Smartwatches will soon have notches thanks to Facebook

The smartwatch space is heating up again thanks to Google and Samsung pushing Wear OS 3 as an alternative to Apple’s all-conquering wearable. But it looks like Facebook (also known as Meta) wants to get in on the action as well, and this first product looks rather strange.

App developer Steve Moser uncovered an image of a smartwatch with a notch inside the Facebook View iPhone app, subsequently sharing the render with Bloomberg. The image shows a small display notch at the bottom, along with a rounded screen. You can view the picture in question below.

The outlet adds that code inside the Facebook View app suggests the watch is codenamed ‘Milan,’ and that the wearable will be able to take photos or record videos and transfer them to a smartphone.

This wouldn’t be the first major smartwatch with a camera though, as Samsung’s original Galaxy Gear offered one as well back in 2013. But Samsung’s camera faced outwards, while the Facebook watch’s camera is on the watchface itself, pointing to video calling as the chief use-case.

We haven’t seen any camera-toting watches from a major manufacturer since the Galaxy Gear, so this would be a standout feature today if this product is released. Speaking of a potential release, Bloomberg reports that Facebook is planning a watch for 2022, but it’s unclear if this is the device in question.

This seems to be the latest in a trend of applying display notches to devices other than phones. Apple’s new Macbook Pro computers contain a display notch too, while a Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra render leaked last week and showed a notch on the tablet screen as well. So we’re sure the smartwatch’s notch will attract a similarly divisive reception.

Nevertheless, some users might think twice about buying a smartwatch from Facebook, given the company’s historical approach to personal data and privacy. After all, wearables offer even more personal data for a company to potentially hoover up.

What do you think of a camera notch on smartwatches? Let us know via the poll above.