Qualcomm has announced a wearables platform and new system on chip that could potentially solve a couple of the most common complaints for smartwatches.

Many Android Wear smartwatches already use the company's Snapdragon 400 chipset, but the newly unveiled Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 processor promises many improvements.

Available in both tethered - Bluetooth and Wi-Fi - or connected - 4G LTE or 3G - forms, the Snapdragon Wear 2100 SoC comes in a smaller size. It is 30 per cent smaller than the Snapdragon 400 so gives manufacturers the option to make their devices slimmer and more sleek.

It comes with smarter sensors, with an integrated, ultra-low power sensor hub, and can always be connected to mobile networks or via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth without drop-out.

But the headline feature is that it requires less power to run - 25 per cent less to be precise. This should improve battery life, one of the most important aspects of any smartwatch. After all, who really wants to charge their watch every day?

The Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 processor is available to manufacturers now and we should see devices that use it come later this year.

LG is one of the smartwatch makers to commit to developing new smartwatches using the platform: "We are delighted about Qualcomm Technologies’ next generation wearable plans, are planning to extend our collaboration with the new Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 processor, and look forward to launching new smartwatches and other wearable devices that bring new and innovative use cases to consumers later this year," said David Yoon, vice president of the company's wearables division.