Google shows off Pixel Watch that’s not coming until the fall

The Pixel Watch is a rumor no more. After years of speculation, and some pretty major leaks, Google showed off its first smartwatch at Google I/O 2022 on Wednesday.

Wrist-ready — Google’s new smartwatch is just as round as the leaks suggested, with a fairly large circular bezel, and a crown and side button for additional inputs. About the only design thing we know is the case is made of stainless steel.

The company says the smartwatch supports the features you’d expect: Google Pay, smartwatch apps, and smart home controls. Support for Fitbit’s health platform (a first for a Wear OS device) means it should be also a fairly robust fitness tracker on top of everything else.

The Pixel Watch is coming at an interesting time. The Apple Watch remains the best smartwatch money can buy and Samsung’s own Galaxy Watch 4 is the only real competitor on Android that is as ambitious and actually good. The Pixel Watch, while best paired with a Pixel phone, seems like it’ll be a good option for Android users. The design does take some inspiration from Apple Watch, but then again, all smartwatches do now.

Wear OS — Like the company’s Pixel smartphones, Google has made some modifications to the base version of Wear OS for the Pixel Watch.

Google says the Pixel Watch features an “improved Wear OS UI” with more fluid animations and transitions between apps and screens. It’s not clear what other improvements Google is making, but it seems like the company is intent on differentiating the device from its partner (and competitor) Samsung.

Fitbit-infused — Google’s been working on a Pixel Watch for a little bit now, both with other companies like LG (the LG Style and Sport were originally going to be Google-branded) and more recently on its own.

Acquiring Fitbit and its fitness tracker expertise seemed like the first major step in building a flagship watch. A partnership with Samsung on Wear OS announced last year added further fuel to the fire. Now Google is finally confirming it — the company is ready to compete with the Apple Watch.

Google SVP of devices and services, Rick Osterloh, says the Pixel Watch will have “deep integration with Fitbit” with features like continuous sleep and heart tracking.

Google plans to reveal more of the Pixel Watch over the coming months before it launches the wearable this fall alongside the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro it teased.