After much anticipation, Google's Pixel Watch was unveiled a few months ago, with the company teasing the announcement as part of its Google I/O conference alongside the new Google Pixel 6A, Pixel 7, Pixel Buds Pro, and a preview of Android 13.
It was only an announcement rather than a full launch so we don't know all the details about it - until later today this is, where Google will fully launch the Pixel Watch.
Google's first smartwatch has been a long time coming given the company provided us with the Wear OS operating system that you see on many smartwatches such as those from LG, Huawei, Fossil, and Samsung. Now, Google's hardware will compete with the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 and the Apple Watch Series 8.
Here's what we know so far about the Pixel Watch:
Google Pixel Watch: expected release date
The Google Pixel Watch will be launched today at Google's 'Made by Google' event on October 6 at 10 am EST.
Google has announced that you'll be able to pre-order the Pixel 7 Pro directly after the event on October 6th, so we expect the same to be true for the Pixel Watch.
We expect a definitive release date, as well as all other information, to be revealed at this event.
You can follow along with T3's Google Event live blog now.
Google Pixel Watch: price
The same source suggests that the watch will be priced between $300 and $400. In the UK, that's likely to correspond to a £300 to £400 price making it on a par with the Apple Watch 7, which is the current best Apple Watch and the best smartwatch you can buy.
The most recent leak has said the price of the cheaper Wi-Fi version will be between €250 and €350, which is between about £220 and £310 or $250 to $350.
It's been suggested there will be three different colour types - black, silver, and rose gold, these will reportedly be called Chalk, Charcoal and Obsidian.
In the past, leaks (opens in new tab) have suggested there will also be two different sizes available which could affect pricing. Expect the GPS-only, smaller watch to be the cheaper in the range.
Google Pixel Watch: design and hardware
Google released images of what to expect from the Google Pixel Watch's design and it's fairly typical for a smartwatch. It has a circular screen with a tactile crown that can presumably be rotated. The glass of the screen looks like it curves over the edges.
Google has stated the watch is made of recycled stainless steel. It also promises that customizable bands will attach easily.
There's no word yet on the hardware directly involved with the Google Pixel Watch. However, there are various leaks and rumours. One leak suggested that the Google Pixel Watch uses a 300mAh battery and at least one model will include cellular connectivity.
Another rumour https://9to5google.com/2022/05/13/google-pixel-watch-chip/ suggests that the watch may use the Samsung Exynos 9110 chipset which launched back in 2018. It's the same chipset that was used in the original Samsung Galaxy Watch although, presumably, the watch's operating system has been tweaked to get the most from it.
Google Pixel Watch: software and features
Unsurprisingly, the Google Pixel Watch will run Wear OS. At Google I/O, apps like Google Maps, Wallet, Home, and Google Assistant appeared on the watch and it's likely we will see other Wear OS apps on the device too.
Google has called it a "new Wear OS experience" with the OS "reimagined to feel fluid". In particular, it has been made specifically with the circular Google Pixel Watch in mind.
It will also be an Android-only device with no support for iPhone users. That's unlike most other Wear OS watches which offer some limited support for iOS.
Google Pixel Watch: health and fitness
One of the biggest additions to the Google Pixel Watch is that it will integrate with Fitbit. With Google buying Fitbit, it means that some familiar features will be included on the Pixel Watch.
These include continuous heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, along with Fitbit's Active Zone Minutes which tracks the amount of time you spend exercising in specific heart rate zones. Google has also demonstrated that you can see Fitbit health statistics like heart rate and steps from your watch face.
There hasn't been any insight into which health tracking sensors will be included in the watch though but clearly, there will be a heart rate sensor built in.
Also, there's no confirmation of if Google Fit will still be part of the setup we've seen on Wear OS watches before. Fitbit may completely replace these options.
