After the Huawei TalkBand B5 we featured yesterday, we’re learning today that more Wear OS smartwatches will be arriving. It appears the smartwatch game isn’t going down although we believe more OEMs have started quitting. Interestingly, the bigger brands like Samsung and LG will release new models that are powered by Wear OS. The latter is simply a renamed Android Wear that was introduced to us back in March, complete with Google Assistant features and Actions and an enhanced battery saver.

Samsung is set to launch the Gear S4 with Bixby 2.0 support. It may also be known with a new name–Samsung Galaxy Watch–which somehow tells us the South Korean tech giant is moving to the Wear OS direction. We noted earlier that Tizen OS would be retiring so it only makes sense the new platform will run Wear OS. Google’s very own Android wearable OS is an attempt to integrate ecosystems.

Google is aiming to streamline its products and services. The Android ecosystem is complicated but integrating and plugging the smaller systems is expected to make things easier and more convenient.

Samsung Galaxy Watch is going back to Android with Wear OS. We’re assuming all the features we mentioned will be part of the new Galaxy Watch including the 470 mAh battery, PLP package, and BP tracking. We’re not sure when Samsung will reveal the new phone but it could be announced together with the Galaxy Note 9 on August 9 or maybe later at the IFA 2018 in Berlin.

The other South Korean tech giant, LG, also has plans of revealing a Wear OS-powered smartwatch. We’re looking forward to that unannounced LG Watch Timepiece hybrid wearable which recently reached the FCC.

We only have a few details about the upcoming LG Watch aside from the fact that it will run Wear OS. The device will have two parts: the smart digital and an analog part that uses quartz movement. In Watch Mode, the device can last up to a maximum of three months on a single full charge of the 240mAh battery.

The LG Watch Timepiece boasts a circular 1.2-inch LCD panel, 360 x 360 pixel resolution, Qualcomm 1.1GHz Snapdragon 2100 chipset, USB Type-C 2.0 port, 4GB eMMC storage, 768MB LPDDR3 RAM, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n for wireless connectivity,nine-axis motion sensor, and Bluetooth 4.2 connectivity. Sorry, there’s no NFC or GPS. Price could be anything below $250.

After Samsung and LG, expect other OEMs to follow suit. In the next few years, we’re looking at a market with more advanced smartwatches running Wear OS although choices in models may be limited.

VIA: Yonhap News Agency

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