Wear OS 3 is the biggest overhaul we’ve seen for Google’s smartwatch operating system so far, but it’s also one that seemingly came with a big disappointment, as the first – and until now only – Wear OS 3 watches were the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 4 Classic, and they’re not compatible with iPhones.
Far from this being a limitation of Wear OS 3 though, it seems that this is simply a limitation that Samsung has decided to impose, as the Montblanc Summit 3 was recently announced, and this is confirmed to have iOS support.
This detail was mentioned in the wearable’s official specs list and also confirmed to Wareable (opens in new tab) by a spokesperson from Qualcomm, which doesn’t make the Summit 3 but does make the Snapdragon 4100 Plus chipset at its heart, so they should know.
Now, chances are you’re not going to run out and buy the Montblanc Summit 3 – even if you are an iPhone owner with an aversion to the Apple Watch – as it costs $1,290 / £1,105 / AU$2,030.
What does it do to justify that price? Have Montblanc in the name, mostly, though it does sound like a competent wearable, with a 1.28-inch 416 x 416 AMOLED screen, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of storage, 5ATM water resistance, sapphire glass, a heart rate monitor, and a premium build.
That’s all fine and good, but mostly it’s just the presence of iOS support that we care about, as it suggests we might hopefully soon see some affordable Wear OS 3 watches that include this.
Analysis: don’t count on iOS support for the Pixel Watch
One of the next big Wear OS 3 smartwatches we’re expecting is the Google Pixel Watch, but this might not have iOS support.
Google has already teased the wearable and only listed Android compatibility. Even more damningly, a Google spokesperson told CNET (opens in new tab) that iPhones won’t be supported.
It seems odd that both Google and Samsung would cut off such a large potential audience, which makes us wonder if the chipsets used in these watches might be a factor – as it’s rumored that the Pixel Watch will use an Exynos chipset like Samsung’s wearables. That being the issue is just speculation though.
But whatever the case, at this rate it could still be a while before many of the best smartwatches running Wear OS 3 get iOS support.
