Meta is set to release its first smartwatch this year featuring health-tracking and built-in Meta AI, reports The Information.
The smartwatch, which would compete directly with Apple Watch and other brands, is the result of a revived project that Meta canceled in 2022 amid broader spending cuts at its Reality Labs hardware division.
The original project involved plans to release three different camera-equipped watch models, but it doesn't sound like they will be part of the company's future product lineup. The new watch is code-named "Malibu 2."
The smartwatch could arrive alongside Meta's updated Ray-Ban smart glasses – which could reportedly include facial recognition – and it sounds like they will almost definitely appear before a pair of mixed reality glasses that the company has also been developing.
Internally code-named "Phoenix," the MR glasses are said to have been delayed until 2027. Meta executives are said to have grown concerned that launching too many devices in quick succession could confuse customers, hence the delay.
Last year, the Facebook parent company launched its Ray-Ban Display AR glasses, which apparently proved so popular that Meta had to delay an international rollout. Those glasses use a neural wristband for its gestural interface, so it's possible the new smartwatch could potentially take over those controls.
Meanwhile, Bloomberg recently reported that Apple is developing rival smart glasses, an AI pin, and AirPods with cameras, all of which will connect to the iPhone and will interface with the smarter version of Siri that's in the works.
Apple is targeting a 2027 launch for the glasses, and the AI pin could arrive in the same year, if development continues. The new AirPods could arrive as soon as this year.
