Masimo Collaboration With Google And Qualcomm Makes It Easier To Create Wear OS Smart Watches

Illustration of Masimo W1 smartwatch (photo: x @ahier)

JAKARTA - Masimo, a company that banned the sale of Apple Watch in the US, has now announced cooperation with Google and Qualcomm to build a Wear OS reference platform for smartwatch manufacturers (OEM).

The platform will feature the Snapdragon W5 Plus Gen 1 processor and the Massive biosensor, which allows OEM to build Wear OS devices with more accurate health data and smooth integration with Android.

Although the smartwatch market has narrowed, Android phone users still have many options. Google handles most of Wear OS experiences, but health tracking is left to each OEM, which often results in inconsistent health tracking quality. This problem can confuse consumers, especially if they move between different watch brands.

This collaboration aims to address these challenges by providing a platform that combines Qualcomm's Macsimo and Snapdragon wearable biosensing technologies. Masimo will design optimized hardware and software, while OEM can design the outer view and interface of their smartwatch users.

This reference platform will use the Snapdragon W5 Plus Gen 1 system-on-a-chip (SoC), which offers high performance and low power efficiency. With access to a standard package that includes this hardware and software component, OEM can manufacture Wear OS smartwatches more quickly and efficiently.

In addition, the health and fitness tracking capabilities offered will be equivalent to the upcoming Masimo W1 and Masimo Freedom devices, which already have an FDA licensed module for pulse monitoring and blood oxygen.

While this standard approach can improve the Android smartwatch ecosystem, there are concerns that this could limit innovation if it is not balanced with the right incentives for OEM. There is no information yet regarding when this reference platform will be available or when the first device built on it will be released to market.