This is what we know about the Pixel Watch that Google will launch in a few months

After countless leaks and rumors, Google has finally announced the existence of the Pixel Watch. The company presented it during its Google I/O in 2022, although we will still have to wait to get our hands on it. The Pixel Watch will launch alongside the new lineup of Pixel phones later this year.

Android users have been waiting for this smartwatch for a long time. After Google unveiled Wear OS 3 at last year’s developer conference, people were sure the next step was to see watches designed by Google itself. But so far, only Samsung has been the only one to release a decent smartwatch running a (hybrid) version of Wear OS 3.

We’ll still have to wait until later in the year to learn the full details of the Pixel Watch. Google has yet to tell us what kind of unique features its watch will include, how it will integrate with Fitbit’s tech, or how long its battery will last.

I present to you the Pixel Watch

Despite the images that Google has shown, we are still not entirely sure what the physical appearance of the Pixel Watch will be like, although we have already seen a few renders. Google showed us that the Pixel Watch has a circular domed design. It also has a protruding tactile crown and the chassis appears to be made from recycled stainless steel.

It is unclear how the watch straps will work and how thick or thin they will be. The watch itself appears to be quite slender in the renders, though judging by the model left behind by a Google employee in a restaurant a few weeks ago, it could be a bit thicker than what the company showed off yesterday. Google also said that the watch will come in different color combinations, although it is not clear what they will be. We only know that they will match the appearance of the back of the Pixel 7.

The Pixel Watch will offer an enhanced Google Wear OS experience. According to Google, its interface will feel “smooth and easy to navigate ”. It should also be “more visible than ever”, which probably refers to how widgets and other data will appear on the screen. There are some screenshots of what the Pixel Watch interface will look like, and there is a clear aesthetic difference compared to the Galaxy Watch 4.

Like other Wear OS watches, the Pixel Watch will offer contactless payment, directions from Google Maps, and access to the Google Assistant, something Samsung is still working on. Google also showed off smart home controls very similar to what we see in the Google Home app.

Integration with Fitbit

The other standout feature of the Pixel Watch will be its deep integration with Fitbit. We were hoping to see what it would look like after Google officially snapped up FitBit in 2021. Rick Osterloh, senior vice president of hardware, said the Fitbit experience would be “device-wide.”

The Pixel Watch will be able to do a lot of what Fitbit’s smartwatches and fitness trackers already do, including continuous heart rate monitoring and sleep tracking. The Pixel Watch will also track your progress against your personal goals, something you’ll likely need to set via an app on your smartphone. However, we still don’t know if this will happen through the Fitbit app or the Google Fit app.

The question remains whether this is all the Pixel Watch will do. We’re not sure what sensors will come with the watch or any other details about its features.

Google has also not confirmed the processor that will come inside the Pixel Watch, one of the main weak points of previous Android smartwatches. If Google bets on a Tensor chip like in its Pixel phones, it could offer better autonomy than the chips launched by Qualcomm. It could also help improve the functions of your Virtual Assistant and control the clock much faster than its predecessors.

The Pixel Watch will only be compatible with Android and Pixel devices and we’ll still have a few months to go before it’s officially unveiled alongside Google’s next flagships, the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro.