Wear OS 3 was in a weird state of limbo for a while, which only the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 confirmed to be released with the upgrade. Now, Google has confirmed other smartwatches, current and upcoming, will eventually be updated as well. The last time we asked about upcoming Wear OS watches, our readers leaned toward the Galaxy Watch 4. So now we want to know if the recent Wear OS update news has changed anything.
As it stands, it seems that the Galaxy Watch 4 may be the only smartwatch with Wear OS 3 for a while, at least officially. There are rumors of a Google Pixel Watch, but nothing is official, and rumors are scarce. Fitbit has also indicated that it will launch a Wear OS device, but we don't know when it's expected.
Fossil has been a bit more forthcoming about its plans. The company currently makes some of the best Android smartwatches, but it seems none of them will be updated to the new version. Instead, the company will launch its Gen 6 devices later this year, hinting at "premium" models. However, they may not come with the new update at launch, as Google has indicated that its partners will "roll out the system update starting in mid to second half of 2022."
That goes for smartwatches like the Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 3 GPS, which is among the only current smartwatches eligible for the update. And while mid to H2 2022 sounds like a long way, Mobvoi's current smartwatches powered by the Snapdragon Wear 4100 run very smoothly and should likely see more performance and battery life gains with the new update.
It's unclear why it'll take so long to get Wear OS 3 onto other smartwatches. Still, given the more customizable nature of the update, it may give other OEMs time to adjust things to their liking while giving Samsung enough headroom for its new smartwatch. Whatever the case may be, it's good to know that you technically don't have to wait to buy a new smartwatch if you want the Wear OS 3 update.
The best of Wear OS
Thanks to its dual-layer display, great battery life, and super-fast chipset, the Mobvoi's TicWatch Pro 3 GPS is perhaps the best Wear OS smartwatch you can buy right now. And TicWatch Pro 3 owners can rejoice knowing that the watch will receive the upcoming Wear OS 3.0 update.
