Codename | Rohan |
---|---|
Brand | |
Series | Pixel |
Compatible networks | |
First released | October 13, 2022 |
Availability by region | October 2022
|
Units shipped | 880,000 (Q4 2022) |
Successor | Pixel Watch 2 |
Type | Smartwatch |
Dimensions |
|
Weight | 36 g (1.3 oz) |
Operating system | Wear OS 3.5 Upgradable to Wear OS 4.0 |
System-on-chip | |
Memory | 2 GB SDRAM |
Storage | 32 GB eMMC flash |
Battery | 294 mAh (lithium-ion) |
Display | AMOLED at 320 ppi with DCI-P3 color |
Sound |
|
Connectivity | |
Data inputs |
|
Water resistance | 5 ATM |
Other | Custom 3D Gorilla Glass 5 |
Website | Pixel Watch |
References | [1] |
The Pixel Watch is a Wear OS smartwatch designed, developed, and marketed by Google as part of the Google Pixel product line. First previewed in May 2022 during the Google I/O keynote, it features a round dome-shaped display as well as deep integration with Fitbit, which Google acquired in 2021. Two Pixel-branded smartwatches had been in development at Google by July 2016, but were canceled ahead of their release due to hardware chief Rick Osterloh's concerns that they did not fit well with other Pixel devices. Development on a new Pixel-branded watch began shortly after Google's acquisition of Fitbit.
The Pixel Watch was officially announced on October 6, 2022, at the annual Made by Google event, and was released in the United States on October 13. It was succeeded by the Pixel Watch 2 in 2023.
In July 2016, Google was reportedly developing two smartwatches, codenamed "Swordfish" and "Angelfish", which were to be powered by the Android Wear operating system and expected to be released under the Nexus brand name. [2] According to Business Insider , these watches were canceled ahead of the 2016 Made by Google launch event due to concerns from Google hardware chief Rick Osterloh that they did not sync well with the company's new Pixel devices; the smartwatches were eventually "salvaged" by LG and released as the LG Watch Style and LG Watch Sport in February 2017. [3] [4] Android Wear was rebranded as Wear OS in March 2018. [5] In August, Wear OS director of engineering Miles Barr dispelled rumors that the company planned to release a Pixel-branded smartwatch that year. [6]
In January 2019, smartwatch manufacturer Fossil Group agreed to sell some of its intellectual property on smartwatch technology to Google for $40 million, as well as transfer a portion of its research and development team over. [7] In November, Google announced that it would acquire smartwatch and fitness tracker maker Fitbit for $2.1 billion, [8] which Osterloh stated would pave the way for Google-developed wearables. [9] The acquisition was completed in January 2021 following a prolonged investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice, [10] [11] with Fitbit absorbed into Google's hardware division. [12] Fitbit co-founder James Park was subsequently appointed head of Google's wearables division. [13] During the 2021 Google I/O keynote in May, Google announced Wear OS 3, a version of Wear OS co-developed with Samsung and Fitbit which incorporates elements of the former's Tizen operating system. [14] [15] [16]
In October, Osterloh revealed that Google and Fitbit were in the process of developing a Wear OS-powered smartwatch. [17] [18] Two months later, Business Insider reported that a Pixel-branded smartwatch codenamed "Rohan" was being targeted for a 2022 release, featuring a round bezel-less design, integration with Fitbit, proprietary watch bands, and health-tracking capabilities. [19] [20] Evidence unearthed that month indicated that the watch would be powered by either Samsung's Exynos system-on-chip (SoC) or Google's own Tensor chip, the latter of which had recently debuted on the company's Pixel 6 smartphone line. [21] In April 2022, the "Fitbit" category was renamed "Watches" on the online Google Store, in anticipation of the Pixel Watch's impending launch. [22] The same month, Google filed a trademark for the "Pixel Watch" name with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, [23] while three models of the smartwatch were approved by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group. [24] A prototype of the Pixel Watch was found at a restaurant in the U.S., an incident which drew parallels to Gizmodo 's leak of Apple's iPhone 4 in 2010. [25] [26]
Osterloh unveiled a preview of the Pixel Watch on May 11, during the 2022 Google I/O keynote. [27] [28] [29] In an interview with CNET , Park stated that there were no plans to shut down Fitbit, adding that the Google Fit app would co-exist with Fitbit on the Pixel Watch. [30] Google CEO Sundar Pichai was seen wearing a Pixel Watch in September during an interview at the Code 2022 conference. [31] [32] Google officially announced the Pixel Watch on October 6, alongside the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro smartphones, at the annual Made by Google event. [33] It became available for pre-orders on the same day, before being released in nine countries on October 13. [34] When asked why Google waited so long before launching the device, Osterloh cited their acquisition of Fitbit and its expansive health platform as the primary catalyst which convinced Google to greenlight the Pixel Watch, adding that the company was committed to first-party wearables. [35]
The Pixel Watch sports a round watch face with a domed design, physical crown, and watch frame made of recycled stainless steel attached to custom-designed bands. [36] 18 families of watch faces are available, each of which are highly customizable. It was available in four case–band color pairs: [37]
The Pixel Watch is available in two models, one with and one without support for cellular connectivity. [38] Its case has a diameter of 41 mm (1.6 in) and a Gorilla Glass 5 display. Powered by Samsung's Exynos 9110 SoC alongside the ARM Cortex-M33 co-processor, it contains a 294 mAh battery and 2 GB of RAM, as well as multiple sensors and wireless technologies. [39] The watch features a USB-C charging mechanism manufactured by Compal Electronics. [40] Due to the base's curved design, it can only be wirelessly charged with Google's proprietary magnetic charger, [41] though some users were able to charge the device using other Qi chargers or via reverse wireless charging on their phones. [42]
At launch, the Pixel Watch was only compatible with proprietary bands designed by Google, though the company stated that it planned to partner with third parties to develop additional bands in the future. [43] [44] By default, each Pixel Watch comes with a proprietary Active Band, with several other proprietary band options available at an added cost. [45] [46] Counterpoint Research calculated that the LTE version of the Pixel Watch cost an estimated US$123 to manufacture. [47]
The Pixel Watch shipped with Wear OS 3.5, [48] and features deep integration with Fitbit. [49] It is compatible with Android smartphones running Android 8.0 or above, [50] and is accompanied by a Pixel Watch mobile app available for download on the Play Store. [51] [52] iPhones are not supported. [53] Google added fall detection capabilities in February 2023. [54] It was updated to Wear OS 4.0 in October 2023. [55]
Actor Simu Liu, who previously served as brand ambassador for the Pixel 6 series in Canada, [56] participated in an advertising campaign developed by Cossette for the Pixel Watch in May 2023. [57]
Following the announcement of the Pixel Watch and Pixel Tablet at the 2022 Google I/O, Jon Porter of The Verge opined that Google was taking a subtle approach at Apple's "walled garden" ecosystem strategy. [58] This was echoed by International Data Corporation research director Ramon Llamas, who believed that Google was aiming to become a "head-on competitor to Apple". [59] Kate Kozuch of Tom's Guide praised the watch's sleek visual design. [60] Victoria Song of The Verge quelled fears over the watch's reported 24-hour battery life, declaring it was "decent" when compared to similar smartwatches. [61]
The Pixel Watch was positively received upon its launch. Lisa Eadicicco of CNET and Cherlynn Low of Engadget lauded its design and health features, with Eadicco likening it to "a hybrid of Fitbit and the Apple Watch", but both criticized the battery life. [62] [63] Song called the Pixel Watch "good-but-not-yet-great". [64] Wired 's Julian Chokkattu echoed these sentiments, but argued that its "accuracy, elegance, and comfort" compensated its shortcomings. [65] CNN Underscored reviewer Max Buondonno praised the Pixel Watch's sleek design and the performance of Wear OS 3.5, but felt that the battery life was subpar and the screen was not large enough. [66] Nicole Nguyen of The Wall Street Journal did not find the smartwatch particularly astounding and noted several software bugs, but ultimately deemed it a worthy companion to the Pixel phone. [67]
Analyst firm Canalys calculated that Google shipped an estimated 880,000 Pixel Watches during the fourth quarter of 2022, constituting 22 percent of Google's total wearable sales, which include Fitbit products. The Pixel Watch's launch allowed Google to obtain 8 percent of the wearable market share, jumping 16 percent from fourth place to second place, behind Apple. [68] The Pixel Watch Android app had amassed more than 500,000 downloads by February 2023. [69]
The Pixel Watch was succeeded by the Pixel Watch 2 in October 2023. [70]
Fitbit is a line of wireless-enabled wearable technology, physical fitness monitors and activity trackers such as smartwatches, pedometers and monitors for heart rate, quality of sleep, and stairs climbed as well as related software. It operated as an American consumer electronics and fitness company from 2007 to 2021.
A smartwatch is a portable wearable computer that resembles a wristwatch. Most modern smartwatches are operated via a touchscreen, and rely on mobile apps that run on a connected device in order to provide core functions.
Tizen is a Linux-based mobile operating system backed by the Linux Foundation, developed and used primarily by Samsung Electronics.
Pebble is a discontinued smartwatch developed by Pebble Technology Corporation based in Palo Alto, California that shipped from 2013 to 2016. A brainchild of Eric Migicovsky, funding was conducted through a Kickstarter campaign in 2012. It was the most funded project in Kickstarter history at the time, raising $10.3 million. Pebble watches can be connected to Android and iOS devices to show notifications and messages. An online app store distributed Pebble-compatible apps from many developers including ESPN, Uber, Runkeeper, and GoPro.
Wear OS is a version of Google's Android operating system designed for smartwatches and other wearables. By pairing with mobile phones running Android version 6.0 "Marshmallow" or newer, or iOS version 10.0 or newer with limited support from Google's pairing application, Wear OS integrates Google Assistant technology and mobile notifications into a smartwatch form factor. Wear OS is closed-source, in contrast to the free and open-source Android.
Google Fit is a health-tracking platform developed by Google for the Android operating system, Wear OS, and iOS. It is a single set of APIs that blends data from multiple apps and devices. Google Fit uses sensors in a user's activity tracker or mobile device to record physical fitness activities, which are measured against the user's fitness goals to provide a comprehensive view of their fitness.
Pebble Time is a discontinued smartwatch developed by Pebble Technology and assembled by Foxlink, released on 14 May 2015. This is the first Pebble to introduce a color e-paper display, as well as a microphone, a new charging cable and a new Pebble Time-optimized operating system.
The Huawei Watch and latest Huawei Watch 4 series are HarmonyOS-based smartwatches developed by Huawei. The Huawei Watch is the first smartwatch produced by Huawei. It was announced at the 2015 Mobile World Congress and released at IFA Berlin on September 2nd. The Huawei Watch 3 was introduced in June 2021 after the United States Department of Commerce added Huawei to its Entity List in May 2019.
Google Pay is a mobile payment service developed by Google to power in-app, online, and in-person contactless purchases on mobile devices, enabling users to make payments with Android phones, tablets, or watches. Users can authenticate via a PIN, passcode, or biometrics such as 3D face scanning or fingerprint recognition.
The Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro are a pair of Android smartphones designed, developed, and marketed by Google as part of the Google Pixel product line. They collectively serve as the successor to the Pixel 5. The phones were first previewed in August 2021, confirming reports that they would be powered by a custom system-on-chip named Google Tensor. The cameras are housed in a horizontal bar on the back, while the front features a hole-punch display notch in the center. They shipped with Android 12, with Google announcing numerous artificial intelligence and ambient computing features during the phones' launch event.
Google Tensor is a series of ARM64-based system-on-chip (SoC) processors designed by Google for its Pixel devices. It was originally conceptualized in 2016, following the introduction of the first Pixel smartphone, though actual developmental work did not enter full swing until 2020. The first-generation Tensor chip debuted on the Pixel 6 smartphone series in 2021, and were succeeded by the Tensor G2 chip in 2022, G3 in 2023 and G4 in 2024. Tensor has been generally well received by critics.
Project Iris is the codename for an unreleased augmented reality (AR) headset designed and developed by Google. It was intended to resemble ordinary eyeglasses and expected to be released in 2024, until its cancellation in early 2023.
The Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro are a pair of Android smartphones designed, developed, and marketed by Google as part of the Google Pixel product line. They serve as the successor to the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, respectively. The phones were first previewed in May 2022, during the Google I/O keynote. They are powered by the second-generation Google Tensor chip, and feature a design similar to that of the Pixel 6 series. They shipped with Android 13.
Google Wallet is a digital wallet platform developed by Google. It is available for the Android, Wear OS, and Fitbit OS operating systems, and was announced on May 11, 2022, at the 2022 Google I/O keynote. It began rolling out on Android smartphones on July 18, 2022.
The Pixel Tablet is an Android tablet designed, developed, and marketed by Google as part of the Google Pixel product line. It was previewed at the Google I/O keynote in May 2022 and announced in May 2023. It was released in June 2023. At launch, a charging speaker dock was sold with each device. However, a standalone version without the dock was released on May 14, 2024.
The Pixel Watch 2 is a Wear OS smartwatch designed, developed, and marketed by Google as part of the Google Pixel product line. It serves as the successor to the first-generation Pixel Watch.
Rick Osterloh is an American executive and the Senior Vice President of Devices & Services at Google. He manages the business units responsible for developing Pixel, Google Nest, and Fitbit devices. Osterloh's professional journey includes roles such as the President of Motorola Mobility and Vice President of Product and Design at Skype. Furthermore, he serves on the Board of Directors of First Republic Bank.