“It has now come to light that CBP thereafter reversed itself without any meaningful justification,” Masimo informed a federal court in Washington, D.C., reigniting one of the most eagerly followed patent battles in consumer electronics. The claim highlighted the high-stakes fight over pulse oximetry the optical reading of blood oxygen saturation beneath Apple’s newest smartwatch redesign.
Following an 18-month hiatus prompted by a U.S. International Trade Commission exclusion order aside, Apple’s Series 9 and Ultra 2 watches are regaining blood oxygen sensing. The comeback depends on a technical solution: rather than processing the photoplethysmography data locally on the watch, the measurements are now “measured and calculated” on a paired iPhone. By relocating the algorithmic processing away from the wrist, Apple contends it steers clear of violating Masimo’s patents, which pertain to ways of receiving direct readings from user-worn products. The hardware LED emitters and red- and infrared-tuned photodiodes can still detect the same raw optical signal, but the software pipeline has been re-designed to comply with U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s August 1 ruling.
Masimo argues the adjustment is cosmetic, pointing out that the refashioned watches retained (at the very least) capacity to perform the same infringing steps and accusing Apple of taking advantage of a loophole by importing iPhones and watches in separate shipments. The company is suing to stop the CBP ruling, arguing the agency’s function is to enforce ITC orders, not reinterpret them. The battle has become a case study in how engineering decisions where computation happens within a sensor system, for example are coming together with intellectual property law to decide access to the marketplace.
While Apple’s attention has remained on bringing back a marquee health feature, Google’s Pixel Watch 4 is generating buzz for a different type of engineering turn: repairability. A teardown exclusive announced that the new model permits tool-assisted removal of battery and AMOLED display without destructive disassembly or specialized jigs. The internal design has been modularized, with flex cables kept in route to reduce stress on parts during replacement and adhesive pull-tabs for clean removal of components. This design change follows increasing right-to-repair traction and may help prolong device life, minimizing e-waste from sealed wearables.
Pixel Watch 4 introduces a reimagined Fitbit app that incorporates an AI-driven Personal Health Coach designed with Gemini. Accessible to Fitbit Premium members, the coach takes advantage of real-time biometric streams heart rate variability, sleep staging, activity intensity to provide adaptive recommendations. Users may ask the system natural language questions, triggering real-time refinements to exercise plans or restoration suggestions. Google explains that the AI is trained with “top industry experts” and guided by peer-reviewed articles, such as a recent Nature paper on big language models for sleep and fitness coaching. Apects such as the Focus Metric, which can be customized, and weekly performance check-up represent a move away from static monitoring towards dynamic, context-sensitive health management.
IFA Berlin 2025 offered a wider context for these releases, with AI-enabled wearables extending into new form factors. The 1.8-kilogram Hypershell X Ultra exoskeleton had a 60-kilometer range with battery assistance and had hiking, running, and cycling intelligent modes. Its adaptive algorithm-controlled electromechanical actuators provided effortless torque support that testers called “incredibly smooth and intuitive.” The Luna Ring 2.0 paired titanium build with five-day battery life and a charging case to stretch use to 21 days, as well as incorporating circadian rhythm modeling to provide pre-emptive sleep and readiness recommendations.
Hybrid styles also evolved. The Withings ScanWatch 2 prolonged battery life to 35 days and added HealthSense 4 OS, which scans 35 biomarkers to yield a Vitality Indicator and proactive health alerts. Smart glasses such as the BleeqUp Ranger added a five-hour uninterrupted AI sports cam with open-ear audio, whereas Timekettle’s W4 AI Interpreter Earbuds used a bone-voiceprint sensor to separate speech vibrations for up to 98% accurate live translation.
The intersection of these trends heralds a new era in wearable technology one in which hardware modularity, AI-facilitated personalization, and sensor technology are as important as brute performance metrics. Whether it’s Apple’s deliberate offloading of computation to circumvent a patent impasse, Google’s adoption of user-repairable design, or the proliferation of AI-enabled form factors at IFA, the underlying engineering choices are redefining wearables by which they are designed, sold, and worn.
