Meta Platforms is preparing to re-enter the smartwatch market, with reports indicating the company could unveil its first wrist-worn device later this year.
The device is expected to center on health tracking and may integrate a built-in Meta AI assistant, extending the company’s push to embed artificial intelligence across its hardware portfolio.
According to a report from The Information, the smartwatch project carries the internal codename Malibu 2 and could debut alongside an updated version of Meta’s Ray-Ban Display smart glasses.
The glasses are developed in partnership with EssilorLuxottica under the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses brand. The watch is expected to play a functional role within Meta’s broader wearable ecosystem and may replace the neural wristband currently used to enable gesture controls with the glasses.
The reported launch would revive a hardware effort Meta abandoned in 2022 amid cost-cutting and technical hurdles within its Reality Labs division.
Earlier prototypes were said to include multiple cameras, though the company ultimately shelved the project during a wider restructuring. Meta has not publicly confirmed the new smartwatch plans.
Demand for the Ray-Ban Meta glasses has exceeded supply in some markets, prompting the company to slow its global rollout.
Industry estimates cited in the report suggest shipments approached six million units last year, underscoring traction in a category once viewed as niche.
At the same time, Meta is reassessing the cadence of its augmented and mixed reality hardware releases. A mixed-reality glasses initiative known internally as Phoenix has reportedly been delayed until 2027 as the company spaces out major product introductions.
A smartwatch would place Meta in direct competition with established players including Apple, Samsung, Google, Garmin, and Fitbit.
It also signals how AI capabilities are becoming embedded in consumer health and fitness devices, with voice assistance, contextual recommendations, and on-device intelligence increasingly shaping the next phase of wearables.
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