Google’s Pixel Watch has been in the works for years, and Google has been more than happy to drop hints about what it’s been cooking. (Admittedly, having an employee drop off a prototype at a restaurant will also help avoid any surprises you might have planned.) Today, however, is the first time Google has actually lifted the lid on its new flagship wearable. , and for the first time we can see if it can make up for so many false starts in the clock race.
The Pixel Watch has a 41mm case with custom-molded scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass 5. At first glance, it’s clear that the curved crystal is very bulbous, but the upside is that the roundness makes the bezel much less visible. Underneath, users will see a 320 ppi, always-on AMOLED display with a brightness that can produce up to 1,000 nits. It’s powered by a 294mAh battery that Google says will last 24 hours on a single charge, but can juice up to 50 percent again after just 30 minutes with the magnetic charging pad. Along the side is a haptic crown, blessed with “Premium Haptics” and a side button.
There are two versions, a WiFi/Bluetooth model and one that comes with its own LTE modem, which costs just $50 more. Both have an Exynos 9110 SoC, paired with a Cortex M33 coprocessor, as well as 32GB of storage and 2GB of RAM. Given that Pixel-branded devices are often the “best” of whatever class they represent, the choice not to use Qualcomm’s own portable SoC speaks volumes. After all, this is the silicon of choice for all non-Samsung Wear OS watches these days, and similarly, there’s no mention here of Google’s custom silicon brand, Tensor.
Interestingly, Fitbit CEO James Park introduced the watch, and the watch includes many Fitbit-branded features. This includes activity, heart rate and sleep tracking, albeit augmented by Google’s own machine learning knowledge. One of the standout features is Live Heart Rate, with the device tracking your vital signs by the second. There is also a built-in ECG. Additional health data available with Fitbit Premium is also available to Pixel Watch users, as well as guided workouts. It suggests that Google sees the Pixel Watch as the beneficiary of Google’s partnership with Fitbit, rather than simply absorbing the wearable brand under its own name. You’ll also get, like any other Fitbit device, a free six-month trial of Premium with your purchase, as well as three months of YouTube Music Premium for free.
Aside from the Gorilla Glass, the only other promise of durability is that it will be water resistant (or down) to depths of 5 ATM. Oh, and Google says that by 2023, the Watch will be able to detect falls and, if you have the LTE version and prove unresponsive, call emergency services on your behalf.
It’s worth remembering that Google beat Apple in the wearables space for a whole year, in partnership with Motorola, Samsung, ASUS and LG. But the balkanized strategy employed and the general lack of brilliance of those initial versions of Android Wear gave much of the momentum to Apple. Since then, the Apple Watch has outsold every other major wearable player nearly every quarter since. Only when Samsung teamed up with Google to rework Wear OS did Google’s platform reach double-digit sales percentages again.
And like the Pixel phones, Google is likely happy to sell a limited number of devices to a small portion of the market. Especially since it has to protect sales from both Samsung, its partner, and Fitbit, its new wholly-owned subsidiary. Although, given that Samsung and Fitbit already cover pretty much every part of the wearable market between them, it’s unclear which specific group Google might be targeting here.
CCS Insight analyst Ben Wood agrees, saying that “the Pixel Watch poses zero threat to the Apple Watch” and that its existence is more to “raise awareness of smartwatches for owners of Android smartphones and encourage more of these people to consider purchasing a laptop.” For this to work, however, the Pixel Watch needs to be instantly desirable, especially given Google’s lack of patience when it comes to products that don’t instantly click with the public.
The Google Pixel Watch is available in “Matte Black”, “Polished Silver” or “Champagne Gold” stainless steel colors. They are complemented by a variety of watch straps, which are not attached with studs, but with an internal locking system similar to the camera lens that should make changing faster. It’s available for pre-order right now, with the WiFi/Bluetooth model priced at $349.99, while the LTE model will set you back $399.99, with both expected to start shipping on the 13th of October
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