Moto-branded smartwatches are staging another comeback, and they won’t rely on your Moto 360 nostalgia quite so much this time. As WatchSmarty and 9to5Google have noticed, a CE Brands (which runs eBuyNow) presentation has revealed a trio of Moto watches arriving in 2021. Notably, none of them appears to be a direct Moto 360 sequel.
The first is a Moto G-inspired watch due in June. Although the lone slide doesn’t reveal specs, the G looks to be an appropriately budget-oriented circular model with a simple case and no rotating crown. Things will get more interesting in July, however. On top of a more upscale-looking One, a Moto Watch would switch to a rectangular case — more than a little reminiscent of an Apple Watch, and a clear break from tradition.
All the devices are likely to use Wear OS, and they might use newer chips like the Snapdragon Wear 4100 when CE Brands and eBuyNow tout their partnership with Qualcomm on “premium wearables.”
The new Moto watches aren’t guaranteed to match expectations. If they succeed, though, they could offer serious competition to larger Wear OS watch makers like Mobvoi (of TicWatch fame) and Fossil. The Wear OS smartwatch market is still relatively small compared to what Apple and Samsung offer, and that provides opportunities for relative newcomers to thrive.
