Wearables – Breaking News & Latest Updates 2026
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The Verge is covering the rapidly evolving world of wearables. We test everything from smartwatches like the Apple Watch, to smart glasses like the Meta Ray-Bans, to fitness trackers like the Oura Ring to find out which ones deliver on their promises. Follow along to find out whether covering our bodies in screens and sensors can actually make us smarter and healthier.

What happens to Bose when headphones become AI?
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Snyder on the company’s move into luxury audio, licensing the Bose brand, and what happens to great sound in the AI era.

Nilay Patel
Terrence O'Brien
Terrence O'Brien
Apple is considering a screen-free wearable.

With the success of Whoop and other screen-free fitness bands like the Fitbit Air, Polar Loop, and Helio Strap, it’s not a surprise that the company is weighing its options. But nothing is set in stone yet. According to Mark Gurman:

The company is considering new devices with no displays, as well as different types of screens and various sizes. While unlikely to hit the market, round screens have even been considered. I’m told the work also includes potentially adding premium models beyond the Ultra and Hermès variants. On the lower end, Apple is considering more affordable concepts besides the current SE model.

Terrence O'Brien
Terrence O'Brien
Looks like the Pixel Watch 5 is getting a Steph Curry edition too.

Just like the orange and grey special edition of the Fitbit Air we got in May, a new leak shows the Pixel Watch 5 with a similar band, suggesting Steph Curry will be lending his name to more Google gear.

Image of Steph Curry special edition Google Pixel Watch 5
Image: MyMobiles
Jess Weatherbed
Jess Weatherbed
Oh look, more Pixel Watch 5 leaks.

Several leaks have already given us a good idea of what Google’s upcoming smartwatch launch will probably look like, but now some new marketing images shared by Evan Blass also show what features we can expect. Check out Android Authority’s breakdown of the “Ask Gemini” integration and health features shown in the leaks.

<em>The new leaks suggest an “Ask Gemini” integration will be available.</em>
<em>Here’s a closer look at the control dial.</em>
<em>The Fitbit Personal Health Coach feature will probably be supported. No suprises there.</em>
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The new leaks suggest an “Ask Gemini” integration will be available.
Image leaked by Evan Blass
Stevie Bonifield
Stevie Bonifield
Peloton’s releasing new hardware next year, but it won’t be wearables.

In an earnings call on Thursday, CEO Peter Stern said in fall 2027, “we will introduce the first products in new categories.” Peloton also plans to integrate as many third-party wearables as possible into its AI platform with data flowing back and forth, instead of launching its own watch or ring.

Andrew Liszewski
Andrew Liszewski
Timex’s new Retroware watches update its iconic Ironman design.

There’s no smart functionality, but if you also grew up in the ‘80s and ‘90s when Timex’s Ironman collection was popular amongst more than just triathletes, you might find these two new $149 Retroware Digital pieces hard to resist. They both feature oversized displays, monochromatic resin cases, and Timex’s Indiglo lighting.

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<em>Timex’s Retroware Digital watch is available with a blue case and matching strap, or a black version with an inverted display.</em>
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Timex’s Retroware Digital watch is available with a blue case and matching strap, or a black version with an inverted display.
Image: Timex
Stevie Bonifield
Stevie Bonifield
Peloton turns its first net profit even as it keeps losing subscribers.

CEO Peter Stern said in the company’s latest earnings report that “Peloton delivered its first full year of net profitability” in 2026, after launching a new hardware lineup that initially had “weaker-than-expected” sales. At the same time, Peloton lost 247,000 subscribers year-over-year.

Andrew Liszewski
Andrew Liszewski
Casio’s new ring watch adds vibrating alerts and heart rate tracking.

The company’s original smart ring is getting some big upgrades to compete with the Oura ring. The CRW-H001M-8 will launch in China first for around $295 with fitness tracking that includes a heart rate monitor and thermometer plus vibrating alerts for notifications from a connected phone. But you’ll need to charge the new model with a proprietary cable.

<em>Unlike the previous versions of Casio’s ring watch, the new smart model needs to be regularly charged using a proprietary cable.</em>
1/3Image: Casio
David Pierce
David Pierce
Today’s Vergecast: Rise of the Whoop dupes.

For the last few years, the trend in wearables has been all about screens. As many of them as possible. But now, companies like Whoop, Fitbit, and Garmin are creating new products that ditch the display entirely. The Verge’s Victoria Song explains why no-screen is the new screen, why even the most quantified athletes might not want a display on their wrist, and whether Whoop and the Whoop dupes are a sign of a broader trend.

Jay Peters
Jay Peters
Snap is hosting a Specs launch event in September.

The event, taking place on September 16th at 7PM ET, will be livestreamed.

Snap announced the design for the augmented reality glasses — and their eye-watering $2,195 price — in June, but it’s unclear if anyone can look cool wearing them. (They seem especially heavy on the ears.)

Emma Roth
Emma Roth
Meta’s Ray-Ban Display glasses get an AI update.

The company launched its Meta Glasses with a “more helpful” assistant powered by its new Muse Spark models, but now the upgrade is coming to its Ray-Ban Display glasses as well.

Meta is adding support for Threads on its Ray-Ban Display glasses and will also allow wearers to use its neural handwriting feature to prompt Meta AI.

Stevie Bonifield
Stevie Bonifield
Nike’s new slides have built-in heat and vibration.

The Air Zoom Hyperslide, launching on September 29th for $249, uses a pod from Hyperice to offer three levels of heat and vibration across the top of the foot, running in 15-minute cycles controlled directly on the pod or from its mobile app.

Hyperice CEO Jim Huether says that after the $799 Nike Hyperboot, they were focused on something athletes could wear while they’re on the move.

Two Nike Hyperslide shoes on top of one another
A close up of the inside of a Nike Hyperslide shoe
A close up of the Hyperice Hyperslide Pod on a Nike Air Zoom Hyperslide
The bottom of a Nike Air Zoom Hyperslide
1/4Image: Nike
Meta is royally screwing up its smart glasses rollout 

Its recent attempts to shore up privacy don’t seem to be convincing skeptics.

Victoria Song
Meta just created a moderation nightmare for its smart glasses

Meta says it’s banning some content filmed with the company’s smart glasses from Instagram. Moderation gets messy very quickly.

Mia Sato
What I track in a day

Living an optimized, self-quantified life can get a little out of hand.

Victoria Song
Jess Weatherbed
Jess Weatherbed
Ultrahuman overhauls app with AI-powered recommendations.

The smart wearables company has a new feature for its companion app called “UltraSphere,” which provides over 60 suggested actions to improve rest, wellness, and recovery. The actions are location- and weather-aware, and tailored to the user. Suggestions can include things like “get light,” “cut caffeine,” and “wind down.”

A screenshot of the overhauled Ultrahuman app.
The suggested actions draw on markers spanning sleep, recovery,HRV, skin temperature, cycle phase, movement, stress, and glucose data (with Ultrahuman M1 or M2 Live).
Image: Ultrahuman
Here’s what Samsung’s smart glasses actually look like

Plus the first specs, including a battery life better than Meta’s.

Dominic Preston
Emma Roth
Emma Roth
Samsung and Google’s smart glasses get two new designs.

The smart glasses come with Google’s Gemini AI on board and will debut this fall with the designs we first saw in May — plus these two new ones from Gentle Monster and Warby Parker.

1/4Image: Samsung / Google
Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 9 and Ultra 2 bet big on battery

The watches sport a new chip, bigger batteries, and new health metrics. But the updates come with another price hike.

Victoria Song
Dominic Preston
Dominic Preston
Samsung just updated its Galaxy Watch app.

Android Authority spotted that a new version of the Galaxy Wearable app is rolling out with a simplified three-tab layout, refined UI, and new home tab with useful shortcuts to key watch settings. It’s presumably no coincidence that it lands the same day Samsung is due to launch new Galaxy Watches at Unpacked.

Four screenshots of new Galaxy Wearable app
Image: Samsung / Android Authority
Victoria Song
Victoria Song
Leaning into ‘pervert glasses’ sure is a choice.

Leonardo Del Vecchio, president of Ray-Ban and chief strategy officer at EssilorLuxottica, posted these to his Instagram story. The first is a picture of an activist ad plastered over an actual Meta Glasses ad… and the second is Del Vecchio saying, “If we can’t laugh about it why should anyone trust us?”

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Dominic Preston
Dominic Preston
Trust the company, not the product.

Pebble founder Eric Migicovsky says buyers should “trust the company” when buying his relaunched wearables with 30-day warranties. But it does make you wonder how much Pebble trusts its own products.

quimerinhaa:

I mean, offering a 30 day warranty makes it sound like the company itself doesn’t trust it’s product to last more than that either.

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Jess Weatherbed
Jess Weatherbed
Here’s another look at Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy watches.

Marketing materials for the Galaxy Watch 9 and Watch Ultra 2 have been shared online by leaker Evan Blass. The Galaxy Watch 9 reportedly features a Snapdragon Wear Elite chip, and is shown in three color options. The Watch Ultra 2 upgrades reportedly include a 800mAh battery and up to 5,000 nits of peak brightness.

<em>According to the leaked materials, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 will be available in cream, silver, and graphite, with color matching bands.</em>
<em>This is the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 design in two unspecified color options.</em>
<em>The Watch Ultra 2 is also said to be 12 percent thinner than the previous model.</em>
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According to the leaked materials, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 will be available in cream, silver, and graphite, with color matching bands.
Image: Evan Blass / Samsung
Emma Roth
Emma Roth
Don’t expect an Apple Watch with a removable battery anytime soon.

The EU is excluding wearable devices, including smartwatches, fitness trackers, and smart glasses, from an incoming rule that will require a wide range of electronics to have user-replaceable batteries. The Nintendo Switch 2 isn’t exempt, though, and will come with a replaceable battery in the EU by the time the law goes into effect in February 2027.

Victoria Song
Victoria Song
Would you buy a $600 smart scale?

If you are, Withings’ BodyScan 2 is available to buy starting today. Why is the scale $600? Well, it measures 60 biomarkers, and it’s positioned as a “longevity station.”

It also offers noninvasive metabolic metrics like glucose resilience via bioimpedance spectroscopy and foot sweat. Yes, foot sweat.

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Stevie Bonifield
Stevie Bonifield
Pebble responds to cracked screen reports, says it’s replaced 330 Pebble Time 2s.

Pebble says it’s sent free replacements to everyone who reported Time 2 hardware issues like cracked screens and broken touch panels “regardless” of whether the defective watches (out of 19,000 in service) were still covered under its 30-day warranty.

…we will continue replacing reasonable reports of glass cracking for free as long as we can. At some point, we will shift to offering a replacement at a highly discounted amount.

Siri AI makes the Apple Watch finally feel like a wrist computer

watchOS 27 feels like a culmination of several years of smaller updates.

Victoria Song