On Wednesday, Qualcomm issued a statement to XDA developers where a spokesman confirmed that the last few generations of the Snapdragon Wear Platform would be able to run the new, complete Wear OS version. A Google spokesman later issued a statement to the same business.
User experience is a top priority for us. We have not confirmed the justification or timeline for whether any Wear OS smartwatch will be updated to the new overall platform. There are many technical requirements to run the overall platform that ensures that all components of the user experience are optimized. ”
Google’s statements do not specify anything. Instead, we are back to not knowing if current Wear OS watches are being updated. We do not yet know what these “technical requirements” for running the entire Wear OS are.
Now that Samsung is in the picture of uniting Tizen with Wear OS, business interests may play a role, especially as both Qualcomm and Samsung manufacture portable chipsets. In addition, Samsung will reportedly be Google’s partner in the production of new chipsets for Google Pixel 6 and Pixel Watch.
The latest Snapdragon Wear 4100 is largely based on the Snapdragon 429 chipset, but perhaps optimized for lower power consumption, as per Anandtechand Wear 3100 chips that preceded (built on the 28 nm process) were considered obsolete before they even arrived in portable devices.
Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 3 powered by Snapdragon Wear 4100 Platform
Wear OS devices were often criticized for not being as slick and snappy as Samsung and Apple Watch competitors, and that was largely due to Qualcomm’s chipset. It was only when the Snapdragon 3100/4100 chipset came together that narrowed the gap in overall performance, though Wear OS optimization over the years was also a factor.
Samsung will reportedly offer more details about its upcoming smartwatch, which runs the full Wear OS, on June 28 during MWC. Maybe we can make more sense of this when it happens.
