When the first Android Wear debuted in 2014, I thought it wouldn't be long enough until we got some great smartwatches on an affordable budget. This excitement grew when Apple came out with its smartwatch the following year. But fast forward to 2024, and even a decade later, a budget watch with Wear OS is still a distant dream. All we get are cheap knock-offs with fitness tracking and Bluetooth calling. So I decided to delve into the subject to discuss why it's about time someone made a real Wear OS smartwatch on a budget.

Android Wear or Wear OS is not open source like the Android we use on our smartphones. So manufacturers can't just pick it up and put it in their watches. It's maintained by Google, so to build your own Wear OS watch, you'll need to sign an agreement with the tech giant. You need to meet their hardware requirements and have them involved throughout the development process. Image courtesy: Shutterstock

All this costs a lot considering that one of the specific hardware requirements has been to use a Qualcomm chipset. Samsung has been an exception in this case for using its in-house Exynos chipsets, which also powered the first Pixel Watch. I guess these requirements ensure that the platform runs smoothly without any hiccups.

Google, on the other hand, has had years to optimize its platform so it can run more efficiently on less powerful hardware; although it has not succeeded in doing so so far. So Google should first work on improving its platform while lifting some of its limitations, especially those tied to hardware. This will allow OEMs to work on the platform, perhaps resulting in a Wear OS product at a marginally lower price.