Moto Watch 100 Arrives Without Wear OS

Motorola was one of the very first major smartphone brands that embraced Android Wear (next to the LG G Watch), and it was also the first to adopt a circular body that has now become standard on smartwatches. As other big phone makers backed out of the smartwatch market, Motorola continued putting out Android Wear, now Wear OS, devices, even if not under its own name. Unfortunately, it seems that this tradition has finally come to a stop, and the newest Moto Watch 100 has very little in common with its predecessors that bear that iconic brand.

It isn't really that surprising, considering it isn't Motorola making the smartwatch anymore anyway. Back in 2019, the third-gen Moto 360 was actually made and launched by a company named eBuyNow which licensed the Motorola brand for smartwatches. eBuyNow itself was later acquired by CE Brands, which apparently has big plans for the Moto Watch line. Unfortunately, those plans might not include Wear OS.

The Moto Watch 100 is billed as a "premium timepiece" made from "the most durable materials," and it at least looks the part. The specs are mostly decent as well, with a 1.3-inch circular display housed in a 42mm aluminum casing, a 355mAh battery, 5 ATM water resistance, and the usual staple of sensors, including one for heart rate monitoring. Sadly, the product page is mum on things like the processor, memory, or even storage space.

The biggest unknown with this wearable, however, is the so-called Moto Watch OS, most likely a custom real-time operating system (RTOS) made by eBuyNow. It is compatible with Android and iOS (still coming), but you can expect that functionality will be very basic compared to Wear OS or even Samsung's Tizen. There is support for notifications, 26 activity modes, a heart rate monitor, and some other health apps, but that's pretty much it.

Given the $99 price tag, it's not difficult to see that Moto Watch 100 as a mid-range or even entry-level smartwatch, one that boasts two weeks of battery life in exchange for not having that many advanced features. Pre-orders are available today, but the smartwatch won't be shipping until December 10.