HMD's Upcoming Smartwatch: Close But Not Quite Right
I have been asking members of the HMD team for years to create a Nokia smartwatch that is basic but can track heart rate, count steps, and perhaps monitor blood oxygen levels—and of course, deliver all notifications well. Instead, the Nokia brand was slowly removed from the mobile phone market.
Now, it looks like HMD has quietly focused on a product that is close to what I hoped they would bring. The person behind @smashx_60 indicated that HMD is looking to bring out a smart band or smartwatch. I was quite happy at first, but I became worried when a camera appeared on the leaked spec list.
Then it made sense: HMD has partnered with Xplora, which is famous for creating top-notch kids' smartwatches. I was once again disappointed that I can't have a simple smartwatch as an adult.
Information about the devices expected to launch soon, which have been called HMD Rubber, has been leaked.
HMD RUBBER 1
- Software built on a 1.85″ OLED screen
- Water resistance up to 5ATM submersion
- Bluetooth 5.3 with Wi-Fi and Near Field Communication (NFC)
- Accelerometer, heart rate, and SpO₂ sensors
- 2 MP camera
- Wear OS
- 400 mAh battery with microUSB charging
- USB-C and Qi wireless charging support
HMD RUBBER 1S
- 1.07″ OLED display
- 5ATM water resistance
- Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi
- Accelerometer, heart rate, and SpO₂ sensors
- Wear OS
- 290 mAh battery
- USB-C charging and Qi wireless charging
While there's clearly demand for children's wearables, particularly given HMD's focus on helping kids connect with the physical world through their Better Phone Project, I can't help but view these devices as overpriced gadgets designed for overly protective parents obsessed with tracking their children's every move.
My bigger concern is the choice of Wear OS, which has consistently delivered poor battery performance across virtually every device it powers. This operating system has never managed to solve its fundamental power management issues.
The success of the Rubber series remains to be seen. While the concept has merit, HMD risks falling into the same traps that have plagued other wearable manufacturers.
