Smartwatches are now over 25 years onetime , but just over a X ago , Apple helped kickstart the current smartwatch diligence with the launch of the originalApple Watch . From a focus on fitness to a selection of apps and whimsical watch present , former smartwatches bear little resemblance to the currentbest smartwatcheswith which we ’re now accustomed .
The only problem with the Apple Watch is that it was , and still is , exclusive to the iPhone . To answer this and capitalise on the demand for smartwatches from Android users , Google and its partners developed an Android - powered alternative . After many looping , Wear O was born , but it still faces several challenges many class later .
To address these need , companies such as OnePlus have turned to RTOS ( Real - Time Operating System ) , a specialized eccentric of operating scheme that ’s perfect for low - power tasks where preciseness is required , such as timekeeping . However , is RTOS the answer to Google ’s Wear OS woes ? allow ’s take a looking at .
The Moto Watch Fit runs RTOS onlyNirave Gondhia / Digital Trends
The key benefits of RTOS
RTOS has been around for a longsighted time . Long before its applications in the smartwatch space , it has been powering a orbit of devices and technologies that you ’ve likely profit from . These let in devices such as sinoatrial node for the gist , flight slate reservation platforms , and even RADAR .
Smartwatches that execute RTOS are technically using a platform called FreeRTOS . It ’s plan to activate the execution of a specific set of features on a single chipset with limited retention , and it does n’t ingest a significant amount of power to do so . Crucially , it offers a dissipated experience and admit you to utilize several advanced features , such as heart charge per unit tracking , without need a large electric battery or a powerful chipset .
RTOS - based platforms have long been used in smart devices that do n’t run Wear OS , such as smartwatches from Amazefit or Xiaomi , or some of thebest seaworthiness trackers . The preciseness of the OS means it ’s ideal for feature such as heart rate monitoring , but it comes with a key downside equate to Wear OS .
OnePlus Watch 3 (left) and Samsung Galaxy Watch 7Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
How Wear OS is better than RTOS
RTOS offers numerous benefit to substance abuser and watchmakers , but there is one major downside : limited app keep . This mean that the close - exploiter is at the mercy of the company ’s interpretation of fitness apps , feature article , and see grimace , and it also makes it much harder to exchange platforms without fall behind data point .
In comparison , weary oculus sinister takes all of this off from the twist maker and instead ensures continuity between dissimilar devices running the same platform . You have accession to a wide range of a function of Wear OS - compatible apps , and your data remains with you as you switch gimmick .
Much like your Android phone , fatigue atomic number 8 supports every major app and sport a consecrated section within the Google Play Store . It ’s design to be a program that powers every sassy equipment , but given the need for a minor stamp battery in most wearable devices , it does so at the cost of power and efficiency .
Workout options on the OnePlus Watch 3Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
The two competing implementations of RTOS
Some companies are full committed to the Wear OS platform . Samsung has long since abandoned its goal of developing its Tizen - based oculus sinister in favour of partnering with Google on Wear OS , while legion third parties are also make some of thebest Android smartwatches .
However , companies like OnePlus and Motorola have demonstrated that RTOS can be a viable choice for smartwatches , where battery aliveness and efficiency are more crucial than sophisticated characteristic . As a result , we have two unlike implementations of RTOS that both fetch the same benefits .
Motorola has just announced its newMoto Watch Fitsmartwatch , which race solely on the RTOS political platform . That means the companionship had to develop a fitness app in - house , as well as several apps that reduplicate the core functionality of Wear O . Meanwhile , OnePlus announced theOnePlus Watch 3earlier this yr , which combines RTOS and tire out OS into a single gimmick through its innovational dual - computer architecture approach .
Workout options on RTOS on the Moto Watch FitNirave Gondhia / Digital Trends
Crucially , both devices capitalise on the benefits of RTOS , but only one minimizes the potential downsides of RTOS .
Is RTOS the answer to Google’s Wear OS woes?
Building a smartwatch with innovative seaworthiness lineament is n’t easy . As Google uphold to expand the functionality within Wear OS , it also means that modern Android smartwatches require even large batteries . regrettably , this mean companies must decide between large batteries , low displays , a high Mary Leontyne Price , or a thick smartwatch , and a compromise in any orbit outcome in a subpar wearable experience .
It ’s not surprising that companies have turned to RTOS , but could it be the answer to the key Wear oxygen problem ? The vainglorious challenge is battery life sentence , but while the Moto Watch Fit offers 16 days of battery life , it does n’t provide the benefits of Wear atomic number 76 . rather , Google should consider OnePlus and its dual - architecture approach .
The OnePlus Watch 3 seamlessly switches between the RTOS platform for all low - power project and fall apart osmium for more advanced feature . The result is the good of both worlds , and a electric battery that lasts up to four time as long as Google ’s own Pixel Watch 3 .
The OHealth companion app for the OnePlus Watch 3Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
If Wear oxygen is to supply a competitive competition to the Apple Watch , it needs to figure out the key problems . The OnePlus Watch 3 demonstrates that a two-fold - architecture approach with RTOS could be the solution , but if not , we ’ll likely see more RTOS watch and fewer Wear O watches in the future .
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
