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We’ve seen what Wear OS 3 looks like when skinned to match a Samsung Galaxy Watch 4, but not yet what it looks like stock from Google. This is because it’s not due out on other devices until this next year. Over on Reddit, however, someone has uploaded a handful of screenshots of a completely revamped user interface, and you can check them out below.
An early glimpse of OS 3 dropped recently on Android 11 via an emulator, and it didn’t look quite this good. As you can see, this latest visual representation is from a build dated November 17, 2021, but more changes have likely already been made and the final first release will vary from what you’re seeing here. Still, it’s looking very polished and every menu item has a round chip-style card background, and a “Material You” feel to it. Various color palettes, gradients and more will grace your wrist instead of the current, boring designs, making this Google’s second major Wear OS redesign.
One thing a few commenters on the Reddit thread are hoping for s the ability to sync the Material You colors that are present on your phone with your watch, creating a sense of unity across the devices on your person, and I’m inclined to agree. It’s a great idea, and I hope Google has thought of this already!
Unfortunately, not all existing watches will be eligible for the Wear OS 3 upgrade when it finally launches. Google is raising the quality bar with update guidelines for its mini operating system, and only those with a Snapdragon Wear 4100 chip and above will be able to try out the new design and features.
Mobvoi’s TicWatch Pro 3 GPS, Pro 3 Cellular/LTE, E3, and Fossil’s Gen 6 lineup will qualify, but not much else at this time. This means that most people will be out buying a new watch next year if they want to continue to benefit from glanceable information on their wrist. Let me know below what watch you’re rocking, and if you’re as sad as I am that your Moto 360 will continue to collect dust after this update.
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