{"id":498381,"date":"2026-02-25T10:47:07","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T10:47:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/498381\/"},"modified":"2026-02-25T10:47:07","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T10:47:07","slug":"metas-smartwatch-saga-continues-with-project-malibu-2-slated-for-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/498381\/","title":{"rendered":"Meta\u2019s smartwatch saga continues, with ‘Project Malibu 2’ slated for 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

The on-again, off-again saga of the Meta smartwatch<\/a> has taken another turn, with a report indicating that the project is very much alive under a new codename: Project Malibu 2. <\/p>\n

Scheduled for a 2026 release, according to The Information<\/a>, the device appears to be the latest evolution of a wearable strategy that has seen multiple cancellations and revivals over the last four years. <\/p>\n

While earlier iterations focused heavily on wrist-mounted cameras, the current roadmap reportedly pivots toward health and AI, positioning the watch as a vital peripheral for Meta\u2019s broader augmented reality and smart glasses ambitions.<\/p>\n

A quick rundown of previous Meta watch plans<\/p>\n

To understand Malibu 2, you have to look back at Project Milan, the camera-equipped watch we first reported on in 2021<\/a>. That device featured a detachable design and dual cameras intended for video calls and photography. <\/p>\n

While Milan was reportedly shelved in 2022<\/a>, leaks in July 2025 suggested the concept had been revived<\/a> as a companion to Meta\u2019s upcoming \u2018Celeste\u2019 smart glasses. <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

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Malibu 2 seems to be the refined version of this vision; rather than trying to be a standalone smartphone replacement, it is being built to handle the visual intelligence and health-sensing duties that slim smart glasses can\u2019t manage on their own.<\/p>\n

A change in tact<\/p>\n

The shift toward health tracking is a notable departure for Meta. While the company has experimented with basic fitness metrics in the Quest ecosystem, Malibu 2 is expected to be a full-fledged health wearable built on an Android-based OS. <\/p>\n

This move puts Meta in more direct competition with the Apple Watch<\/a>, though the integration with Meta AI remains the primary differentiator. <\/p>\n

According to the report, the Malibu 2 watch is expected to serve as the primary interface for the AI, leveraging its proximity to the body to deliver more context-aware responses. It may also incorporate the neural band (EMG) technology that Meta has been developing for gesture-based control of its glasses.<\/p>\n

Will Project Malibu 2 arrive in 2026?<\/p>\n

Given the yo-yo nature of the brand\u2019s smartwatch plans in the past, it\u2019s fair to be skeptical that the device actually arrive later this year. However, with the rapid success of the Ray-Ban Meta glasses, the company does at least now have a compelling reason for a watch to exist. <\/p>\n

As a peripheral, it provides processing power, battery life, and biometric data that frames alone cannot. But whether Malibu 2 actually makes it to the Connect 2026 stage remains to be seen. <\/p>\n

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The focus on an AI-driven health ecosystem suggests Meta has finally found a lane for its wrist-wearable that isn\u2019t just a camera on a strap, but only time will tell.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The on-again, off-again saga of the Meta smartwatch has taken another turn, with a report indicating that the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":498382,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[49,48,195,61],"class_list":{"0":"post-498381","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-gadgets","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-gadgets","11":"tag-technology"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/498381","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=498381"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/498381\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/498382"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=498381"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=498381"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=498381"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}