Qualcomm announced the Snapdragon Wear 3100 chipset today, having also named the first customers to use the chipset in their upcoming wearables which the firm expects to be available before the end of 2018. Those include fashion brands Fossil, Louis Vuitton, and Montblanc. It may be a bit surprising that there are no Android manufacturers like LG, Huawei, or even Motorola mentioned on that list. But these are just the first to use the chipset and there will be plenty more down the road, as Qualcomm expects the Snapdragon Wear 3100 to be used in more devices than the Snapdragon Wear 2100 was, with the former chip finding its way to products from over 100 brands from around the world.
According to Qualcomm, these three companies are “working to bring beautiful smartwatches for a diverse set of consumers including lifestyle sport users, fashionable travelers, and those seeking a high-end luxury smart timepiece.” And that is likely why Qualcomm is looking to work with traditional watchmakers with the new Snapdragon Wear 3100. While smartwatches from Huawei, LG, and others do largely look rather fashionable, these tech firms don’t have expertise in making traditional watches, which Fossil, Louis Vuitton, and Montblanc do. On top of that, with the new co-processor included in the Snapdragon Wear 3100, users are going to be able to take advantage of the always-on display for watch faces without significantly impacting their battery life, meaning fashion brands should have an easier time optimizing the technical side of things which isn’t their traditional forte.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 3100 is currently being sampled to customers, and while the tech giant expects wearables from these three companies to hit the market before the end of the year, it also expects to see many more wearables coming out soon after. It wouldn’t be too surprising to see a ton of Snapdragon Wear 3100-powered smartwatches at CES in January. CES typically hosts a massive volume of wearable announcements, but with Qualcomm putting out a new processor in September, the move gives companies time to get their new products ready for the biggest electronics show of the year.