Masimo (NASDAQ: MASI), a leading global medical innovator, and Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., whose Snapdragon® branded platforms power extraordinary consumer experiences, recently announced that Masimo is partnering with Qualcomm Technologies to develop a next-generation smartwatch reference platform for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) building Wear OS by Google smartwatches. The powerhouse combination of Masimo’s clinically proven, breakthrough biosensing technologies – based on its decades of expertise designing industry-leading hospital monitoring solutions – and best-in-class Snapdragon wearable platforms will help scale the wearable ecosystem. Forging the future of wearable devices, the reference platform will allow OEMs to more efficiently build and bring high-performing, premium smartwatches to market. The platform will also benefit from a robust suite of Masimo health and wellness tracking tools that consumers can trust to provide accurate, reliable data; it will use exclusively high-performance and ultra-low power system-on-a-chips (SoCs) alongside industry-leading wireless and cellular communications from Qualcomm Technologies to enable a superior connectivity experience.
Joe Kiani, Founder and CEO of Masimo, said, “We’re thrilled to be able to partner with Qualcomm Technologies, to whom we naturally turned to supply the chips in our own forthcoming Masimo Freedom™ wearable, to craft a truly remarkable reference platform. It’s a platform driven by the belief that when key smartwatch components are supplied by the leading experts in their field, the harmonious whole produces something even greater than the sum of those excellent parts. In short, Qualcomm Technologies and Masimo engineers are working together to optimize the ‘guts’ of the smartwatch. Masimo’s ability to craft precision monitoring technologies and advanced signal processing algorithms, combined with meticulously engineered, high-performing, low-power Snapdragon systems, is a compelling foundation. We expect this new wearable platform to supercharge smartwatch OEMs’ abilities to create competitive, desirable smartwatches for consumers everywhere. I look forward to partnering with a company as well known for its commitment to innovation as Masimo.”
Dino Bekis, Vice President and General Manager, Wearables and Mixed Signal Solutions at Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., said, “Beginning with Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1, this collaboration will significantly broaden the range of smartwatch choices for consumers and further enhance the already exceptional Wear OS experience. With these reference designs, OEMs will benefit from robust, production-ready designs, incorporating Masimo’s state-of-the-art biosensing technology and Qualcomm Technologies’ leading Snapdragon wearable platforms. It will ultimately enable them to seamlessly bring their smartwatches to market rapidly and at scale.”
OEMs who adopt the new reference platform will continue to design and produce their new smartwatches’ physical exteriors and have creative control over the appearance of the user interface. The devices’ interiors, including Snapdragon wearable platforms and Masimo biosensors, will be designed, provided, and tested by Masimo to ensure premium performance and an unmatched user experience. Health and wellness capabilities will feature the same biosensing innovations and analytics that power Masimo W1® and forthcoming Masimo Freedom – technology based on Masimo’s clinically proven, industry-leading Signal Extraction Technology® (SET®). The Masimo reference platform will make all of these components, features, and benefits available for Wear OS smartwatch manufacturers in an easy-to-implement, standardized package.