After a wave of veritable leaks, Google has officially unveiled its first smartwatch, the Pixel Watch.
It teased the device a few months ago, but has been working on it for a few years. Naturally, it runs the company’s own Wear OS software, which third-party watch makers have used for a long time. But now Pixel users and Android users in general can buy devices with both software and hardware made by Google. There’s also deep integration with Fitbit, making it a competent fitness tracker and smartwatch. You can pair it with the Fitbit app and analyze your sleep and activity in detail. Let’s take a look below!
How much does the Pixel Watch cost?
Wi-Fi only: $349.99/£339
Wi-Fi + 4G LTE: $399.99 / £379
There are two versions, much like the Apple Watch, with the option to pay extra for built-in 4G. This means that even without your phone, the Pixel Watch can still be used to make calls and send messages.
When is the Pixel Watch release date?
October 13. Pre-order from October 6th
What features and specs does the Pixel Watch have?
Here are some key features:
Up to 24 hours of battery life, water resistance to 5ATM / 50m, 19 customizable watch faces, crown for scrolling, side buttons for accessing apps, built-in Google Assistant (hands-free), in Google Maps turn-by-turn directions, Google Wallet for contactless payments, GPS, 32GB of storage for music and apps, quick pairing and switching, SOS, fall detection (2023), 40 workout modes (Fitbit), continuous heart rate monitoring, ECG app for detecting atrial fibrillation
The Pixel Watch has an OLED screen with up to 1,000 nits of brightness. It has an always-on mode so you can see the time (and other info) at a glance. It is protected by a piece of dome Gorilla Glass 5.
Out of the box, the Pixel Watch runs Wear OS 3.5. It has the Google Play Store so you can install apps like Strava, Spotify, MyFitnessPal, and more. Includes three months of YouTube Music Premium, plus six months of Fitbit Premium access for in-depth analysis of your sleep, fitness and health.
There are 19 watch faces to choose from, and you can customize their color and the information you see. If you want, you can set it to show your favorite photos from Google Photos.
Quick pairing means that once paired with your phone, the Pixel Buds will automatically pair with the watch. Toggle means you can start a call on your Watch and continue on your phone. Likewise, you can continue listening to music or follow the map on your Pixel Watch after it’s activated on your phone.
The Pixel Watch is actually a Fitbit too, and has many of the features of the Versa 4 and other Fitbits. You can choose between 40 workout modes and see how many active zone minutes you’ve reached, as well as see how your heart rate changes throughout the day.
The Pixel Watch works with Android phones running Android 8 or higher: it doesn’t have to be paired with a Pixel phone.
Google says the battery will last up to 24 hours, but will charge from 0-50% in 30 minutes. If the battery gets too low, it will remind you to charge it before bed to track your sleep. A full charge takes 80 minutes. There’s no charger in the box: just a magnetic USB-C cable.
>>>>>>>>>>>Google battery