Ryan Haines / Android Authority
Motorola just hosted a major launch event introducing three new Razr models, including the Razr Ultra, which might just be the best flip phone of the year. In my mind, the stage was perfectly set for the company to drop an equally powerful wearable. A bold return to the market with a proper Wear OS smartwatch could’ve reignited the Moto 360 lineup and pushed the entire category forward. Unfortunately, that wasn’t to be.
In fairness, the newly announced Moto Watch Fit seems like a functional enough fitness tracker. With a square-shaped, 1.9-inch OLED display, it looks a lot like an Apple Watch, and that’s fine by me. I have no affinity for the company’s circular past, and square displays fit more data on screen anyway. The device also features a titanium build, Gorilla Glass protection, an IP68 rating and 5ATM water resistance, and 1000 nits peak brightness. So it should be hardy enough to survive most workouts.
Instead of a well-rounded smartwatch, Motorola just announced the Moto Watch Fit, a fairly basic fitness tracker.
It offers basic activity tracking, including more than 100 sport modes and built-in GPS for tracking your outdoor workouts. It also features sleep and heart rate tracking and an impressive 16-day battery life. In other words, it checks all the boxes of an entry-level device.
Ryan Haines / Android Authority
It just doesn’t quite match the premium appeal of its flagship phones. In a market where innovation is driven by competition, it’s disappointing to see Motorola sidestep the growing Wear OS space with a fairly basic fitness tracker. The company showcased its commitment to a greater Motorola ecosystem by dropping new accessories under the Moto Things umbrella. Crystal-studded, fashion-forward, Bose-tuned Moto Loop Buds seem quite attractive. Yet, the company seems to be treading water when it comes to wearables.
A missed opportunity
The original Moto 360 launched in 2014. Its circular design and integration with Android Wear (now Wear OS) made it a standout device, and subsequent generations refined the line’s design and performance. Eventually, though, Motorola shifted focus away from smartwatches. In the company’s defense, Wear OS wasn’t what it is today. In our review of the 2019 Moto 360, we referred to it as “Google’s oft-neglected Wear OS platform” and even cited the clunky software as one of the watch’s biggest shortcomings.
Since Motorola bowed out, however, the market has evolved significantly. Android-compatible smartwatches are now more powerful than ever, with robust feature sets, reliable tracking, and fantastic smartphone integration. Lines like the Google Pixel Watch and Galaxy Watch have embraced circular designs and developed much more polished UIs.
Wear OS has come a long way since Motorola left the scene.
We’ve also seen tons of innovation, from OnePlus watches and their dual-chip architecture to the steadily increasing integration of AI tools. In other words, the market isn’t just heating up, it’s fully ablaze. Motorola’s decision to steer clear of Wear OS and instead focus on a budget-friendly fitness tracker feels like a missed opportunity to join the fray.
Already an innovator in the smartphone arena, Motorola has the perfect opportunity to make strategic moves within the wearable market as well. Doing so would give the company a more cohesive and compelling ecosystem, more closely aligning it with other leaders in the industry. A refreshed Moto 360 would have been the perfect flagship wearable to complement the premium positioning of the Razr Ultra, signalling that Motorola is ready to lead again. For now, we’re left with an entry-level fitness tracker.
