The Pixel Watch is official, but fans that were hoping to sport a Pixel wearable this summer are in for disappointment as the long-rumored smartwatch isn’t coming until this fall.
Google unveiled the Pixel Watch today during the Google I/O 2022 keynote and offered us a few glimpses at the hardware along with some feature highlights, but we’ll be eagerly awaiting that fall Pixel event for more on Google’s first smartwatch.
The Pixel Watch looks virtually identical to the renders that we originally saw from Jon Prosser last year with a relatively thin domed circular design with a crown and a button on the right side of the watch as the only notable physical features. Notably, for those that followed the prototype leak, the final product definitely appears much thinner than that hardware.
The Watch is made out of recycled stainless steel. And again, as the rumors suggested, it will feature a proprietary band that looks virtually identical to the standard band found on higher-end Fitbit devices like the Fitbit Sense, but the connector that snaps onto the Pixel Watch does appear different.
The Pixel Watch will run Wear OS 3 with a number of UI enhancements to improve usability. The biggest applause line of the announcement was “deep Fitbit integration.” While Wear OS naturally offers fitness tracking, Fitbit is unquestionably better and the continuous heart rate monitoring and overall fitness tracking package is sure to be a serious upgrade for health-conscious users eying the Pixel Watch.
Google also highlighted the new and improved Google Home app that will offer owners of smart home gadgets control from their wrist. The newly announced Google Wallet will also be available on Pixel Watch, with support for a whole host of new features coming to the payment platform including support for storing your digital driver’s license in some states.
Google also highlighted a new Emergency SOS feature coming to Wear OS that users can trigger to contact emergency services and notify selected contacts.
We may glean more about the Pixel Watch and Wear OS 3 over the course of Google I/O this week, but details like pricing and the exact launch date won’t be available until this fall, presumably alongside the launch of the Pixel 7.
