The successor to Motorola's Moto 360 smartwatch may feature higher resolution and Android 5.1 Lollipop, according to information being sourced about the upcoming device.
About three weeks ago, Lenovo CEO Yang Yuanqin accidentally posted a picture of what appeared to be a prototype of the next Motorola smartwatch on the Chinese blog website Weibo, showing a device that may incorporate new hues compared to the Moto 360. The leaked image came with the message "Moto 360, matching the arrival of the era of freedom, in the future we want to increase the store features a watch shop." Yuanqin then took down the picture.
Android news website Phandroid also recently was able to acquire more details about the Moto 360 successor from a popular app developer, who claimed that the codename for the wearable device is Smelt. In addition, the smartwatch was reported to have a circular display with a resolution of 360 x 360 pixels and is powered by Google's latest mobile operating system, Android 5.1 Lollipop.
While the device's codename may be confusing for most, a quick search reveals that Smelt also refers to a kind of fish, which would make sense for Motorola to use it given that the codename of the Moto 360 was Minnow, also another kind of fish.
A new image that is allegedly of the Moto 360 successor has now popped up again in Weibo. While there is no clue whether the render is a legitimate one for the device, the smartwatch looks very similar to what Yuanqin posted last month.
The picture shows that the Moto 360 successor features a similar design as its earlier version, with watch straps that have metal attachable arms. However, in previously leaked images, while the straps also had arms, they were connected to a component of the metal frame of the smartwatch. In the newly leaked render, the arms of the straps look like they are meant to be inserted into the sides of the smartwatch, with apparent holes for this purpose seen in the image.
It is also seen in the render that the physical button of the smartwatch is right in the device's center, similar to the Moto 360 and unlike the button placement seen in the previously leaked image by Yuanqin. The render also shows that the "flat tire" bezel found in the Moto 360 that contained the display drivers of the smartwatch is not in the new device.
The Moto 360 was first announced a little over a year ago, which could mean that new information regarding its successor could surface as the Google I/O conference draws nearer.
