Montblanc unveils the world's first non-Samsung smartwatch with Wear OS 3 (and iPhone support!!!)
UPDATE: The official Montblanc Summit 3 product webpage is finally up a few days after its announcement and... more than a few days ahead of its July 15 commercial debut, confirming among others the 1.28-inch size and 416 x 416 pixel resolution of that gorgeous-looking circular AMOLED display depicted below, as well as the presence of 1GB RAM, 8 gigs of internal storage space, and surprise, surprise, both Android and iOS compatibility with the "latest Operating System."
That means that, unlike Samsung's Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic, this absolute beaut will work with iPhones in addition to Android handsets. Perhaps more importantly, it means that Google hasn't entirely removed iOS support from the "latest" Wear OS version, so at least in theory, the Pixel Watch and Fossil's Gen 7 family could also show notifications from Apple's iOS-running devices. There are obviously no guarantees one way or the other, but at least there's now (more) hope. Our original story follows below.
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Now that's a shameful situation, although Google and Samsung probably share at least part of the blame with the likes of Fossil, Mobvoi, Suunto, Skagen, Michael Kors, Casio, and Montblanc. For what it's worth, the latter company is at least ready to release a new wearable device running the "latest version of Wear OS by Google."
Unless Fossil or Mobvoi decide to make similar announcements soon (which is of course very possible now), the Montblanc Summit 3 will become just the world's third Wear OS 3-powered timepiece on July 15, following last year's Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic.
Being manufactured by someone other than Samsung, the luxury smartwatch will also give us our first chance at checking out the newest Wear OS iteration in an entirely Google-designed vision with no Tizen influence whatsoever.
Unfortunately, the Summit 3 is set to start at a very "Montblancesque" $1,290 price in the US with an undeniably eye-catching but far from revolutionary design unlikely to appeal to the masses... due to costing a small fortune.
An undoubtedly robust titanium case with a large and beautiful crown flanked by two smaller pusher buttons on the side will be available in three colors, none of which looks particularly flashy, instead giving the smartwatch an air of refinement that few other Wear OS devices can match.
All three models get a pair of leather and rubber straps to fit both formal and casual occasions, and under the hood, the Montblanc Summit 3 unsurprisingly hides a state-of-the-art (by Wear OS standards, at least) Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 4100+ processor.
As is often the case with extravagant smartwatches made by traditional fashion designers or non-tech companies in general, many of the key specs and features are under wraps and likely to stay that way until July 15.
What we do know is this thing will be able to monitor your sleep and blood oxygen levels in addition to your heart rate and various physical activities, which is pretty much the least a $1,000+ smartwatch can do nowadays.
There are no words on ECG technology or other key distinguishing elements between the Summit 3 and, for instance, the Fossil Gen 6 lineup, so if you don't absolutely love that design pictured above (or the Montblanc name on it), you might want to save your money for the Fossil Gen 7, Samsung Galaxy Watch 5, or the first-ever Google Pixel Watch, all of which should obviously run Wear OS 3 (or up) out the box.
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