Many rumors about Google’s Pixel Watch have been circulating in the past few days and weeks. With today’s announcement, doubts are cleared and details of the new Wear OS smartwatch are known. It is also starting in Germany in two versions with and without its own mobile phone connection. Wear OS 3.5 serves as the operating system.
41 mm optionally with and without LTE
The Pixel Watch always comes with a stainless steel case with a diameter of 41 mm and a height of 12.3 mm. It is available as a WiFi and LTE model. Both variants always offer Bluetooth 5.0, NFC and WLAN according to 802.11 b/g/n with 2.4 GHz. In addition, the location services GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou and Galileo are supported. It weighs 36 grams without the strap. The sport strap made of fluoroelastomer with a soft-touch coating has the same design as the Fitbit smartwatches, but is not exactly identical – the rounded design of the Pixel Watch requires a different shot, among other things, and are also Clasp and lugs at Google made of stainless steel. Google supplies a small bracelet for wrists with a circumference of 130 to 175 mm and a large bracelet for wrists with a circumference of 165 to 210 mm – so the buyer does not have to decide beforehand.
The round, curved display of the Pixel Watch is based on AMOLED and offers 320 ppi. It gets bright up to 1,000 cd/m² and offers an always-on function. It is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5 – Samsung uses sapphire glass for the Galaxy Watch 5. At 1.2 inches, the display is the same size as the 40 mm model of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5, which has a pixel density of around 330 ppi with 396 × 396 pixels.
Crown, button, speaker and microphone
In addition to the display, the haptic crown and a small side button that sits in the housing above the crown and starts the assistant can also be used for operation. In addition to a speaker for the audio output via the smartwatch, there is also a microphone so that the Pixel Watch can also be used for phone calls.
The Pixel Watch also detects accidents
While Apple presented the Watch Series 8 and Watch Ultra as well as the iPhone 14 (Pro) with accident detection, the Pixel Watch can also come up with one and automatically call the emergency services in the event of a serious fall. However, it is not yet available at the start, but is to be submitted later via an update in winter. It detects forces of up to 32 g. In addition, the smartwatch also offers international emergency calls, provided it is the LTE model.
battery for a day
When it comes to the battery, the Pixel Watch offers a little more than the small model of the Galaxy Watch 5, namely 294 mAh instead of the 284 mAh of Samsung. Google claims a battery life of up to 24 hours. The Pixel Watch is charged via a magnetic USB-C charging cable, with the watch being 50 percent charged in 30 minutes, 80 percent in 55 minutes and fully charged in 80 minutes with an 18-watt power adapter.
Google Pixel Watch (Image: Google)
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Exynos 9110 instead of W920
For the SoC of the Pixel Watch, Google surprisingly still relies on the Samsung Exynos 9110, which is now four years old. With the Exynos W920, Samsung introduced a faster successor about a year ago, which Samsung itself is already using in the Galaxy Watch 4 and also in the new Galaxy Watch 5 (test). The Exynos 9110 is supported by a Cortex-M33 coprocessor.
Consider Galaxy Watch 5 storage
When it comes to storage, however, the Pixel Watch offers more than Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 5. With 32 GB of internal storage and 2 GB of RAM, the 16 and 1.5 GB of the Samsung model are surpassed.
EKG and many sensors
The Pixel Watch is also packed with sensors to record the wearer’s vital signs and surroundings. It can also use this to record an ECG of the wearer to detect atrial fibrillation, or to analyze sleep including sleep phases, which is then transferred to the Fitbit app. The heart rate is measured by the Pixel Watch every second and is said to be very accurate, according to Google. Around 40 training modes are available, during which vital signs can be tracked. There is an optical heart rate monitor, electrical multi-purpose sensor, oxygen saturation meter, altimeter, compass, accelerometer, gyroscope and light sensor. The Pixel Watch is water resistant to 5 ATM.
Google Pixel Watch – Hazel (Image: Google)
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Broad support of Google services
Google’s own services are extensively supported on the Pixel Watch. In addition to Google Maps, Gmail, Google Home, Google Calendar and Google Wallet, the Google Assistant and Google Music are of course also directly accessible via the smartwatch. With the LTE model, you can pay on the go and control the smart home or send messages without a smartwatch nearby. Google Pixel Watch buyers get three months of YouTube Music Premium for free. And photos from Google Photos can be set as the watch face.
Clock as a camera trigger for Pixel smartphones
The Pixel Watch can also act as a shutter button for a Pixel phone’s camera, with a preview of the Pixel phone’s image displayed on the smart watch screen alongside the shutter button.
Fitbit Premium also for the Google Watch
While Fitbit’s smartwatches, the Sense 2 and Versa 4, do not rely on the Wear OS operating system, although Fitbit now belongs to Google, and Google Maps and Google Wallet will only support two Google services with an update later the Pixel Watch can still access the Fitbit Premium service. When purchasing the Pixel Watch, users get a six-month premium membership for free, as is the case with Fitbit’s smartwatches themselves. Fitbit Premium is a paid extension to the Fitbit app that provides exercise and coaching guides. Fitbit Premium costs EUR 8.99 per month or EUR 79.99 as an annual subscription.
price and availability
The Pixel Watch can available for pre-order now on Google and, like the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, will start shipping on October 13th. The price for the Bluetooth/WiFi model is 379 euros in Germany. For the LTE model, however, the recommended retail price is 429 euros.
- Matte Black Stainless Steel Case / Obsidian Sport Band
- Polished Silver Stainless Steel Case / Charcoal Sport Band
- Polished Silver Stainless Steel Case / Chalk Sport Band
- Champagne Gold Stainless Steel Case / Hazel Sport Band
The Pixel Watch requires a smartphone running Android 8.0 or later. Google grants a two-year guarantee.
Metal bracelets from spring 2023
In addition to the sport strap, Google also offers woven and elastic straps and two-tone or handcrafted leather straps for the Pixel Watch. In the spring of 2023, a Milanaise bracelet made of stainless steel in the three colors of the watch will also be launched. A metal link bracelet in silver and black will then also be available.
Google Pixel Watch (Image: Google)
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ComputerBase received information about this article from Google under the NDA. The only requirement was the earliest possible publication date.