Google’s long-awaited smartwatch has just had its biggest leak to date
There’s a new torrent of Pixel leaks that we can count on, but this time it’s unusually not for a phone, but a smartwatch. Evidence of Pixel Watch’s existence and impending announcement has been leaked several times over the past few weeks, with today’s perceived Upside Down Cake as the most interesting.
A new report from Android Central claims that someone came across a technical sample of Google’s upcoming smartwatch at a restaurant somewhere in the US – the details are rather vague to protect the source – but the person had the laptop in their possession long enough to take pictures of it from almost every conceivable angle. Should the leaked images prove to be genuine, they reinforce the design renderings that have been floating around since December last year, when Jon Prossers FrontPageTech showed a series of marketing renderings that were allegedly shared with retailers. Earlier in December, Business Insider reported that the watch, codenamed “Rohan”, would be released sometime in 2022.
This latest set of images shows an almost borderless rounded clock with a right-mounted rotating crown and a button embedded above it in the shiny stainless steel frame. While the size of the face is unclear, the watch appears to use a set of proprietary ears for its watch straps, which is likely to preclude it from being used with standard quick straps. Google-owned Fitbit has famously resisted supporting standard watch straps, arguing that its own quick-release mechanisms make it easier and faster for users to replace straps for various scenarios such as fitness and formal attire. It’s unclear if the bands shown in the leaked photos use the final design, but if they are, they appear to use a set of plastic “teeth” that click into the watch case on each side.
Under the crown, it appears to be a microphone hole, and the back of the watch houses a set of sensors that definitely include a heart rate monitor and perhaps oxygen saturation and skin temperature sensors similar to those found on the Fitbit Sense. It’s unclear how the Pixel Watch charges, but given the prevalence of magnetic Qi-based chargers in the industry today, from the Apple Watch to the Galaxy Watch series, it’s safe to assume that the Pixel Watch will offer something similar.
This particular device appears to display the “G” Google logo, but reportedly does not boot into Wear OS itself. With Google I / O coming in just over two weeks, we’re likely to get our first proper look at the features of Pixel Watch’s upgraded Wear OS software.
Android Police have previously reported that the Pixel Watch will be sold in both Wi-Fi and mobile models with 32 GB of internal storage and be available in three colors: gray, black and gold. A recent leak pointed out that the watch was released with Android Wear 3.1, a bump compared to the current Galaxy Watch4-exclusive Wear OS 3.0, which we have been using since mid-2021. If things go awry, the Pixel Watch could end up being one of the best Android smartwatches on the market – though it feels like this may be Google’s last chance to make it happen.
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