The Google Pixel Watch is official. At Google I/O 2022 the company announced its long-rumored smartwatch for the first time. Though there were plenty of reasons to believe a Pixel-brand wearable was on the way, Google confirmed it’s happening.
And now, we wait. The Pixel Watch is slated to arrive this fall alongside the Google Pixel 7 series. We know that it’ll run Wear OS 3, possibly becoming the best smartwatch yet for Google’s wearable software. It’ll also borrow fitness tracking from Fitbit and extend some new Android experiences to the wrist.
It’ll have to contend against the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5, and even the Apple Watch 8, plus face the years of anticipation from Pixel smartphone users who’ve waited for an in-house companion smartwatch. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves — here’s everything we know about the Google Pixel Watch, from expected release date and price to possible features and more.
Google Pixel Watch news (updated May 23)
Google Pixel Watch release date
The Google Pixel Watch release date will happen the fall. If we had to pinpoint a month, we’d guess October. Google has a history of holding hardware launch events in October, after all. During this event, we’ll get an exact Google Pixel Watch release date.
Not too long ago, the Pixel Watch passed through various regulatory hurdles, including the Bluetooth Special Interest Group, which is a must for reaching the market. This suggests the smartwatch is nearly a completed product.
Google Pixel Watch price speculation
How much will the Google Pixel Watch cost? Not as much as an Apple Watch, if we had to guess. Google didn’t announce the Pixel Watch price, but we’d place it in the mid-priced category. The Apple Watch Series 7 and Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 start at $399 and $249 respectively, so we’d expect Google to try and undercut these two watches slightly. Similar to how the Google Pixel 6 series is cheaper than both the Galaxy S22 and the iPhone 13.
It won’t be the cheapest option on store shelves, but it could fall in the $200-$350 price range depending on size and LTE variants. Again, this is just speculation based on what we know about Google’s pricing strategy for the rest of its hardware division.
Google Pixel Watch design
The Google Pixel Watch design still looks like renders based on what Google has teased. It has a rounded design with what looks like a digital crown on the right side, and perhaps some buttons as well. The color displayed during I/O is silver, though no clue as to other colors and size options. Many smartwatches on the market come in two sizes, so maybe Google will follow suit.
As such, the Pixel Watch looks set to be a rather clean and minimalist smartwatch, somewhat in keeping with the design of other Pixel devices. Interchangeable bands, meanwhile, would offer wearers a bit of customization.
The Pixel Watch will be probably be similar to the Apple Watch — because they might have the same manufacturer, which means the smartwatches could have more in common than previously thought. The crown of the Pixel Watch looks similar to the Apple Watch currently.
The internal design remains a mystery for now. Leaker Yogesh Brar claims that the Pixel Watch will have the same sensors as the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4, which means it could come with the same ‘BioActive Sensor’ that can measure heart rate, ECG and body fat percentage.
The Google Pixel Watch might have even older tech inside, too. 9to5Google has speculated that the watch will use a 10nm Exynos 9110 chip, which made its first appearance on the original Samsung Galaxy Watch in 2018.
Google Pixel Watch with Fitbit features
What’s perhaps most exciting about the Google Pixel Watch is that it’ll leverage Fitbit fitness tracking. Google Fit has been an underwhelming health app, especially when compared to what’s possible with the best Fitbit devices. Fitbit Premium features, as well as workout tracking, active zone minutes and other health-tracking tools, will arrive on the Pixel Watch.
This will make the Google Pixel Watch vs. Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 an interesting face-off to look out for in the fall.
Google Pixel Watch specs
A report from 9to5Google provides a bunch of details around the Pixel Watch’s specs. First, you can expect a co-processor that should help speed up performance, which could be aided by more than 1.5GB of RAM. Plus, the same report says the Pixel Watch will feature 32GB of storage, which would be double the amount in the Galaxy Watch 4 and allow for storing more music on the go.
Finally, the Pixel Watch will reportedly match the health sensors found on the Fitbit Luxe and Charge 5 with a heart-rate sensor that supports SpO2 and ECG readings.
It is also reported that Google filed for a USB-C charger for the Pixel Watch.
Google Pixel Watch Wear OS
This one is no surprise, but Google will bundle its own Wear OS platform in the Pixel Watch. But what could make the software different or, should we say, better?
Popular Wear OS features on third-party smartwatches from TicWatch and Fossil include continuous heart-rate monitoring via Google Fit, contactless payments with Google Pay and hands-free Google Assistant access, plus a Google Play smartwatch store. In the past, these features didn’t absolve Wear OS’s flaws, but the newer, more refined version of Wear OS works great on the Galaxy Watch 4.
We should get a better sense of what Wear OS without Samsung’s own integrated UI looks like when new Wear OS-eligible smartwatches are updated later in 2022.
Google Pixel Watch vs Apple Watch
The Google Pixel Watch could potentially beat the Apple Watch at its own game, but it’s going to take a serious commitment from Google and some killer features. The two smartwatches are reportedly set to share the same Taiwanese manufacturer.
This would include a stellar Wear OS experience that’s intuitive and offers a wide array of great apps. Google would also need to leverage Google Assistant and its advantages over Siri right on your wrist while also offering seamless integration with other Google services like Gmail, Google Photos and Google calendar.
When it comes to health tracking, the Pixel Watch will need to build on its Fitbit acquisition and create a fitness wearable that beats the Apple Watch on sensors and workout tracking. The Fitbit Daily Readiness Score and Active Zone Minutes are two particularly great features.
Last but not least, the Pixel Watch will need competitive pricing and longer battery life than the Apple Watch to truly win.
Google Pixel Watch outlook
As mentioned, there’s a lot of anticipation for the Google Pixel Watch. Not only has it been rumored for several years, but now Google is giving us a few months to wait for it’s first in-house smartwatch. We can be hopeful it’ll deliver, but there’s no way to know until we get it on our wrist.