android Wear a.k.a Wear OS smartwatches run on the same chip, the Snapdragon Wear 2100 from Qualcomm. The company launched this chip back in 2016 and it’s high time that it came out with a successor to power improved smartwatches. That’s finally going to happen later this year as Qualcomm has confirmed that it will be releasing a new processor for Wear OS smartwatches this year.
Qualcomm’s senior wearables director Pankaj Kedia confirmed to Wareable that Qualcomm is going to launch a new processor for wearable devices alongside a flagship device in the fall this year. He also said that multiple OEM partners will be launching their new Watch OS devices powered by this chip by the holiday season.
Kedia also mentioned that the new chip is going to be “designed from the ground up for a no-compromises smartwatch experience,” which should in theory enable OEMs to develop smaller smartwatches with improved battery life.
The no-compromises smartwatch experience means that the chip will work more effectively with always-on displays because a smartwatch is essentially a wristwatch with more features. So it needs to look good whether or not the user is looking at it. It shouldn’t be black and white when the user isn’t looking at it. That’s something that Qualcomm has been focusing on during the development process for this new chip.
Kedia didn’t provide any specifics of the new chip at this point in time but did tease that it’s going to “significantly change the Wear OS ecosystem.” Expect to hear more about this chip in the coming months.
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