A while back, a patent dispute between Apple and medical hardware manufacturer Masimo resulted in a decision being awarded in favor of Masimo. A ruling made in October by the US International Trade Commission shows that Apple was in violation of Masimo's pulse oximeter patent which uses light-based technology in order to measure blood-oxygen levels.

Following this, Apple has finally decided to remove the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 from its US website, after an appeal from the company to pause the ban was denied by the International Trade Commission. At the moment, a Presidential veto is the only way to undo this decision.

Buyers only have until December 23 to get the aforementioned models via Apple's physical retail stores, as the company will no longer sell them on the 24th of December. Meanwhile, existing stock via third-party retailers will continue to be sold until stocks run out.

On one hand, Apple Watch models (like the SE) that don't come with the disputed hardware will continue to be sold, although folks looking for a bit more in the specs department will no doubt prefer the more premium models, in which case they might want to grab the Series 9 or Ultra 2 before they disappear from store shelves.

We've been hearing a bit about the Samsung Galaxy Fit 3 for a while now. If you're interested in the wearable, then you might be interested to learn that it was recently spotted at the Bluetooth SIG database which means that we are now one step closer to seeing it launch.

Keep in mind that the previous rumors did suggest a 2024 launch, and while we are still in 2023, there's a good chance it won't make it by the end of the year. Samsung hasn't confirmed the launch date yet, but it could either debut at CES 2024, or maybe even during the Galaxy S24's launch which is rumored to take place on the 17th of January, 2024.

As for its specs and features, the Galaxy Fit 3 is rumored to sport a 1.1-inch AMOLED display with a higher resolution, offering users an upgrade over the Galaxy Fit 2. There is no word on what other features we can expect, but if you're the type that prefers fitness trackers over a smartwatch, this could be something to watch out for.

Also, another thing to note, the rumors have suggested that the price of the Galaxy Fit 3 will be more than its predecessor, about twice the price. It will still be somewhat relatively affordable compared to a smartwatch, but this new price suggests that it isn't really the same budget offering as the Galaxy Fit 2.

The smart wearable market has seen a lot of expansion in the past couple of years, at least in terms of popularity - more and more manufacturers have continued to join the wave of newer and more capable devices, and Vivo's latest entry seeks to do just that. Dubbed the "vivo Watch 3," Vivo's new smartwatch comes with its own set of tricks up its sleeve.

Perhaps one of the biggest features is the operating system that ships inside the watch - the Vivo Watch 3 comes with BlueOS, a custom wearable platform designed by Vivo. It features its own exclusive set of apps and software services, as well as its own app store. There's also "Jovi" assistant on board, Vivo's own smart voice assistant.

In terms of design, the Vivo Watch 3 comes with a round look that's reminiscent of most smart wearables on the market, and it comes with two physical buttons on the side consisting of an action button and a crown-style button for navigation. The watch packs a 500 mAh battery that Vivo says can last up to 16 days, although you'd have to use the watch as a standalone device without Bluetooth connectivity enabled. Otherwise, this endurance goes down to around a week's worth of use.

The device also comes with the usual set of hardware and software features designed to keep an eye on users' health, including SPO2 and heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, as well as a variety of different exercise modes. The watch is priced at around $150 for the base model which comes with Bluetooth-only connectivity, although there's an e-Sim variant which costs around $200.

Xiaomi's Amazfit sub-brand recently announced the launch of two new smart wearables, the Amazfit Active and Active Edge. Both devices share some similarities, although there are some considerable differences in terms of price and features included.

First up is the Amazfit Active, which features a 1.75-inch AMOLED touch display. Compared to the Active Edge, the "regular" Active comes with a squared-off design which is rated for 5ATM water resistance. The watch runs on Zepp OS with support for third-party software, as well as Amazon Alexa. The watch is powered by a 300 mAh battery that supposedly can last up to 14 days of use.

Meanwhile, the Amazfit Active Edge comes with a circular design that features a more "rugged" appearance. This houses a 1.32-inch TFT display and a 10ATM rating for better water protection. It also comes with a larger 370 mAh battery, which can last up to 20 days depending on usage. As with the regular model, it runs on Zepp OS.

Both devices come with support for Bluetooth connectivity, as well as support for a variety of sports modes and health tracking features including heart rate monitoring, sleep and stress tracking, and personal exercise plans. The Amazfit Active and Active Edge are priced at $149.99.

Last year, Apple announced the Apple Watch Ultra, a more expensive but more feature-rich variant of the regular Apple Watch lineup. Now it looks like Samsung could be next to try and take a stab at the "Ultra" smartwatch as the company is rumored to be working on a Galaxy Watch "Ultra" model.

According to a report from GizmoChina, they claim that the Ultra model will be utilizing micro LED display technology. For context, the current Galaxy Watch 6 models rely on OLED, which is pretty much the same display tech used in many smartphones today.

While both OLED and micro LED have "LED" in their names, they are quite different from each other. One of the primary advantages micro LEDs have over OLED is their lifespan, where OLED displays are prone to burn-ins over time, whereas micro LEDs aren't, making them preferable for devices like TVs.

Apart from the potential use of micro LEDs, it is unclear what other differences this Ultra Galaxy Watch will have over its non-Ultra counterparts. Samsung did attempt to launch a Galaxy Watch model back in 2022 with the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro. It featured a larger display, long-lasting battery, more outdoorsy tracking features, and it also utilized titanium, but design wise it wasn't too different from the regular model.

In any case seeing as we're approaching the end of the year, we doubt that we'll be seeing this Ultra model launch in the coming months, so take it with a grain of salt for now.