Google Pixel Watch is just over the horizon, set to arrive alongside the hotly anticipated Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro at the Made by Google event on October 6. But the Pixel Watch will be one of the more interesting announcements, seeing as it’s the first smartwatch built by Google.
It’s clear the Pixel wearable is gunning for the top spot as the go-to alternative to the highly regarded Apple Watch, but it already has stiff competition in Wear OS frontrunners like the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 and Huawei GT 3 Pro. So, what makes the Pixel Watch stand out? With a new, “reimagined” Wear OS experience, health and fitness tracking from Fitbit, and the introduction of a Google-centric ecosystem designed to work with all Pixel products and Android phones, the Pixel Watch is gearing up to be a head-turner.
Thanks to Google’s openness about what’s in store at its October event, we already know quite a lot about the Pixel Watch — from its design to its software. While its price, chipset, and battery life are still up the air, the rumor mill has given us a good indication of what to expect. For everything you need to know about the upcoming Google Pixel Watch, read on.
We’ll soon learn all there is to know about the Pixel Watch, as the Made by Google launch event is kicking off today! Find out all the latest announcements in our Google October event live blog.
Google Pixel Watch release date
The Google Pixel Watch announcement is officially confirmed for October 6 at the Made by Google event. This just leaves when pre-orders will be available and when the smartwatch will ship, and there’s some potentially good news and bad news.
The Pixel 7 Pro pre-orders are confirmed for October 6, thanks to a “first impressions” video from Google. The Pixel Watch will follow suit, and a rumor from Caschys Blog supports this by stating all three Pixel devices will be available to pre-order on the same date. However, the post also states the wearable is expected to ship on November 4 — nearly a full month ahead of when it will be announced.
Although, the report goes on to state that this isn’t set in stone, as there can be “short-term changes.” Hopefully, this means the Pixel Watch will arrive sometime in October rather than November. After a recent leak from Reddit, that may certainly be the case. The retail box of the Pixel Watch is apparently already making its way to stores like Target, according to a leaked image from user xXavi3rx, meaning it could ship shortly after the October 6 announcement. Still, we’ll have to wait and see.
Either way, one thing is for sure: the Pixel Watch will be unveiled on October 6.
Google Pixel Watch price
The price of the Pixel Watch is still up in the air, but according to a leak, it could be expensive. A retailer source speaking to 9to5Google leaked a convincing price tag for the upcoming wearable, which is tipped to come in two models: Wi-Fi/Bluetooth and LTE.
Earlier this year, the site claimed the LTE model will cost $399 in the U.S., which is the same as the base Apple Watch Series 8. Now, the Wi-Fi/Bluetooth model is tipped to come in at $349.99.
This may be cheaper than the Apple Watch lineup (except for the $249 Apple Watch SE), but it’s still a considerably pricey smartwatch. For example, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 starts at $279, and even the LTE model is more affordable at $329. What’s more, the Fitbit Sense, which Google is in collaboration with for the Pixel Watch’s fitness and health tracking, is $299.
While no numbers were shown, the report also indicates that European pricing won’t be cheaper than the U.S., meaning the Pixel Watch could be the same price or more expensive around the globe.
Will it have the hardware and software to match the price? Only time will tell.
Google Pixel Watch design
The design of the Pixel Watch has been fully unveiled, with Google opting for a circular, domed watch face with a rotating crown and what appears to be a single button. We even got an alleged look at the Pixel Watch out in the wild, when it was given to Android Central by an individual who claimed they found it at a restaurant in the U.S.
In these photos, we can see a speaker grill and microphone along with what seems to be a proprietary connector for the watch bands. Interestingly, a side view appears to show a pogo plug connector in one of the band slots. This could either indicate that bands can offer advanced tracking options or it is simply a feature of the engineering sample and won’t be present in the final design.
The model shown is 40mm wide, which is slightly smaller than the 41mm Apple Watch Series 7. Apparently, it also boasts 14mm thickness, which is 40% thicker than the Galaxy Watch 4 and 30% thicker than the Apple Watch Series 7. Again, this is just an alleged prototype, meaning the Pixel Watch could be far different when it’s announced.
A naughty Reddit user with the moniker “Suckmyn00dle” revealed unboxing photos of the Pixel Watch ahead of the Oct. 6 Google event. The Reddit user seemingly has the Pixel Watch with a polished silver stainless steel case and a charcoal active band.
Either way, we know what it looks like. Google released a closer look at the design of the Pixel Watch in a new teaser, and it shows off the different watch faces and even how the straps seem to click into place. We see a hint of how big the bezels will be too, and they’re looking pretty sizeable.
We even know the color options that may be available. The aforementioned retailer source claims that, much like the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro’s color options, there will only be three colors available for the Wi-Fi and LTE model. From what’s seen in the ad, it retailer seems to have hit the nail on the head.
We can expect the Wi-Fi model to come in a Black case and Obsidian band, a Silver case with a Chalk band, and a Gold case with a Hazel band. As for the LTE model, expect the same Black and Gold options, except with a slightly different Silver case with a Charcoal band. Apparently, the Chalk band will be more of an off-white color, while Charcoal will be dark gray.
We could see more options once the Pixel Watch is officially unveiled, but for now the wearable will come in Black, Silver, and Gold cases. We suspect the smartwatch’s bands or straps will be interchangeable for users to personalize their look, as Google is rumored to be working on a collection of different Pixel Watch bands.
Google Pixel Watch software and specs
With the “reimagined” Wear OS experience it will come with, it’s clear Google will be pushing its own Apple-like ecosystem, with the Pixel Watch seamlessly connecting to earbuds like the Pixel Buds Pro and Pixel Buds A-Series, along with “all Pixel and Android phones.” It will also have health and fitness tracking capabilities thanks to Fitbit, along with integrated Google apps like Maps, Assistant, and Wallet.
It will also have features like “Fast Pair”, which seamlessly connects the earbuds, watch, and phones with ease; the ability to control what you’re watching and listening to by playing, pausing, rewinding and adjusting the volume from the watch; “Find My Device” to help locate your Pixel devices; and it will give you access to your smart home devices from anywhere.
The Pixel Watch sounds like it can do a lot, but can its rumored Exynos 9110 CPU handle it all? That’s right, a source speaking to 9to5Google claims the Pixel Watch will be powered by a four-year-old chip — the same one found in the first Samsung Galaxy Watch in 2018. That doesn’t sound good, seeing as it’s based on a 10-nanometer processor. To put that into perspective, the Apple Watch Series 8’s S8 chip uses a 7nm processor, while the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5’s Exynos W920 is 5nm. If true, the Pixel Watch will be well behind in processing power.
Another source from 9to5Google brings (slightly) better news, stating that the Exynos 9110 will have some kind of co-processor to lighten the load. Whether this will be classed as another of Google’s custom Tensor chips or we get another chip altogether, it won’t be much longer until we find out.
Google Pixel Watch battery
The Pixel Watch’s battery capacity isn’t looking so good. Yet again, a source speaking with 9to5Google claims that it will have a capacity of just under 300mAh. That’s nothing to sneeze at, but the source points out that it will only last a day on a single charge. That’s looking like Apple Watch territory, and the chip it’s expected to boast doesn’t make this rumor sound more convincing.
What’s more, the Pixel Watch isn’t expected to have fast charging. Despite it’s rumored magnetic USB-C cable, the wearable is tipped to take 110 minutes to charge from 0% to 100%. That’s a worrying long time to charge a smartwatch, especially considering the Apple Watch Series 7 takes 45 minutes to charge from 0% to 80%.
We’re hoping these claims came during the testing period of the Pixel Watch, and it will boast better battery life and charging speeds once it’s finally unveiled.
Outlook
The Google Pixel Watch has been rumored for years, and it won’t be long until the tech giant’s first smartwatch finally arrives. We’ll be covering all the announcements at the Google Pixel event on October 6, so stay tuned for the latest details and upcoming review.
So far, the Pixel Watch has a lot going for it, from its straightforward-yet-slick circular design to its list of enticing software features. Fingers crossed that its rumored processor and battery life are a step up from what’s currently being claimed, as it won’t go far as an Apple Watch alternative with those kind of specs.
There’s still plenty to find out, but in the meantime, check out all you need to know about the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, along with everything we expect at the Google Pixel event 2022.
