Google has been making its own smartphones for years under the Pixel brand. Although the series has met with limited success and Google has had more misses than hits, Pixel phones have always set the benchmark in terms of performance and usability for other Android devices to follow.
The company also has a smartwatch platform—WearOS, but it has never launched a wearable of its own so far. But could this all be about to change with a Pixel Watch rumored to be making its debut in 2022?
A Google Pixel Watch Could be Launched in 2022
The wait may finally be coming to an end as Google could launch its first Pixel smartwatch in 2022. A report claims that Google is working on a smartwatch codenamed "Rohan." Interestingly, the Pixel team is not working with Fitbit on this, even though Google acquired Fitbit in 2021.
There's no word on the smartwatch's specs, but it will feature basic fitness tracking, including step tracking and heart rate monitor. The current prototype of the watch needs to be charged daily, and the charging speeds are nothing to write home about either. The final retail unit could also have these drawbacks, which should not be surprising since almost all smartwatches in the market currently only offer one-day battery life.
Like the Apple Watch, Google's upcoming watch could also feature proprietary watch bands. Google aims to ensure that the watch is comfortable to wear for at least 90 percent of the population.
Google aims to use the smartwatch to set a standard for other Wear OS watches to follow, just like it does with the Pixel lineup, though it is unclear if it plans to market the watch under the Pixel brand or not.
The Business Insider report claims that the Pixel Watch will have a circular display without any bezels. The company's development efforts have picked up pace this year, with employees outside the team testing it and providing relevant feedback. If the latest rounds of testing are successful, the watch could launch in spring next year, though the exact time frame can change.
Additionally, Google is also working on project "nightfall" to bring Fitbit integration to the Wear OS platform.
Google Could Have Released a Pixel Watch in 2017
This is not the first time that rumors of a Pixel Watch have made their way to the internet. According to The Verge, in 2017, the company planned to release the LG Watch Sport and Watch Style under the Pixel brand. However, the idea was nixed at the last moment by Google's hardware head Rick Osterloh as the watches "didn't look like they belonged in the Pixel family."
Google launching a smartwatch in 2022 could bode well for the Wear OS 3 platform. The company announced the revamped version of its wearable OS in May 2021 after neglecting it for years. The OS was developed in a joint effort with Samsung, merging the best bit of what Tizen and Wear OS have to offer.
This also explains why Samsung is the only company to have a Wear OS 3 smartwatch in the market, with others like Fossil and TicWatch continuing to launch Wear OS 2-based smartwatches.
The Pixel Watch Could Revive Interest in WearOS
Nonetheless, a Pixel Watch from Google would signify that the company is willing to support the platform for the long term and does not intend to abandon it like before. It would also set the standard for other Wear OS watchmakers to follow and compete with their future products.
The Apple Watch currently dominates the smartwatch market, both in sales figures and experience. A Pixel Watch could potentially change that with its tight hardware and software integration, along with a focus on user experience.