We know the Google Pixel Watch is coming and when it was first announced I had my reservations. I said that in order for the Pixel Watch to be a true Apple Watch rival, Google would need to nail the hardware.
The first leaks had us underwhelmed: as we reported earlier in the month, the Pixel Watch is running a comparatively old processor that isn't as good as the one in the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4, let alone the expected Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 later this year. According to reports from 9to5Google, it's not that simple, the Pixel Watch will also have a co-processor and buckets of RAM. This alleviated some worries.
Now another piece of the puzzle is falling into place… where the Pixel Watch is going to be made.
According to FCC listings that appeared on the 11th of May – the same day as the Pixel Watch announcement – Google's first smartwatch will be manufactured by Taiwan’s Compal Electronics.
Compal Electronics is one of the manufacturers of the Apple Watch and has been making one of the best smartwatches since 2017. You would, therefore, expect it to have plenty of experience with this compact form factor and that should, in theory, mean the Pixel Watch will have similar levels of build quality.
This has certainly eased my initial worries about the Pixel Watch build quality, although I won't be truly satisfied until I've got one on my wrist.
In another FCC listing filed at the same time, we also learned that the Pixel Watch will come with a USB-C charger.
We expect this will be a fairly straightforward magnetic puck, but with a USB-C cable attached rather than USB-A found on the Fitbit Sense, Versa 3, and Samsung Galaxy Watch 4. This would allow Pixel Watch owners to use their smartphone's power brick (most of which now feature USB-C) rather than need a separate power supply.
