For those of you out there like yours truly, who returned to Android after two years using an iPhone 11 Pro Max, the big question is what device to use to replace the Apple Watch that adorned this writer’s wrist for nearly as long. But this might not be such a problem after all because the long-awaited Google Pixel Watch is expected to be released sometime this year.
Earlier this year we showed you renders of the timepiece’s circular design and last month we posted
some marketing slides of the device. Originally, tipster Jon Prosser said to expect the watch to be unveiled at the same time as the Pixel 6 line, which didn’t happen. Then, he said that Google had pushed the date back to the current quarter of this year which ends at the end of March.
Prosser says that the Google Pixel Watch will be unveiled during Google I/O
Now,
Prosser has changed the date once again and says that
Google will make the Pixel Watch official on Thursday, May 26 adding that this is the “first we’ve seen a set date on the device behind the scenes.” Based on the traditional dates of the Google I/O developer conference, the introduction could take place during the event.
Renders of the Google Pixel Watch
Just as it does with the Pixel handsets, testing out Android features on the handset, we wouldn’t be surprised to see Google do the same for Wear OS with the Pixel Watch. While not much is known about the specs for the timepiece, the marketing images and the renders both show a round display with 2.5D glass and bezels that are not too big. There is a crown on the right side of the watch.
While we can’t determine what health-related features will be found on the phone, one of the renders shows a watch face with a heart rate reading shown in big numbers. The screen is colorful and appears to use Android 12’s Material You design which includes bright pastel hues. The effect on a smartphone with a 6.4-inch or 6.7-inch display is one thing, but the effect on a much smaller smartwatch is another and brightens up the watch face.
Google has its faith in Wear OS restored
The Pixel Watch has been a long time coming and back in 2019 when the Pixel 4 series was supposed to present Apple and Samsung with a legit challenger, a last-second rumor suggested that the smartwatch would make an appearance during that year’s Made by Google event starring the feature-rich Pixel 4 line.
But the watch never showed up and one reason for this disappointing turn of events was said to be Google’s lack of faith in Watch OS.
In November 2019, Google parent Alphabet announced that it would spend $2.1 billion to buy Fitbit and said that it hoped the acquisition would help improve Wear OS. During last year’s Google I/O, Samsung and Google surprised many by teaming up to improve Wear OS to make apps open and perform faster while improving the battery life of Sammy’s smartwatches.
Tipster Jon Prosser tweets out the rumored unveiling date for the Pixel Watch
The partnership between Samsung and Google included taking the best features of Samsung’s Tizen operating system and Google’s Wear OS and combining it. As Google said in a tweet dated last May 18th, “We’re combining the best of @wearosbygoogle and @SamsungMobile Tizen into a unified wearable platform. Apps will start faster, battery life will be longer and you’ll have more choice than ever before, from devices to apps and watch faces. #GoogleIO.”
With the Google Pixel Watch, the Pixel line will continue to grow its ecosystem which will have the Pixel handsets, the Pixel Buds True Wireless Earbuds, and now the Pixel Watch just might be joining the group. So circle your calendar for Thursday, May 26th which could be the date that the first Pixel Watch is announced. But you might want to use a pencil with an eraser.
