How Meta's Expected Smartwatch Reveal at Connect 2026 Could Impact the Wearable Computing Market, Expected to Reach USD 148.5 Billion by 2031

Meta is scheduled to hold Meta Connect 2026 on September 23-24 in Menlo Park, California, and the company's first commercial smartwatch is among the products expected to debut there. The device, reported under the codename Project Malibu 2, revives a smartwatch project Meta shelved in 2022 during cost cuts across its Reality Labs hardware division. The device is expected to compete in the smartwatch category while also serving as a wrist-based companion to Meta's AI glasses ecosystem, combining health tracking, an integrated Meta AI assistant, and reportedly gesture-control capabilities.

New Wearable Technology Expected at Meta Connect 2026

• Project Malibu 2 smartwatch: Meta's first reported commercial smartwatch, expected to combine health and fitness tracking with a built-in Meta AI assistant and reportedly support gesture-based control.

• Gesture control for AI glasses: The watch is reportedly expected to incorporate gesture-control capabilities related to Meta's Neural Band technology, potentially extending wrist-based interaction to the company's AI glasses.

• Companion positioning to Ray-Ban glasses: Alongside its potential competition with established smartwatch platforms, the device is expected to deepen Meta's wrist-to-face hardware ecosystem alongside its AI glasses.

Recent Developments in the Wearable Computing Market

• August 2026: Garmin introduced the fenix 9 and fenix 9 Pro, with the Pro models adding built-in satellite and LTE connectivity for voice, text, and SOS communication from the wrist.

• July 2026: Samsung introduced the Galaxy Watch9 and Galaxy Watch Ultra2, combining continuous health monitoring, AI-driven health intelligence, and personalized guidance through Samsung Health.

• June 2026: Meta announced a partnership with EssilorLuxottica to introduce Meta Glasses, featuring Meta AI from launch and compatibility with prescription lenses.

How This Reshapes Wearable Computing Competition

Meta's reported smartwatch strategy reflects a broader industry emphasis on multi-device integration and AI-connected wearable ecosystems. By potentially pairing a smartwatch with its AI glasses, Meta could expand the role of wearables across multiple points of daily interaction.

By potentially pairing a smartwatch with its established Ray-Ban AI glasses line, Meta could extend its wearable ecosystem across both wrist- and face-based devices rather than competing solely through smartwatch functionality. Unlike Apple, Samsung, and Google, Meta does not operate its own mainstream smartphone platform, making cross-device integration with its AI glasses and other connected products an important element of its wearable strategy.

How Knowledge Sourcing Intelligence's (KSI) Wearable Computing Market Report Helps

Knowledge Sourcing Intelligence's Global Wearable Computing Market report offers a structured view of the industry, segmented by Type, Component, Application, End User, and Geography, helping stakeholders see how announcements like Meta's smartwatch fit into broader category-level demand. The By Type segmentation separates Smartwatches from Smart Glasses and Augmented Reality (AR) Devices, providing a framework to assess Malibu 2 as a reported smartwatch entry alongside the AI-enabled eyewear that forms part of Meta's broader wearable ecosystem.

The By Component segmentation, covering Hardware, Sensors, Processors and Memory, Displays and User Interfaces, Connectivity Modules, Batteries and Power Systems, Software, and Services, is equally relevant, since a device built around an integrated AI assistant and reportedly supporting gesture recognition relies on software, sensors, processors, connectivity, and other components alongside the physical wearable. Together, these segment views allow suppliers, investors, and technology strategists to compare Meta's emerging multi-device wearable ecosystem with more established smartphone-anchored ecosystems.

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Wearable Computing Market Report Highlights

• By Type, Smartwatches represent an important wearable-computing form factor, and Meta's expected entry would add another major technology company to the competitive landscape alongside Apple, Samsung, Garmin, and Google.

• By Application, Health, Wellness, and Fitness continues to anchor demand, with Meta reportedly incorporating health-tracking capabilities into its upcoming smartwatch alongside an integrated AI assistant.

• By Component, Software and AI-interpretation capabilities are becoming increasingly important to wearable computing, reflected in Meta's reported plan to integrate a Meta AI assistant into its upcoming smartwatch.

• Miniaturization and new form factors, including smart glasses, are expanding wearable computing beyond conventional wrist-worn products, a trend Meta's paired watch-and-glasses strategy directly reflects.

Wearable Computing Market Growth Drivers and Restraints

Growth Drivers:

• Artificial Intelligence Integration: AI is increasingly being incorporated into wearable platforms to interpret biometric and behavioral data and provide personalized recommendations, a shift reflected in the reported AI-assistant capabilities of Meta's upcoming smartwatch.

• Expansion of Connected Wearable Ecosystems: Integration with smartphones, cloud platforms, and companion devices increases the utility of wearables, encouraging multi-device strategies such as Meta's pairing of a smartwatch with its Ray-Ban AI glasses.

Restraints:

• Data Privacy and Cybersecurity Risks: Wearables collect continuous health, movement, and behavioral data, requiring manufacturers to develop strong privacy controls as devices like Meta's AI-integrated watch expand data collection.

• Battery Life and Device Comfort: Continuous sensing, AI processing, and gesture-recognition features increase power requirements, requiring manufacturers to balance device size, processing performance, and battery life.

Wearable Computing Market Segmentation

Wearable Computing Market Key Players

• Apple Inc.

• Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

• Google LLC (Fitbit)

• Garmin Ltd.

• Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.

• Xiaomi Corporation

• Oura Health Oy

• Sony Group Corporation

• Polar Electro Oy

• Withings SA

• Whoop, Inc.

• Carré Technologies Inc. (Hexoskin)

• Bose Corporation

• Meta Platforms, Inc.

• Snap Inc.

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