The device was first spotted in an FCC filing, where the paperwork pointed to a gadget with straps, a screen, GNSS and Bluetooth LE. The FCC never actually named Google, though. The new IMDA entry does, which makes the whole thing a lot less speculative.

IMDA actually names Google

The Singapore listing is pretty straightforward. G8BL6 appears under the Google brand, with “Wireless Device” as the equipment description and Bluetooth as the equipment type. Wideminds Pte. Ltd. is listed as the local supplier, while the marketing-name field is still blank.

That last bit means we still do not know what Google plans to call this thing. But having Google sitting there in the Brand/Trade Name column is a big step forward because the FCC filing itself only names Weifang Goertek Electronics as the applicant.

When we first looked through the FCC paperwork, there were already plenty of reasons to suspect Google. Goertek also handled the FCC filing for Fitbit Air, and G8BL6 follows the sort of model naming Google uses for its hardware.

The IMDA entry now removes that part of the detective work. Whatever G8BL6 eventually turns out to be, it is a Google device.

The FCC clues now make a lot more sense

That makes everything buried in the FCC reports a bit more important.

The paperwork mentions different straps being tested, while the RF exposure testing treats G8BL6 as an extremity device with zero separation. In other words, this looks very much like something intended to sit directly on the wrist.

There also appears to be a display. The device’s regulatory information can be opened from its Home screen by going through Settings > System > Regulatory Information, where the FCC ID appears electronically.

Then there is GNSS. The FCC testing lists both Bluetooth LE and GNSS, which points to onboard satellite positioning rather than a tracker that depends entirely on a connected phone for location.

The test setup also mentions a charging base. And Sporton used ADB, Google’s Android debugging toolkit, to put G8BL6 into engineering modes during testing. None of that proves it runs Wear OS, but it is another clue that fits much better now that IMDA has directly tied the hardware to Google.

So far, there is no Wi-Fi or cellular radio authorization attached to G8BL6. That makes another conventional Pixel Watch look less likely and pushes us back towards some kind of fitness tracker or lighter wrist wearable.

That mystery Google band is back in the conversation

There is an obvious device sitting in the background here.

Google has already shown an unidentified screen-equipped fitness tracker in its own Pixel advertising. We covered the mystery band in August because it does not match Fitbit Air, Fitbit Charge 6 or Pixel Watch 5.

A Fitbit Charge 7 was the obvious possibility, although there was nothing solid connecting that name to the device. Google could just as easily be preparing something new under the Fitbit or Google branding.

Source: IMDA via thetechoutlook

The post IMDA listing confirms Google is behind mystery wrist wearable appeared first on Gadgets & Wearables.

The CIRQA Smart Band Pro name is right there

The clearest bit is a Garmin Connect resource called device_tutorial_alarms_message_1. Its text reads: “You can set alarms on your CIRQA Smart Band Pro in the Garmin Connect app.”

That would be interesting enough on its own, but it gets better. The exact same CIRQA Smart Band Pro reference is present in both Garmin Connect 5.28.1 and 5.29, so this is not something that briefly appeared in one release before disappearing.

The next few resources also appear to belong to the same alarm tutorial. They explain that the alarm vibrates the device, that pressing “either button” snoozes it, and that holding “either button” stops it.

Then comes another rather important line. A separate resource in that same group says: “You can set alarms on your CIRQA Smart Band in the Garmin Connect app.”

In other words, Garmin Connect separately names the CIRQA Smart Band Pro and CIRQA Smart Band. That makes the Pro reference harder to write off as Garmin simply attaching the wrong suffix to the existing product.

The standard CIRQA Smart Band launched in July as Garmin’s first screen-free smart band. It has a single side button, and Garmin specifically describes activities as being started by tapping that one button.

The wording inside Garmin Connect therefore does not match the current hardware. “Either button” only really makes sense if Garmin is referring to a device with at least two physical controls.

Audio feedback

Things get more interesting when you look at the surrounding tutorial resources. Garmin Connect contains instructions referring specifically to an “activity button” and a separate “controls button”.

The activity button can apparently start, pause and stop an activity. The controls button provides access to another menu and can be used to hear daily stats.

There is also tutorial text describing volume adjustment. According to the app, the activity button turns the volume up while the controls button turns it down, and another instruction says the user can wait for the volume level to be confirmed.

A separate assistance tutorial says holding the controls button can trigger assistance. Another line says an assistance request can be cancelled by holding either button until the user hears “Canceled”.

The references to volume, hearing daily stats and hearing confirmation messages are particularly interesting. They suggest some form of audio feedback may be involved, although the APK does not tell us whether that means an integrated speaker, another type of audio hardware or something handled through a connected device.

There is an important caveat here. The surrounding tutorial text is not explicitly labelled Pro, but its placement and wording strongly suggest it belongs to the same device flow.

A Pro version of a screenless wearable would need some way of offering more interaction without simply adding a display. Extra buttons plus spoken feedback would be one way Garmin could do it. It all fits.

So what is CIRQA Smart Band Pro?

For now, all we can say with confidence is that Garmin Connect explicitly contains the name “CIRQA Smart Band Pro”. The reference has survived across at least two releases of the app, and Garmin has separately included the normal CIRQA Smart Band name in the same tutorial resource group.

The surrounding code gives us a possible first look at what could make the Pro version different. Two physical buttons look like the strongest clue, while volume controls and spoken status information raise the possibility of some kind of audio feedback.

The latest Garmin Connect 5.29 build also adds new CIRQA-specific device identification code, another sign that Garmin is actively developing the CIRQA side of the app. Makes sense if you are planning to release a Pro version of the band, along with a smart ring.

APK teardown note

This article is based on an APK teardown. Code found inside an app can reveal features or devices that are under development, but there is no guarantee they will appear in a future public release.

The post Garmin app code reveals clues about CIRQA Smart Band Pro appeared first on Gadgets & Wearables.

Ten Garmin models under one certification

The new ANATEL certification covers A05124, B05124, C05124, D05124, E05124, F05124, G05124, H05124, I05124 and AA5124. All ten sit under the same Brazilian homologation, which is exactly the sort of pattern you would expect if Garmin were certifying multiple physical versions of the same underlying device. And all were registered on the same day.

Ten variants would be rather strange for a normal Garmin watch. For a smart ring, though, it immediately makes sense.

Ring makers have to offer far more hardware sizes than watch manufacturers because there is no adjustable strap to make up the difference. For example, the current Oura Ring 5 comes in 8 sizes, from size 6 through 13. Interestingly, Oura Ring 4 had a wider range, 12 sizes, from 4 through 15. 

And Brazil is not the only place where these model numbers have started appearing.

China certified four members of the same family on September 1. C05124, E05124, G05124 and H05124 were all registered by Garmin’s Taiwanese entity. Each is simply described as a Bluetooth device.

That is a pretty useful extra clue. We now have four individual 05124 models turning up together in China, followed by a Brazilian certification covering ten variants from the same family.

AA5124 was already sitting next to the smart ring

The really interesting part is that 5124 did not appear out of nowhere.

Back in August, we reported on a Garmin device called the CIRQA SMART RING that briefly popped up in Indonesia’s telecommunications certification database. The listing appeared on August 12 and explicitly named the product as a smart ring before disappearing from the public database shortly afterwards.

Sitting right beside that certification was another Garmin fitness product carrying the model number AA5124. At the time, there was not enough information to connect the two with confidence. Now there is.

Garmin still has not announced the CIRQA Smart Ring, so there is a limit to how far we can take this. But if AA5124 belongs to the ring, as the growing regulatory trail now strongly suggests, the other 05124 variants are likely part of the same product family.

When could the Garmin CIRQA Smart Ring launch?

That is a lot of activity across several markets in a fairly short period. Regulatory approvals do not guarantee an immediate launch, but this is starting to look like a product moving through the final stages needed for commercial release.

Our guess would be a launch sometime in the final months of 2026, with October or early November looking like a reasonable window. Any later than that, and we are into the holiday shopping period.

Another option might be CES 2027 in Las Vegas. Garmin does not always save product launches for major trade shows, but CES would give it a very obvious stage for entering a new category. If nothing appears before the end of 2026, January starts to look like the next sensible window.

Either way, the recent filings suggest the CIRQA Smart Ring is getting closer. The main question now is whether Garmin wants it on sale before Christmas or prefers to make a bigger splash at the start of 2027.

This article originally appeared on Gadgets & Wearables, the first media outlet to report the story.

The post Garmin filings point to ten possible CIRQA Smart Ring sizes appeared first on Gadgets & Wearables.

So now we know what “Dual Solar” actually means. This is not just a solar ring around the display with some clever branding attached to it, Zepp Health is working on two separate surfaces that can generate power.

There really are two solar panels

We first started seeing signs of this setup earlier in the summer, when Zepp Health was working with separate measurements for power coming from the watch face and the case back. At the time, that was interesting but not enough to say with confidence that the T-Rex Dual Solar would actually have photovoltaic panels on both sides.

That ambiguity has now disappeared. The latest APK describes the watch face and case back as both having built-in photovoltaic panels. And each is getting its own charging measurement.

Even more interesting is the difference between them. The photovoltaic panel on the case back is larger than the panel around or beneath the watch face. So Zepp Health says its charging index will normally be higher when both receive the same amount of light.

That is a pretty unusual way to build a solar watch. Most solar wearables concentrate on getting light through or around the display. That’s because the display is obviously the part of the watch exposed to the sun while you are wearing it.

The rear panel creates a slightly different proposition. While the watch is strapped to your wrist, it is not going to see much sunlight at all. The obvious use would be taking the watch off and leaving it somewhere with both surfaces exposed, although exactly how Zepp Health expects owners to position it remains to be seen.

Zepp Health has created a Solar Charging Index

There is also a new way of measuring how much useful light each panel is receiving.

Zepp Health is calling it the Solar Charging Index. The watch can show separate values for the watch-face panel and the case-back panel, rather than simply telling you that solar charging is taking place.

The reference point is 50 kLux. When the watch face receives that level of light, Zepp Health defines its Solar Charging Index as 100%. That does not mean the battery is charging at 100% or that the watch has reached full solar output, it is essentially a reference scale for the amount of usable solar energy reaching the panel.

The larger case-back panel changes the numbers. Under identical lighting, Zepp Health says the back should normally report a higher Charging Index because it has a greater photovoltaic area.

This should make the solar system much more transparent than simply sticking a little sun icon on the screen. Owners should be able to see whether moving the watch, changing its angle or exposing the rear panel is actually improving the amount of energy coming in.

Solar Boost Mode makes more sense now

This also adds some context to the Solar Boost Mode we previously uncovered. When activated, the watch cuts back to essentials such as the time, battery level and solar information, while temporarily disabling a number of normal functions.

The idea appears to be simple. Reduce how much power the watch is consuming while those two photovoltaic panels are bringing energy in, giving solar charging a better chance of making a significant difference to the battery level.

Zepp Health is also building temperature protection into the system. Solar charging can pause when the watch becomes too hot, which is particularly relevant if someone leaves it sitting directly in strong sunlight to take advantage of that larger rear panel.

There are dedicated solar statistics as well, including separate information for the two charging surfaces. So this is looking less like the passive solar top-up used on some watches and more like a system Zepp Health wants owners to actively interact with.

The big unanswered question is how much extra battery life all of this actually produces. Two photovoltaic panels sound good on paper, but panel size, efficiency, power consumption and the amount of time the rear of the watch spends exposed to light will ultimately decide whether Dual Solar makes a noticeable difference.

At least the hardware idea is much clearer now. The Amazfit T-Rex Dual Solar has already surfaced under model A2570, and Zepp Health is now putting together a fairly elaborate solar system around it, complete with two panels, individual charging measurements, Solar Boost Mode and temperature management.

APK teardown note

This article is based on an APK teardown. Code found inside an app can reveal features or devices that are under development, but there is no guarantee they will appear in a future public release.

The post Amazfit T-Rex Dual Solar really does have two solar panels appeared first on Gadgets & Wearables.

Digging further into the FCC documents gives us one useful clue. WM50 is based on the same hardware platform as Whoop MG, but Whoop removed the NFC subsystem and its supporting circuitry.

What we know about WM50

The FCC approved WM50 on May 15, listing it simply as a “Sensor Device” operating over Bluetooth between 2.402 and 2.480 GHz. Singapore followed on June 10, where IMDA also registered WHOOP WM50 as a Bluetooth sensor device.

Neither filing gives us a commercial product name. There is nothing identifying it as Whoop 6.0, another MG model, a cheaper Whoop or anything else, so for now WM50 is simply an unreleased Whoop device.

The more interesting detail sits deeper in the FCC paperwork. Whoop states that WM50 is “derived directly from the WS50 hardware platform”, with no additional components added to the PCB.

WS50 is the regulatory model number used for Whoop MG. The standard Whoop 5.0 uses WG50 instead.

That does not tell us what WM50 will eventually become. It only tells us which existing hardware platform Whoop used as its basis.

The NFC removal is the interesting part

Whoop identifies one specific change from WS50. The company says the “NFC Tag Reader transmitter subsystem and its associated supporting circuitry” have been removed from WM50.

The likely role of that NFC hardware is not the actual charging itself. The current Whoop MG has a 13.56 MHz NFC radio, and the WB50 PowerPack also uses 13.56 MHz alongside Bluetooth. That suggests the NFC link is there so the sensor and battery pack can recognise each other and exchange information, potentially including things like battery status. Whoop does not publicly spell out the exact function, so that part remains an informed interpretation rather than a confirmed feature.

That leaves WM50 with Bluetooth connectivity in its FCC filing, but without the 13.56 MHz NFC radio found in WS50. Nothing in the documents explains why Whoop made that change or what it means for the finished product.

WM50 removes that NFC subsystem completely. That could mean Whoop has changed how the sensor communicates with the PowerPack, or that WM50 is intended to work differently in some other way. The FCC documents do not tell us which.

So the interesting thing here is not simply that one radio has disappeared. Whoop has taken the existing WS50 platform and deliberately removed a component that appears to be involved in communication with the battery pack, and we do not yet know why.

Our takeaway

WM50 could eventually sit somewhere else in Whoop’s lineup, but there is no evidence yet to say where. It could also serve a completely different purpose, and the regulatory documents do not give us enough information to narrow that down.

One thing we can probably rule out is the muscle oxygen sensor Whoop is working on. That project points to a very different type of wearable, designed for use on different parts of the body and built around optical sensing and muscle oxygen measurements.

For now, WM50 remains a mystery, although we may not have to wait too much longer for another clue. The FCC confidentiality period covering its internal and external photos lifts on November 11, 2026, which should give us a much better idea of what Whoop is actually building.

The post Whoop has an unreleased WM50 and one hardware detail stands out appeared first on Gadgets & Wearables.

The Indonesian certification was granted on August 25 and lists A05197 simply as an “Outdoor Product.” That timing naturally makes it interesting, because Garmin unveiled the Fenix 9 family on the same day and we already know from Garmin Connect that an Enduro 4 is somewhere in development.

But there are a few reasons not to make that jump yet.

Enduro 4 is the obvious possibility

The strongest Enduro 4 evidence did not come from a certification database. It came from Garmin itself.

Our Garmin Connect 5.26 teardown uncovered an explicit Enduro_4 entry inside the app’s device registry, along with internal product ID 5179. It also carried Garmin’s fitness, outdoor, golf and wellness category flags, which fit a full-featured multisport watch rather than a basic wearable.

Garmin Connect 5.27 then changed the picture slightly. The Enduro 4 name disappeared, but internal device 5179 remained and was associated with the codename GOBI.

That gives us a fairly strong chain:

Enduro 4 → internal ID 5179 → GOBI

Now compare that with the new Indonesian filing.

A05197 effectively gives us the number 5197 once the Garmin regulatory prefix is stripped away. That looks remarkably close to 5179 at first glance, but it is not the same number. The middle two digits are reversed.

There is also no reason to assume Garmin’s internal device IDs and regulatory model numbers have to match in the first place. So the similarity is interesting, but it does not confirm a bridge between A05197 and Enduro 4.

There is already another possible Enduro 4 device

A05197 is not the only unidentified Garmin Outdoor Product on the board. A05146 surfaced in Indonesia in early July with the same broad “Outdoor Product” classification, and it also appeared in South Korea and later Brazil.

A05146 attracted attention at the time because it looked like it could belong to Garmin’s next batch of high-end outdoor watches. Fenix 9, Fenix E 2 and Enduro 4 were all possibilities, but none of the filings revealed enough to pin down the retail name.

That makes A05146 worth keeping alongside A05197. Both fit the right general Garmin product category, both remain unidentified, and neither has yet been linked directly to internal ID 5179 or the GOBI codename.

Fenix 9 helps narrow the field

We can now cross one major possibility off the list. Garmin has published the regulatory model numbers for the Fenix 9 family, and neither A05146 nor A05197 is among them.

So these are not simply stray Fenix 9 variants waiting to be matched up. Garmin still has at least two unidentified Outdoor Products in the regulatory pipeline.

That makes A05197 and A05146 the two more interesting Enduro 4 candidates at the moment, but neither one is confirmed. One could turn out to be Enduro 4 while the other belongs to something else entirely, such as a future Fenix E model. The other conceivable options are something like Descent Mk4 or another specialist Garmin outdoor watch.

The post Another mystery Garmin watch just appeared, and it may not be Enduro 4 appeared first on Gadgets & Wearables.

Apple Watch Series 12

The next iteration in the Apple Watch Series looks all but certain. Having said that, expectations point to a fairly restrained update.

The main changes currently expected include:

• A new Apple Watch processor, replacing the S10 used in Series 10 and Series 11
• Improved fitness tracking
• Potential battery life improvements
• Possible new health-related functionality
• A potential return of ceramic case options
• watchOS 27 features including expanded Workout Buddy functionality and improved fitness insights

The Series 12 should retain the case design introduced with Series 10, including the current display sizes. So we do not expect significant design changes for either Series 12 or Ultra 4.

The processor could be the bigger story. Series 11 kept the S10 chip from Series 10, while the S10 itself remained architecturally close to the S9. Leaked internal Apple code reportedly points to a new chip this year.

Battery life may also improve. One established Chinese leaker claims Apple is prioritising it through a larger battery and better efficiency. Series 11 already increased Apple’s standard rating from 18 to 24 hours, so another jump would make overnight sleep tracking easier.

Health and fitness changes remain less clear. Gurman has specifically mentioned upgraded fitness tracking, while earlier reports referred more broadly to health improvements. There has also been talk of improved blood pressure sensing, although Apple already introduced hypertension notifications with Series 11 and supports them on Series 9 and newer models. A DigiTimes report suggests another blood pressure-related feature is undergoing regulatory review, but it is unclear whether this involves new hardware or an extension of the existing system.

Ceramic looks more plausible. Apple last offered a ceramic Watch with Series 5.

Touch ID looks much shakier. References to Apple’s internal “AppleMesa” Touch ID codename appeared in leaked software, prompting speculation about fingerprint authentication. But that is not certain. Claims of a sensor built into the watch band are even less convincing.

Apple Watch Ultra 4

Ultra 4 is also expected in September, which is notable in itself. Apple skipped a full Ultra hardware generation in 2024, releasing only a black Ultra 2, but the arrival of Ultra 3 last year now appears to have put the range back onto an annual refresh cycle.

The current Ultra 4 picture looks something like this:

• The same new processor expected in Series 12
• Upgraded fitness tracking
• Continued satellite connectivity
• Expanded satellite features through watchOS 27
• Potential efficiency improvements that could help battery life
• No major redesign expected
• Possible health-sensor changes, although evidence remains weak

There was an earlier DigiTimes report claiming Ultra 4 could become thinner and receive a significant sensor redesign, including an eight-sensor arrangement on the rear. More recent reporting points the other way and says not to expect a major redesign, so we would put considerably more weight on the latter unless physical leaks start appearing.

Satellite connectivity will continue to be an important Ultra feature. But there is a distinction here that is getting lost in some of the rumor coverage.

Apple is expected to expand satellite functionality with features such as Apple Maps over satellite and sending or receiving photos through Messages. Those features are expected to extend to Ultra 3 as well, so they look more like watchOS 27 and network improvements than reasons to buy Ultra 4 specifically.

That leaves battery life as one of the areas where Apple could still surprise us. Ultra 3 already reaches up to 42 hours in normal use and 72 hours in Low Power Mode, and there has been no equally solid report promising another jump this year.

If the new processor is substantially more efficient, Apple could either extend runtime or use those efficiency gains elsewhere. For now, that remains speculation.

No Apple Watch SE 4 expected

One device we shouldn’t expect is an Apple Watch SE 4. Apple refreshed the cheaper line with SE 3 last September, and Gurman says there won’t be another SE update this year.

That leaves Apple with a fairly simple 2026 lineup. Series 12 becomes the mainstream choice, Ultra 4 remains the larger outdoor model, and SE 3 continues at the bottom of the range.

watchOS 27 brings plenty of changes

Some of the more noticeable upgrades this year may come from software rather than hardware. We covered the changes in more detail in our full look at watchOS 27.

watchOS 27 includes:

• Siri AI features on the wrist
• A dedicated Siri app
• A dynamic app grid
• A new single-tap gesture
• Expanded Workout Buddy features
• Workout Buddy without an iPhone nearby
• Improved indoor run and walk distance estimation
• New fitness-history insights
• Expanded Cycle Tracking for perimenopause and menopause

That may explain why the Series 12 and Ultra 4 hardware sounds relatively conservative. Apple already has a sizeable software update ready, and a faster, more efficient chip could make those features run better without needing another visual overhaul.

For Series 11 or Ultra 3 owners, the upgrade case may therefore be fairly weak unless Apple has kept something substantial under wraps. Owners coming from Series 8, Series 9 or older devices could see things differently, especially if battery life improves again.

Sources: Bloomberg Power On, MacRumors, 9to5Mac, 9to5Mac and Apple’s watchOS 27 page.

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The Galaxy Aero first surfaced earlier this month, when SamMobile reported finding references to an unreleased Samsung wearable inside the Galaxy Wearable app. Two strings stood out: Galaxy Aero and galaxy_rtos_watch.

That second reference is the more interesting one. Samsung’s mainstream Galaxy Watches run Wear OS, while its simpler Galaxy Fit devices use a much lighter real-time operating system. Calling something galaxy_rtos_watch suggests Aero isn’t simply another fitness band with a new name.

SamMobile suggested the device could eventually sit somewhere between the upcoming Galaxy Fit 4 and the Galaxy Watch FE. Nothing about the final name, price, shape or launch date has been confirmed, so Aero could still change considerably before release.

But after digging through two of Samsung’s current wearable apps, the idea of an RTOS Galaxy watch doesn’t look particularly far-fetched.

Samsung Health is already built to handle RTOS wearables

We started with Samsung Health 7.00.6.004. There is no direct mention of Galaxy Aero in the APK, and there is no hidden galaxy_rtos_watch string either.

What Samsung Health does contain is existing infrastructure for RTOS devices.

One package referenced by the app is:

com.samsung.rtosfit.app.shealth.sport

Tracing that package through the code leads to Samsung’s older Galaxy Fit, Galaxy Fit e and Galaxy Fit2 devices. So this isn’t secret Aero support that Samsung accidentally left exposed. It is existing RTOS plumbing.

More interestingly, Samsung Health doesn’t need every wearable to be completely hardcoded. Its capability system reads information supplied by connected devices, including fields such as os, modelName, tracker_feature and sleep-related capabilities.

The operating-system handling specifically recognises rtos.

That could become important for Aero. Samsung Health already knows how to receive capability information from an RTOS wearable, meaning Samsung wouldn’t necessarily need a separate health platform just because the device doesn’t run Wear OS.

Galaxy Wearable reveals another piece of the puzzle

We also pulled apart Galaxy Wearable 2.2.70.26060861.

This particular version doesn’t contain either Galaxy Aero or galaxy_rtos_watch. That might sound like evidence against the original finding, but the APK itself provides a good reason why that conclusion would be premature.

Buried inside the app are references to:

galaxy_wearable_configuration.json

and:

device_lists

There are also code paths containing messages such as added new device from the server and will use data from the server.

In other words, the list of Samsung wearables doesn’t have to be frozen inside the APK that someone downloads from the Play Store or Galaxy Store. Samsung can supply newer device definitions through its servers.

So the absence of Aero from our APK isn’t especially surprising. The information SamMobile found appears to be newer than at least some of the product data contained in this public build, whether that came from a newer app version, Samsung’s server configuration or another part of the Galaxy Wearable codebase.

Aero could fill a gap Samsung hasn’t really tackled

The bigger question is why Samsung would make this device at all.

Aero could give Samsung something that Galaxy Watch has always struggled to deliver: smartwatch-style hardware with genuinely long battery life. Dropping Wear OS would reduce processor, memory and power requirements considerably, potentially allowing Samsung to target a week or more between charges rather than the much shorter endurance expected from a full Wear OS watch.

There would be compromises. An RTOS device wouldn’t necessarily offer the Play Store, the same third-party app support or all the software flexibility of the current Galaxy Watch9. Samsung would effectively be choosing battery life and simplicity over running a miniature Android computer on the wrist.

That trade-off isn’t necessarily a bad one.

There is plenty of space between a basic fitness band and a full smartwatch. Huawei, Amazfit and others have shown that watches can offer AMOLED displays, notifications, GPS, health tracking, calls and lengthy battery life without needing Wear OS. Aero could be Samsung’s attempt at the same formula.

APK teardown note

This article is based on an APK teardown. Code found inside an app can reveal features or devices that are under development, but there is no guarantee they will appear in a future public release.

The post Samsung’s apps show how Galaxy Aero could work without Wear OS appeared first on Gadgets & Wearables.

A post that appeared on Reddit on Friday shows what looks like a new Google fitness tracker. The poster claims the device is called Pixel Watch AURA, will last for 12 days between charges and is due to launch later this year. The Reddit post has already attracted plenty of attention.

There is a grain of truth behind all of this. Google really has shown an unidentified fitness tracker in its own advertising. But the new AURA image and the specifications attached to it are a different story.

Google’s mystery tracker is real

Earlier this month, an unusual wearable appeared in a couple of Google Pixel 11 ads. It has a small colour display and a shape that sits somewhere between a Fitbit Charge and Pixel Watch.

This wasn’t just one dodgy screenshot circulating on social media. A few users reported seeing the advertisement.

No-one has established what the device actually is. A Fitbit Charge 7 would be the obvious guess, particularly given the long gap since Charge 6. Google could also be planning a new product category alongside the recently launched screenless Fitbit Air.

Now we have this Reddit post which takes the mystery device considerably further. Suddenly there’s a name, Pixel Watch AURA, a claimed 12-day battery life and a launch window later this year. None of those details comes with a source.

And the accompanying image raises even more questions.

We ran the image through three separate AI-image detection tools. They returned probabilities between 97% and 99% that the image was AI generated.

AI detectors aren’t infallible, so that isn’t proof on its own. Compression, image editing and unusual product renders can fool them. But three very high scores become more interesting when the supposed leak has no identified source.

We looked for Pixel Watch AURA in Google’s apps

There is another way to test the claim.

We pulled apart the latest Google Pixel Watch app, version 5.0.0.958206140, looking for references to AURA and unknown wearable hardware. There is no indication of a device called Pixel Watch AURA.

We then checked the latest Google Health app, version 5.06.1, which is the successor to the Fitbit app. Again, no Pixel Watch AURA.

There is actually a standalone AURA entry buried in Google Health. Initially that looked more interesting. Following it through the app shows that it sits alongside symptoms including blurred vision, sensitivity to light, numbness and vertigo. In other words, it refers to migraine aura.

That doesn’t completely rule out the name. Google could keep an unreleased device out of public app builds, use a different internal codename or deliver some configuration from its servers. APK searches are much better at finding evidence than proving something doesn’t exist.

But there is currently nothing in either app backing up the Reddit claim.

The 12-day figure has a similar problem. No source has surfaced for that number either. For comparison, Google officially rates the screenless Fitbit Air for up to a week of battery life. Getting to 12 days from a tracker with an active display certainly isn’t impossible, but right now it is just another unsupported specification attached to the post.

Now make no mistake, Google’s mystery screen-equipped tracker remains genuinely interesting. And there is good reason to think Google has at least experimented with such a device.

Pixel Watch AURA is another matter. Until something more convincing appears, the name, 12-day battery claim and new image look much more like someone building a fictional product around a real Google mystery.

The post The supposed Pixel Watch AURA leak doesn’t add up appeared first on Gadgets & Wearables.

We compared Zepp version 10.7.3 against the previous release, looking specifically for new device names and hardware-related code. There is plenty of routine stuff in the update, but the solar additions stand out.

T-Rex Dual Solar now appears by name

The first change is fairly straightforward. Zepp 10.7.3 now contains the full product name Amazfit T-Rex Dual Solar in its device resources. This is a first.

At this point the name itself is not a huge surprise. Regulatory filings have already connected model A2570 with the T-Rex Dual Solar, following appearances in several certification databases. But it is useful confirmation that Zepp Health is now adding the watch to the software it will use when the device reaches customers.

This also builds on something we spotted in the Zepp app last month. Back then the code contained references to solar intensity, watch_face_input_power and case_back_input_power, but there was no device name connecting those features to an actual Amazfit watch.

Solar Boost Mode is the interesting bit

The bigger discovery, this time around, is an entirely new solar software package in Zepp 10.7.3. It includes code for solar statistics, intensity readings, charging records and notifications, along with a dedicated solar education graphic.

Among the new components are SolarStatsActivity, SolarIntensityServiceImpl, SolarIntensityDataHandler and SolarBatteryChargeRemotePlugin. There are also references to solar intensity measured in kLux and the same separate watch-face and case-back input measurements we saw previously.

But one feature stands out above the rest. Zepp 10.7.3 introduces something called Solar Boost Mode.

The app explains that when the watch enters this mode, it will only display the time, battery level and solar intensity information. Most other functionality becomes unavailable, including data synchronisation, route transfer, workouts started through the app and some Zepp Coach features.

There are also warning messages for situations where charging efficiency is low and prompts telling the user that data cannot be synchronised while Solar Boost Mode is active.

That gives us a much better idea of what Zepp Health is trying to achieve.

Rather than simply placing a solar panel on the watch and allowing it to trickle-charge during normal use, Solar Boost Mode appears to slash power consumption so the energy coming in from the solar system has a better chance of increasing the battery level. In other words, you may be able to put the watch into a deliberately restricted state when extending battery life is more important than using its smart features.

For a T-Rex device aimed at hiking, expeditions and long periods away from a charger, that makes quite a lot of sense.

It could also make Amazfit’s implementation rather different from the typical solar-assisted smartwatch. Garmin solar watches, for example, generally use sunlight to extend battery life while the watch continues operating normally. A dedicated low-power solar charging mode could give Zepp Health another way of squeezing useful energy from a relatively small solar surface.

There is still plenty we do not know. The code does not tell us how quickly the T-Rex Dual Solar charges or how much extra battery life it can generate.

The earlier watch_face_input_power and case_back_input_power fields remain particularly intriguing. They could point to two separate energy inputs, but at this stage we can’t draw a firm conclusion from those names alone.

The hardware has still not been announced, but the software side is starting to look very close to finished. Zepp Health now has the T-Rex Dual Solar name in the app, a solar statistics interface, charging records, intensity measurements and an entire Solar Boost Mode ready to manage the watch when solar charging becomes the priority.

APK teardown note

This article is based on an APK teardown. Code found inside an app can reveal features or devices that are under development, but there is no guarantee they will appear in a future public release.

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