After much anticipation, Google has finally announced its first wearable, the Pixel Watch, which will run on WearOS.
Google has been busy, announcing the latest Pixel Watch alongside the Google Pixel 7 in its latest event. This will be the company’s first-ever wearable device and has been designed as an extension of the Pixel family, combining Google’s own software with Fitbit’s health features.
Price and release date
The Pixel Watch will be available for pre-order starting on October 13 in nine countries, including the UK, US, Canada, Ireland, Germany, France, Japan, Taiwan and Australia.
There are two variations of the Pixel Watch, with the Bluetooth/Wi-fi model starting at £339/$349.99, and the 4G LTE variation starting at £379/$399.99. The accessory bands that can be used with the wearable will launch at a price of £49.
Design
The Pixel Watch measures in with a diameter of 41mm and a height of 12.3mm. It comes with a custom 3D Corning Gorilla Glass 5 screen and boasts a 320ppi AMOLED display with DCI-P3 colour.
Google claims that the screen can reach up to 1000 nits of brightness, and the display is always-on so users can always check the time or their notifications with ease.
As we can see from the photo, the Google Watch has a circular shape and a mature design that should blend into professional environments. From the looks of it, it won’t be fit for more rugged activities, although Google has claimed that it has a water resistance of 5 ATM, meaning that it can handle water depth up to 50 meters, as well as splashes of water from rain, snow or sweat.
The Watch features a tactile crown that will be used for navigation, with the ability to customise the watch face to match your personality, and get specific information at a glance.
Google has also said that the Watch’s stainless steel cases are made from 80% recycled stainless steel.
Straps
The Pixel Watch will come with various options for the straps. Woven, Stretch, Active, Two-Tone Leather and Crafted Leather will be available when the Watch launches, with Metal Mesh and Metal Link bands coming in the Spring of next year.
The Woven band will come in three colours, Coral, Lemongrass and Ivy, and comes in one size – 137mm to 203mm – also being sweat and water-resistant. Stretch will come in Linen, Rose and Obsidian and comes in four different sizes.
The Active band will come in Hazel, Lemongrass, Chalk, Charcoal and Obsidian, is sweat and water-resistant and comes in Small and Large sizes, at 130mm to 175mm and 165mm to 210mm.
The Crafted Leather strap comes in Ivy and Obsidian, is not sweat or water-resistant and comes in small and large sizes.
Colours
The Pixel Watch case will come in four different colourways, though users can pair their Watch with any of the strap options mentioned above. The cases are also all stainless steel.
The Matte Black case comes with the Obsidian Active band, the Champagne Gold case comes with the Hazel Active Band, and the Polished Silver case comes with either the Charcoal Active band or the Chalk Active band.
Specs
The Pixel Watch will be compatible with any device running Android 8.0 or newer, meaning that it’s not restricted to the Pixel line of phones, however, anyone with an iPhone will be out of luck.
The chip inside the Pixel Watch is the Exynos 9110 SoC alongside a Cortex M22 co-processor. The Exynos 9110 is made for wearables and should provide a speedy and responsive experience for users, though we will be sure to test how fluid the watch is to use in our upcoming review.
It is also powered by new Wear OS 3.5 software and refreshed UI that should enable users to see relevant information and notifications at a glance. Users will have access to the Google Play Store and will be able to download apps like Spotify, MyFitnessPal, Strava and Bitmoji, among others.
The Watch will come with 32GB eMMC flash and 2GB SDRAM, with support for Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi as well as GPS services like GLONASS, BeiDou and Galileo. Plus, there will be an option to purchase the Pixel Watch with 4G LTE capabilities, meaning that users will be able to talk to Google Assistant and access the web even if their phone is’t available.
Since Google has put an emphasis on fitness by including Fitbit features like all-day activity tracking, there are sensors for blood oxygen, an optical heart rate sensor and a multipurpose electrical sensor. It also has a compass, accelerometer and a gyroscope inside.
Users will also be able to track their sleep with sleep tracking, with 40 workout modes to choose from, as well as a Daily Readiness score so you know what workouts you should be taking on each day.
It will pack a 294mAh lithium-ion battery that Google claims can last up to 24 hours, with a USB-C magnetic charging cable that will come with the Watch, although the power adaptor will not be included. The company has also stated that the wearable will be able to charge up to 50% in around 30 minutes for those moments where you’re strapped for time.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
