Meta is set to expand its wearables portfolio by launching smartwatches aimed at a different demographic than typical smartwatch users. Unlike existing products from Apple, Samsung, and others, Meta’s upcoming smartwatches will likely include cameras to enhance user interaction with the metaverse. This move aligns with Meta’s broader vision of integrating wearables with augmented reality (AR) glasses, potentially creating a seamless ecosystem of connected devices.
Meta’s watches are expected to complement the company’s smart AR glasses, which may debut as early as the end of 2025. By including cameras on the watches, Meta aims to increase real-time capturing and sharing capabilities directly from the wrist, encouraging deeper engagement with augmented and virtual reality content.
This would mark a departure from the typical smartwatch market which focuses mainly on health, notifications, and fitness tracking, positioning Meta to pioneer a wearable category that blends hardware closely with metaverse experiences.
The concept harks back to the Samsung Galaxy Gear from 2013, which was among the first smartwatches to feature a camera, though the technology has significantly advanced since then. Given the success of Meta’s AI-powered Ray-Ban smart glasses, which prompted a restructuring of Meta’s Reality Labs to focus more on wearables, the company appears poised to innovate aggressively in this space.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has long emphasized AR glasses as the future of mobile computing, aiming to replace smartphones eventually, while smartwatches may serve as complementary devices providing second-screen functionalities linked to these glasses.
Industry competitors like Apple, Google, and Samsung are also exploring AR wearables and new smartwatch features, but Meta’s strategy to embed cameras on wrist devices sets it apart, potentially forcing rivals to reconsider their approach to smartwatches.
Though skepticism remains about how much convenience smartwatches can add compared to glasses, Meta’s entry introduces exciting prospects for a new demographic of users, blending communication, media interaction, and immersive experiences in a single wearable platform.
The first models of Meta’s smartwatches could launch within the next year or two, alongside new AR glasses, marking Meta’s bold entry into the evolving wearable landscape.