Motorola’s new watch and earbuds are a case study in deja vu
Phones aren't the only gadgets that Motorola is announcing today. But whereas the new Razr foldables evoke a sense of nostalgia, its latest smartwatch and earbuds summon a powerful feeling of déjà vu. Handling the new Moto Watch Fit and Moto Buds Loop, it's like I'm looking at Motorola-flavored clones of the Apple Watch and […]
Phones aren't the only gadgets that Motorola is announcing today. But whereas the new Razr foldables evoke a sense of nostalgia, its latest smartwatch and earbuds summon a powerful feeling of déjà vu. Handling the new Moto Watch Fit and Moto Buds Loop, it's like I'm looking at Motorola-flavored clones of the Apple Watch and the Bose Ultra Open. And wouldn't you know it, the placard near the Buds Loop demo models conveniently says "Sound by Bose."
I mean, just look at the Moto Watch Fit next to my Apple Watch Series 10. Motorola isn't the first smartwatch maker to copy Apple's design language - see Samsung's 2024 Galaxy Watch lineup - but it is disappointing when you consider the OG Moto 360. With a stylish circular face, it was one of the standout smartwatches in the early days of Android Wear. This new Moto Watch Fit is technically the first Motorola-made smartwatch in nearly a decade (the disappointing 2019 Moto 360 was actually made by a weird company called eBuyNow), but it's hard to find Motorola's DNA here.
On paper, there's nothing wrong with the Moto Watch Fit. It's just a little boring. It has all the components of a basic fitness tracker. There's a 1.9-inch OLED displa …
