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Meta, formerly the Facebook company, will rejoin the smartwatch competition with artificial intelligence at the center this time. The technology giant is said to be restarting its cancelled Meta smartwatch project and might launch the new gadget during Meta Connect 2025 on September 17–18 in the US.
According to DigiTimes, Meta is working on a smartwatch with an onboard camera and AI-enabled features, as reported by 9to5Google. The development is part of Meta’s overall plan to create an AI-first ecosystem that integrates well with its Ray-Ban smart glasses and Quest VR headsets.
The initial project, which was internally codenamed Milan, was initiated in 2021. It had a curved screen, physical buttons, and a dual-camera configuration: a 5MP front-facing camera for video calls and a 12MP rear camera intended for scanning the user’s environment. The latter required users to remove the device from their wrist, which suggests an emphasis on environmental interaction rather than fitness tracking or simple notifications.
Though innovative, the AI wearables project was canceled in mid-2022 owing to unanswered hardware constraints and issues with a nerve-signal-based control system that Meta was testing at the time.
Development was said to resume early in 2024, with the next iteration promising AI functionality, gesture control, and real-time camera interaction. The product is now positioned less as a fitness tracker and more as a context-aware computing buddy, complementing Meta’s other AI wearables.
China-based Huaqin Technology has reportedly been the manufacturing partner for the new device, which means that Meta could be gearing up for mass production in the next few months based on the progress of development.
As opposed to Apple and Samsung’s smartwatches, which center around health tracking, notifications, and productivity features, Meta’s foray into the segment is likely to emphasize spatial understanding, AI-based features, and augmented reality support more. That places Meta in a different orbit, portraying its smartwatch as an extension of the user space, not a shrunk-down smartphone on the wrist.
Also Read: Meta Introduces Neural Wristband to Control Computers Using Hand Gestures
Although a September announcement at Meta Connect 2025 is eagerly expected, DigiTimes has suggested that internal schedules could change. Nonetheless, the timing would align with Meta’s ambitious drive to establish an ecosystem of smart wearables that are optimized to work seamlessly across AI, AR, and VR platforms.
If launched, this would be one of Meta’s most aggressive hardware gambles in years, taking AI interaction on the wrist truly mainstream.
