OnePlus To Release Smartwatch In Early 2021

Smartphone maker OnePlus is moving into wearable devices, with a smartwatch being the first for the company. It is expected to launch in early 2021, according to OnePlus CEO Pete Lau.

What Happened: Lau announced the new smartwatch news in a tweet, without revealing the details of an exact release date or the watch specs. He said that the watch would debut “early next year.”

According to a 9to5 Google report, OnePlus was rumored to work with Alphabet, Inc’s GOOG GOOGL Google Wear OS. However, the company clarified that it is unsure if the upcoming OnePlus smartwatch will sport the Google Wear OS.

Though Lau has confirmed that OnePlus is was working on a smartwatch with Google, it is unclear if the two are related.

“Wear OS definitely has room to improve. What we’re trying to do is work with Google to try to improve the connectivity between the Wear OS ecosystem, Android TV, and Android smartphones to create this ability for better device interoperability across the ecosystems”, Lau said in the interview.

Why It Matters: Google is years behind Apple Inc AAPL when it comes to wearables. Last year, Google acquired Fitbit for $2.1 billion in cash to gain a foothold in the wearables space.

According to an earlier report, rival Samsung Electronics Co Ltd SSNLF is also betting big on wearable and health tracking technologies.

Google’s smartphone Android OS gained market share by opening its software to phone makers. It is unclear if Google will follow the same model for wearables, but from the looks of it, Google is looking to partner with android smartphone makers to launch a smartwatch in 2021.

OnePlus and Oppo have the same parent, BBK Electronics. The upcoming OnePlus smartwatch may take cues from the existing Oppo watch, according to The Verge.

Image Courtesy: Wikimedia