A Motorola-branded Wear OS smartwatch slated with Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon Wear 4100 processor may have leaked (via 9to5Google). If the photos are real and not just rendered, this could be a sign that the next Moto 360 (or whatever it is called) could perform significantly better than the previous one, and could reap some of the efficiency gains the jump has brought. ‘a 28 nm process. at a 12 nm.
The 2019 Moto 360 used a Snapdragon Wear 3100 processor, which was only a minor update to the 2100 version of 2016. Despite claims by Qualcomm that the new (ish) 4100 has an 85% faster processor, a two and a half times faster GPU and 25% more battery life, it seems like there is only one watch on the market that actually has the chip.
The image that shows the potential watch (and which also appears to show a wireless charging coil) was found in an investor presentation alongside three other smartwatches. The unnamed watch has text on the back, and when Reddit user TheMacJezza zoomed in and improved, they saw it appeared to say “Snapdragon Wear 4100”. I’m no logician, but that seems to imply that this Mystery Moto contains a Snapdragon Wear 4100 (especially since the current Moto 360 also has its processor name printed on the back).
Motorola does not manufacture Moto-branded smartwatches itself. The name was licensed to a company called eBuyNow, which released the third generation of Moto 360 in 2019. eBuyNow then merged with another company called CE Brands, according to 9to5Google, who previously reported on an investor presentation with details on the Moto-branded hardware roadmap for 2021.
Correction: This article previously implied that Moto-branded smartwatches were still made by Motorola; it has been updated to indicate that the mark is licensed. The edge regret the error.
