Facebook rumored to be working on a smartwatch with two cameras set to launch next year
Things haven’t been going that great for Facebook as of late, largely thanks to the privacy changes made by Apple and Google via iOS and Android. Setting those aside, it would appear as though the social media giant is working on a new smartwatch that will reportedly make its debut next Summer.
In a report from The Verge, this rumored smartwatch will not only feature cellular connectivity, but it will also come equipped with some pretty crazy hardware. First of which is the dual-camera setup that Facebook could be working on. There’s a camera on the front of the smartwatch that is designed “primarily for video calling”, while there’s another rear-facing camera with a 1080p resolution.
The primary focus of this smartwatch wouldn’t be to necessarily be integrated into another attempted Facebook phone, but instead, will make it easier to snap pictures and videos and share them to Instagram, WhatsApp, or Facebook directly. It also is set to be just the beginning of Facebook’s internal push to release more consumer devices that are able to skirt the lines around those privacy concerns with Apple and Google.
Previous leaks and rumors about the supposed Facebook Watch have suggested that the company will be integrating a slew of health and fitness tracking features. Meanwhile, it would sport an open-source version of Android, not dissimilar to the first Facebook Phone and what we see from Amazon’s Fire Tablets.
This smartwatch is also slated to be integrated in some way with a set of Augmented Reality glasses that are currently in development. Facebook is already working on the second and third generations of its watch, as it continues to plan out different features for future versions of the wearable.
It’s a rather interesting time to get into the smartwatch race, as Apple already dominates the market, while Samsung and Google are partnering up with an all-new version of Wear OS. According to the report, Facebook won’t be launching this until Summer 2022, and it could be priced as high as $400, making it a steep hill to climb if Facebook wants to actually have any kind of meaningful impact on the wearable market.