After literally years of leaks and rumours, the Google Pixel Watch is now official – although we don’t know all about that yet.
Google teased the watch at Google IO 2022, confirming the name in the process and showing off a design we’ve seen several times before thanks to leaks.
But this official look is our clearest yet, showing off a circular display, recycled stainless steel body, touchscreen crown and customizable bands, which the company says will attach seamlessly.
The Google Pixel Watch undeniably looks good, but it’s what’s under the hood that might be most interesting, especially this wearable’s Fitbit integrations.
It’s the first Wear OS device to feature Fitbit technology, and it appears to power most of its health and fitness features, including heart rate and sleep tracking, active zone minutes and the ability to track your progress against personal fitness goals. Google says this Fitbit integration enables industry-leading health and fitness features, but whether that will materialize remains to be seen.
Of course, the Pixel Watch also runs Wear OS, and Google says the software here is improved and will offer smoother interactions.
The company pointed out that you’ll be able to make contactless payments with the new Google Wallet app, access Google Assistant and Google Maps, get directions without your phone, and control your smart home via Google Home on the watch, so – for example – you can turn on the lights or adjust the thermostat from your wrist.
We’re sure there’s a lot more to the Pixel Watch too, and Google hasn’t touched on features like battery, chipset or price. But all of that will come later this year, as the wearable is fully unveiled alongside the Google Pixel 7 (which has also been teased). This will likely happen in October on Google’s usual schedule.
Analysis: Wear OS finally has its competitor Apple Watch
Android Wear (the software that would become Wear OS) launched eight years ago, and we’ve been waiting all that time for Google to release hardware to go along with it, but now it’s finally happened – or at least, he will do so later this year.
The Pixel Watch can then be an official canvas for Wear OS, showing off the software as Google intended, rather than the company relying only on other device makers to get the most out of Wear OS.
It’s then the Wear OS equivalent of the Apple Watch, and with what appears to be a premium design and fitness smarts from Fitbit, it could give the Apple Watch 8 a real run for its money. .