Meta’s planning to release a smartwatch in 2026, and if you think it’s just another fitness tracker trying to compete with Apple Watch, you’re missing the bigger picture. This is about smart glasses, not step counts.
According to a new report from The Information, Meta’s working on a smartwatch codenamed Malibu 2 that’ll pack fitness features similar to what you’d find on an Apple Watch or Fitbit. But the real story here is how it connects to Meta’s Ray-Ban Display smart glasses and their weird neural wristband accessory.
That neural band is actually pretty fascinating Technology when you get into it. It uses electromyography to read motor neuron signals through your skin and turn them into gestures for controlling the glasses. The problem? Right now it only works with those Ray-Ban Display glasses, and nobody wants to wear both a neural band and a smartwatch at the same time. That’s just too much stuff on your wrist.
The Neural Band Problem Gets a Solution
Meta’s CTO Andrew Bosworth apparently told the author last year that the neural band tech would eventually make its way into a watch. That makes total sense when you think about it. Why have two separate devices when you could just build the neural sensing into a smartwatch?
Meta’s already been testing the waters here. They demoed the neural band working with a concept Garmin smart car cabin at CES in January. And their Oakley Vanguard sports glasses already include heart rate tracking and pair with Garmin watches. Speaking of which, if Meta’s looking for a partner on this smartwatch project, Garmin seems like the obvious choice given how much they’re already working together.
Everyone’s Doing the Wearables Dance Now
Meta’s not alone in this whole “make all your wearables talk to each other” game. Apple’s reportedly working on glasses and maybe even a pin to complement AirPods and Apple Watch. Google confirmed their 2026 smart glasses will work with Android watches too. It’s turning into a proper business race to see who can nail the multi-device ecosystem first.
The watch could do more than just house neural sensors though. A touchscreen on your wrist could work as a viewfinder for the glasses camera or give you better controls. It’s another place to throw AI features, either as a glasses companion or for fitness stuff. Meta’s been pushing AI hard lately, so this seems inevitable.
We probably won’t hear anything official until Meta’s Connect conference in September. That’s where they usually announce their new tech products. But rolling out a neural-equipped watch alongside next-gen Ray-Ban Display glasses would make sense timing-wise, especially with Apple and Google gearing up to jump into the same space.
The fitness features will likely be fine, maybe even good. But don’t be fooled into thinking Meta’s building this watch because they suddenly care deeply about your daily step count or sleep quality. This is about solving the awkward wearables problem they created with that neural band and making their glasses strategy actually viable for normal people who don’t want their wrists looking like a cyborg prototype testing ground.
