Meta smartwatch tipped for 2026 release as company doubles down on AI wearables

Meta is once again preparing to enter the smartwatch market, with a new report claiming the company plans to launch its first wearable as soon as this year, ahead of a broader rollout in the coming years.

The brand has revived a previously shelved project, internally code-named Malibu 2, and intends to equip the device with health-tracking features and a built-in Meta AI assistant.

If true, the project would put the company in direct competition with established players such as Apple and Samsung while expanding its consumer hardware portfolio.

This certainly isn't the first time Meta tried to make smartwatches work. The company reportedly began working on a wrist wearable as early as 2021 before abandoning it.

Then, in 2023, the project was revived and killed again, in favour of the company's Metaverse project.

Just last year, Meta published fresh research showing that wrist wearables can recognise movements, much like the Apple Watch's gesture control feature.

A watch that completes the wearable puzzle

Meta has found unexpected commercial success with its smart glasses, including the Meta Ray-Ban and the Oakley Meta Vanguard, which have become the company’s most visible consumer hardware wins in years.

Adding a smartwatch would fill a key gap in that lineup, providing continuous biometric data, haptic feedback and quick interactions that complement the glasses’ camera, audio and visual capabilities.

A watch could act as the sensor hub of Meta’s ecosystem, collecting health and activity data that powers more personalised AI experiences.

From metaverse hype to ambient AI

While Meta continues to invest heavily in augmented and mixed reality, its product strategy has evolved significantly since the early days of its Metaverse push.

Rather than leading with fully immersive VR experiences, the company now appears to be prioritising lightweight, everyday devices that bring AI into daily life.

This shift has been visible in recent years through advances in gesture control and wearable interfaces, including research into wrist-based interaction that hints at how future Meta wearables could work together.

Building toward a broader wearable ecosystem

The reported watch launch also sits within a wider roadmap that includes new generations of smart glasses and longer-term AR projects.

Rather than signalling a retreat from its long-term ambitions, the smartwatch revival suggests Meta is taking a more pragmatic route by starting with familiar, everyday wearables before layering in more advanced AR experiences.

If The Information's report proves accurate, Meta’s long-rumoured smartwatch could mark a significant step in that journey and be the clearest sign yet that the company’s hardware strategy is shifting from experimental to an ecosystem.