Qualcomm’s introduction of its latest Snapdragon Wear 4100 series processing chips comes at an interesting time when many fitness buffs may be unable to execute their typical routines and upcoming wearables may just be developed to take that into account. The new chips will have a focus on improving performance and battery life on wearables, as well as introducing upgrades in cellular technology, Wi-Fi standards, and Bluetooth versions.
So far, brands including Suunto, imoo, and Mobvoi have detailed plans to release smartwatches featuring the Snapdragon Wear 4100 or the Snapdragon Wear 4100+ chips. The primary difference between the chips is that the Plus model includes an AON co-processor, aimed at more premium products, while the standard model can be outfitted on smartwatches with no co-processor or with a different component at the manufacturer’s discretion.
The brand imoo, plans to begin shipping the next-generation model of its Z6 Ultra smartwatch over the next 30 days. The device is being marketed for children, with dual camera support for video and pictures, 4G LTE modem connectivity, and extended battery life among its highlight features.
Mobvoi also teased that its next-generation Tic Watch Pro wearable will be the first to feature a Snapdragon Wear 4100 components.
Suunto has detailed plans to release a Snapdragon Wear 4100 wearable after its Suunto 7 smartwatch released in early 2020 with the previous Snapdragon Wear 3100 platform. The device includes GPS tracking for up to 12 hours and heart rate monitoring for several sports activities among its highlight features.
Other feature highlights for the Snapdragon Wear 4100 series include:
- Faster LPDDR3 memory (750MHz).
- Dual ISPs with support for up to16-megapixel cameras.
- Performance improvements include faster app launches, simultaneous use of apps, smoother and more responsive UX, richer content for photo and video.
- 4G LTE mode includes dedicated DSP, eDRX, and other low power components, platform-level power management, Cat 4/3/1 and single/dual-antenna support.
- Always-on support allowing 64K colors, continuous tracking of heart rate, sleep, device waking, step counting, alarms, and timers, as well as haptics to improve the functionality of traditional watch mode.
- Low power optimization for various features such as location tracking and Bluetooth 5.0.
- Enhanced experiences with various modes, including an interactive mode for a focus on the camera, voice assistant, and voice/video messaging features; an ambient mode for improved visuals and colors from 16 to 64K; a sports mode, which supports offloaded maps; and a traditional watch mode with extended performance and battery life, while executing many standard features, such as heart rate, steps, alarms, reminders, and battery indicator.
