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An FCC (Federal Communications Commission) listing was recently spotted indicating that a new WearOS smartwatch by Google is currently in the works with the model number G4SKY. The post itself doesn’t specifically say it’s a smartwatch. However, discovered instructions on viewing the “FCC E-label” strongly suggest that it is indeed a wearable. Don't get too excited because it’s most likely not the Pixel Watch 3. 9To5Google in their coverage points out a couple of clues hinting at what it could possibly be. The timing of the post is strange, notes 9To5Google. The Pixel Watch 3 is scheduled to come out in October. The FCC listing for the next-gen wearable should, at the very earliest, come out in the summer. Second, it lacks support for ultra-wideband (UWB), a connectivity protocol that’ll allow “for a faster and more precise unlocking experience”. The feature was revealed back in early March after 9To5Google dove into the Android code. Not every global region supports UWB so Bluetooth will stay available. Additionally, the mystery device won't be some other Google hardware like Pixel Tablet 2 either because it'll have LTE connectivity, according to the news site. Secret project So if it’s not the Pixel Watch 3, then what is it? The publication believes we’re looking at the tech giant’s new mid-range wearable which they refer to as the “Pixel Watch 2a.” Further investigation shows the smartwatch will “exist in one variation” only equipped with Wi-Fi as well as the aforementioned Bluetooth and LTE connectivity. What’s interesting about all this information is not a single leak or report has come out claiming Google is working on a mid-range smartwatch. A stripped-down version of the Pixel Watch is something we haven’t seen before and could fill a niche of people wanting a low-cost wearable from Google or Fitbit. The latter is another possibility. If you look at the current Fitbit smartwatch catalog on the official website, nothing is below $200, so there’s room for cheaper hardware. You can look up the listing yourself by going to the FCC’s Generic Search page and then entering “G4SKY” into the Product Code box. Be warned the material isn't the most engaging read. It consists primarily of letters of approval, a couple of schematics, and test results. Do keep in mind this is all speculation. Nothing is known for sure, although Google I/O 2024 kicks off in about three weeks from the time of this writing. We would expect to see the Pixel Watch 2a appear alongside other mid-range devices like the Pixel 8a. If you want an inexpensive wearable right now, check out TechRadar's list of the best cheap fitness trackers for 2024. You might also like Google may ditch the dock and re-release the Pixel Tablet at a lower price alongside an official stylus and keyboardThe Samsung Galaxy Watch FE is no more – but a cheap Samsung smartwatch could still be in the worksThe best smartwatch sales and deals for April 2024 View the full article

While we already know the OnePlus Watch 2 is coming very soon (in fact, it’s due to be announced in full on February 26 at Barcelona’s Mobile World Congress, or MWC) we’ve got some more details about the device itself, and it’s said to sport frankly incredible battery life, topping out at 100 hours in ‘smartwatch mode’. That alone would make it worthy of inclusion in our best smartwatches list, as battery life is still, in 2024, a real sticking point for smartwatches. While some stripped-back training tools like Garmin devices can last for weeks on end, most smartwatches from the likes of Apple, Samsung, and Google prioritize function over longevity. The Google Pixel Watch 2 boasts an ‘all-day’ battery life of a measly 24 hours, while even the best Apple Watch, the Apple Watch Ultra 2, clocks in at 36 hours. The OnePlus Watch 2 looks set to change all that, with its 100 hour-claims. In an exclusive interview with TechRadar, CEO of OnePlus Europe Bingo Liu said: “the OnePlus Watch 2 takes smartwatch battery performance a significant step forward with a staggering battery life of up to 100 hours. That’s more than double the battery life of our competitors.” When asked how this was achieved, Liu replied: “While I can’t reveal too much at this stage, I can confirm that the battery performance is based on substantial chipset innovation that optimizes performance based on the use case at hand. By innovating in this way, the OnePlus Watch 2 can achieve market-beating battery life while in full Smart Mode, without compromising on functionality.” The last iteration of the OnePlus Watch actually lasted longer than this - at 14 days, it rivaled some of the best Garmin watches - but that’s because it frankly didn’t do very much, with a bespoke OS and basic list of pre-generated apps. A Wear OS watch would be far more versatile. When asked if the OS was going to be the same OnePlus-only option this go-round, Liu replied: “We are saving announcements for our OS for the launch keynote, but what I can say is that it’s been an area of great focus for us. “It’s been three years since we first announced the OnePlus Watch. Our focus, like many of our products in the last year, has been to listen to our community feedback and create products that meet their needs.” Analysis: A 100-hour Wear OS watch? (Image credit: OnePlus) Liu’s refusal to spill any details on the OS is interesting. Google, with all its might, can’t make a Wear OS watch that lasts more than a day. If OnePlus’ next watch can run on Wear OS 4 rather than another stripped-down interface, it will be a great achievement and certainly worthy of note. Wear OS watches also come with many possibilities thanks to access to the Google Play store. One of the biggest problems of the original OnePlus Watch is its small coterie of basic apps, so a true Wear OS sequel would solve that problem straight away. Of course, this is all still conjecture: we’ll know more when the OnePlus Watch 2 is officially announced at the MWC keynote presentation on Sunday (February 25). You might also like Samsung says its Galaxy AI tech is expanding to wearable devices soonOnePlus teases the OnePlus Watch 2, promises to 'do it right' this timeGarmin launches the Forerunner 165 and Forerunner 165 Music running watches View the full article

Samsung doesn't always put new chipsets in new versions of the Galaxy Watch, but it did with the Galaxy Watch 6 – and it looks as though it will with the Galaxy Watch 7 series launching later this year as well. That's according to reliable tipster Roland Quandt (via SamMobile), who says that a processor with the internal codename Exynos 5535 is going to be powering the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 models. Considering 2023 watches were powered by the Exynos W930 – see our Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 review and Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic review for details – it's likely that this new chipset could be marketed as the Exynos W940. And that's all the information we have about this component right now: we don't know how much faster it's going to be or what new features it will bring with it, but it's encouraging that Samsung doesn't seem to be using the Exynos W930 again this year. Galaxy Watch 7 is based on Exynos 5535 (again, internal model number, not official marketing name. Guess would be Exynos W940 based on earlier models.There's also an Exynos 5400 (internal model #, no clue, but it is a mobile and likely wearable thing)Also Exynos 6375 exists.January 19, 2024 See more Battery life boost As far as we can tell, this is the first Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 leak to appear, so there's not much more we can tell you about these wearables. We're assuming there will again be both a standard model and a Classic model with a bezel, like last year. The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic were unveiled in July 2023 (alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and the Galaxy Z Flip 5), so we're probably looking at somewhere around July 2024 for the next devices to appear. Both of last year's models got high scores in our reviews, with lots of praise for the design and polish of the smartwatches, and for the software experience. If there is room for improvement though, it's in the battery life, which is still only average. That's something that the rumored new Exynos W940 should help with: new chipsets are typically more efficient as well as more powerful, meaning that the same tasks can be accomplished with less of a drain on the device battery. You might also like Everything that happened at Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 20245 fine wearables we expect to see in 2024The Apple Watch sensors are claimed to be unreliable View the full article