Sharp Enters Wearables with Its First Smartwatch "Karada Mate Watch," Launching July 9

On June 16, Sharp announced its first-ever wearable devices. As the debut products under the new "Karada Mate" brand, the company will offer two models: the Karada Mate Watch (MH-W01) smartwatch and the Karada Mate Ring (MH-R01) smart ring, both going on sale July 9. The pairing of a watch that automatically estimates the calories you eat and an ultra-light ring starting at just 2.1 grams extends the technology Sharp built up in its "AQUOS" smartphones into the field of health management.

Karada Mate Watch: Automatic Calorie-Intake Tracking

The defining feature of the Karada Mate Watch is its ability to automatically measure the calories taken in from meals. While typical smartwatches log calories burned and activity, this device estimates the intake side instead, a relatively unusual approach.

This is made possible by FLOW Technology, a sensing technology from the U.S.-based HEALBE Corporation. When you eat and nutrients are absorbed, your blood glucose (the concentration of sugar in the blood) changes, and water moves between cells accordingly. The Karada Mate Watch reads this movement of water inside the body with its sensors and estimates calorie intake using a proprietary algorithm. The figure is recorded without the user having to log meals by hand.

According to Sharp, the accuracy of the calorie measurement is about 89 percent. Given that the calorie figures on food labels already carry a margin of error, this is a level that is more than useful for reviewing your daily eating habits. Based on the difference between measured intake and calories burned, the watch tells you whether you have eaten too much or too little for the day, alerting you with vibration.

A Unique "Circuit View" Interface and a Rugged Build

For operation, Sharp adopted its own user interface called Circuit View. It automatically switches the information shown on screen, such as step count, calories burned, the weather, and upcoming plans, to match the time of day. The design lets the information you want come into view naturally, without you having to dig through menus.

The body offers IP6X dust resistance, IPX8 water resistance, and 5 atmospheres (5 ATM) of water resistance, and it can even be rinsed with neutral hand soap. The display cover uses scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla Glass 5, and the body is finished in stainless steel. Because the band fits standard 20 mm aftermarket straps, you can swap it out to suit your taste.

Karada Mate Ring: A 2.1-Gram Ultra-Light Smart Ring

The other product, the Karada Mate Ring, has no screen and is a silent device that measures the state of your body while worn on a finger. Compared with the watch, which records actively, the ring is intended for measurements during sleep and rest.

For sensing, it draws on technology from Japan's SOXAI and carries four sensors: acceleration, heart rate, red and infrared sensors for blood-oxygen levels, and skin temperature. With these, it can track steps, heart rate, skin temperature, and sleep state throughout the day.

What stands out is how light it feels. At 6.7 mm wide and 2.8 mm thick it is compact, and its weight is held to about 2.1 to 3.1 grams depending on size. It was designed to be light enough to forget you are wearing it, so it can be used comfortably even during sleep. Battery life is long as well, running up to 14 days on a single charge. When the battery runs low, a notification is sent to the linked smartphone, so you can keep using it without worrying about frequent charging.

Durability was also a focus: the exterior uses titanium with a scratch-resistant Duratect surface coating (a Citizen coating technology also used on watches). With IPX8 water resistance (equivalent to a depth of 100 m) and IP6X dust resistance, you can wear it through housework, exercise, and even swimming. It comes in two colors, gold and silver, in 10 sizes from US 4 to 13, and a dedicated sizing kit is provided so you can choose a ring that fits your finger.

Price and Availability

Both models go on sale July 9. At Sharp's official online store, COCORO STORE, the Karada Mate Watch is priced at 59,400 yen and the Karada Mate Ring at 41,800 yen. Pricing is open, and the products will also be carried in stages by mobile carriers such as NTT Docomo and SoftBank, electronics retailers, and MVNOs.

Sharp sees more room for growth in wearables than in the already saturated smartphone market, and it plans to grow the wearable business into a new pillar of revenue. While shifting the weight of its smartphone sales from the mid-range toward the high end, the company aims to broaden its base in the health field. It is a late entrant, but with the distinctive angle of automatic calorie-intake measurement, it is looking to differentiate itself in a wearable market that already offers many choices.

Summary

Sharp's first wearables, the "Karada Mate" series, arrive as a two-piece lineup: a smartwatch that automatically measures calorie intake and an ultra-light smart ring starting at 2.1 grams. While incorporating outside strengths such as HEALBE's FLOW Technology and SOXAI's sensing technology, Sharp added its own touch with Circuit View and strong water and dust resistance. After the July 9 launch, how well users can put the new metric of calorie intake to work in their daily health management is likely to determine how satisfying these devices feel over time.

Source: Sharp news release: "Smart ring 'Karada Mate Ring' to go on sale"