The Google Pixel Watch is finally official
…but don’t expect Google’s first wearable until the autumn.
When Google unveiled the first version of Android Wear (now Wear OS) back in 2014, most people assumed it was only a matter of time before some first-party hardware was unveiled to take advantage. It turns out it was quite a lot of time, but Google has finally announced the Pixel Watch, just eight years later.
“It’s the first watch made inside and out by Google,” said Rick Osterloh, revealing the wearable he was literally keeping up his sleeve at Google I/O. “And it’s coming this fall with the Pixel 7.”
Designed to be “tappable, voice enabled and glanceable,” the Pixel Watch is a handsome looking wearable with a round face and an Apple Watch-style crown on the right-hand side.
It’s designed both to be helpful around the smart home – capable of turning down the Nest thermostat or alerting you when someone is in front of your Nest doorbell – and when you’re out and about, with directions from Google Maps even when you don’t have your phone handy. On that note, it seems to have NFC built in, too, as Osterloh made a big deal of the revamped Google Wallet integration, letting you make payments straight from the wrist.
It runs Wear OS 3, as you would expect, but it doesn’t look like it’ll be an identical experience to what you can currently get on the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4. For a start, Google has implemented its $2.1 billion purchase of Fitbit into the UI, which should be appealing for fitness fans. That will lead to “industry-leading health and fitness experiences,” according to Osterloh, and he highlighted continuous heart rate and sleep tracking as two of the key features to expect.
The Pixel Watch won’t be launching alongside the Pixel 6a and Pixel Buds Pro this July, and instead will appear alongside the Pixel 7 in the autumn. No word on pricing yet, but Osterloh promised more details nearer the time, so watch this space.