Google Pixel Watch: News, leaks, release date, specs, and rumors

From the beginning of Google's wearable strategy, it has always relied on other OEMs to carry the hardware torch for its software. However, that doesn't mean fans of Wear OS, and Android Wear before it, haven't been clamoring for an official smartwatch from the software giant.

After years of rumors for a Google-branded wearable that always ended in disappointment for Wear OS fans. It was looking like 2021 was to be the year that a Google Pixel Watch would materialize alongside the Pixel 6 lineup. But, it seems unlikely that the Pixel Watch will be arriving this year. Here's what we know so far about the Pixel Watch.

Pixel Watch: Announcement and release date

As of right now, we don't have anything official from Google in terms of a Pixel Watch being released this year. If Google does have plans to release it in 2021, it'll announce it at the Pixel Launch Event on October 19 at 10am PT / 1pm ET, alongside the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro.

Will it appear there? The latest Pixel Watch leak from Jon Prosser suggests it is "still happening" but won't arrive until "Q1 2022." Prosser has leaked Google products successfully in the past, but we won't know if this is accurate or not until the Google event ends.

If it does appear in the upcoming event, the Pixel Watch release date could be as soon as the end of October. If not, it may not appear until March 2022 if the latest leaks are accurate.

Pixel Watch: Price

Cost is something else that is largely up in the air for the anticipated Pixel Watch. Since this is Google's first foray into making its own smartwatch, we can only speculate at this stage. Google could take a midrange approach for the Pixel Watch, similar to what it did with the Pixel 5 last year. But the Pixel 6 shaping up to be the first true premium Pixel, so the Pixel Watch may also be priced as a high-quality or luxury device.

Samsung showed off the first Wear OS watches with the Galaxy Watch 4 series — and those are certainly not mid-range products. Galaxy Watches and Apple Watches tend to fall in the $250 to $400 range, with Apple's watches on the higher side. We wouldn't be surprised if the Pixel Watch also falls within that range. Google could then use its Fitbit brand instead to target budget shoppers.

Pixel Watch: Models

To this point in time, we haven't seen much to suggest that Google is planning multiple models of the Pixel Watch. Unlike Samsung — which has traditionally offered multiple options and currently sells the Galaxy Watch 4 and 4 Classic — it seems that only a single model of the Pixel Watch is on the way.

Pixel Watch: Design

While we don't expect to see more than a single model of the Pixel Watch, if leaks are true, we may get more than one color choice, but only a single design. Earlier this year, renders of the Pixel Watch were leaked to give us a glimpse of the rumored smartwatch.

As you can see in the images, the watch sports a very minimalist design, with hardly any bezels to speak of. It also looks like Google will go with a single button; hopefully, it's a rotating crown. As for color options for the watch case, it seems as though there will be both a black and silver choice for users.

One of the things that stands out about this design is the watch strap and how it attaches to the watch. The renders show the band going directly into the watch case, and while that looks nice, it will make swapping out watch bands extremely difficult.

We hope that since these images are leaked renders and not official, the final Pixel Watch design will employ a more universal watch strap attachment strategy, like many of the other top Android smartwatches we have today.

Pixel Watch: Specs and software

Information regarding the specs for the rumored Google Pixel Watch is thin at the moment, but we have some pretty solid ideas of what to expect in terms of the software. As mentioned above, Samsung has released its first Wear OS watch. This is largely because Google and Samsung have co-developed a new OS.

Wear OS 3.0 is bringing many improvements to the smartwatch platform. Apps launching faster is one of the areas getting improvement. According to Google, that difference from before is up to 30% faster. Wear OS 3 is also getting a refreshed UI and more customization options, a task switcher, and many more updates. As for how the UI will look on a Pixel Watch is still to be determined since what we have on the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 series is a custom skin known as One UI Watch. Regardless of what the interface on a Pixel Watch looks like, all of these software changes will breathe new life into the once stagnant operating system.

As for hardware specs, there is very little known. The watch size, weight, battery capacity, and other specifications are still shrouded in secrecy. However, Google announced it would be using its first custom-made processor, the Tensor chip, in the upcoming Pixel 6 phones, and it's rumored that a version for wearable may show up in the Pixel Watch. This would be a welcomed change from previous Wear OS watches that have used Qualcomm processors, even though watches like the TicWatch Pro 3 using its Snapdragon 4100 perform quite well — a new OS and new chipset would be a perfect match.