The Moto Watch Ultra is a return to Wear OS
Motorola has launched the Moto Watch Ultra, marking its return to the Wear OS platform for its premium smartwatch line. While the device offers improved app interoperability and AI integration, it faces challenges regarding battery life compared to its predecessor.
Why it matters
Motorola's shift to Wear OS represents a strategic attempt to compete in the premium smartwatch market by leveraging Google's ecosystem and AI capabilities.
Just a few months after getting back into the smartwatch game, Motorola is targeting the premium end of the market with the first Moto Watch Ultra. It comes with some upgrades from the recent Moto Watch — most obviously the jump to Wear OS — but lacks the outdoorsy features that would make it a true rival to Samsung and Apple’s Ultra watches.
While the Moto Watch ran a custom operating system, Motorola has adopted Google’s Wear OS platform for the Ultra model, with a Snapdragon W5 Plus Gen 1 chip to run it. That gives the Ultra an immediate leg up in terms of access to a wide range of apps, interoperability with the company’s Android phones, and support for NFC payments through Google Wallet. Gemini is supported too, along with Motorola’s own Qira AI assistant.
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