Facebook’s leaked smartwatch looks like the Apple Watch, but with a notch and a camera

Facebook or “Meta”, if the newly announced rebranding is to be followed immediately, apparently has a smartwatch coming out. 

This has been rumored for months, but a new leak today all but confirms it.

Mark Gurman, who has a strong track record with covering leaks from Apple, revealed in Bloomberg today details of the upcoming Facebook, uh, Meta smartwatch (codenamed “Milan” according to leaked codes), including a leaked render.

Facebook watch

Yes, it looks just like an Apple Watch, except it has a late 2018-era Android waterdrop notch housing a camera. 

Do note the notch eats into the bottom of the display, not the top. This image was found by app developer Steve Moser, inside Facebook View, the app designed to work with Facebook’s most recent hardware release, a pair of smart sunglasses (also with a camera attached) named Ray-Ban Stories (the iconic sunglasses maker partnered with Facebook for the product).

The camera on the watch should be able to shoot photos and videos, and the watch should be able send the files directly to Facebook View just like the way Ray-Ban Stories can. Other details about hardware is not known at press time.

Meta’s logo

Facebook/Meta’s smartwatch is said to have detachable wrist straps and a single button on the right side of its casing. According to Gurman and other industry rumors, Facebook/Meta had been planning to launch the smartwatch in early 2022, but the final timeline has not been confirmed.

All of this lines up with what Facebook/Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced at today’s “Connect” event, in which Zuckerberg said the rebranding was to align the company with its vision to build a “metaverse,” a task which the company has already devoted $10 billion funding. Days ago, Facebook/Meta’s upcoming VR headset named Oculus Pro was also leaked, showing that the company is making full headway into hardware production.