Google launches Pixel Watch with Fitbit, 24-hour battery on October 13 from $349

Abner Li | Oct 6 2022 - 7:47 am PT

Google previewed the Pixel Watch in May at I/O 2022 and is now ready to fully detail, as well as launch its first Wear OS device.

The Pixel Watch has a domed, circular design on the top and bottom that measures 41 mm wide and is 12.3 mm thick, according to Google. There’s an always-on display (AOD) with a 320 PPI AMOLED panel (DCI-P3 color) that can get as bright as 1,000 nits and is protected by “scratch-resistant custom 3D Corning Gorilla Glass.” This screen does not go edge-to-edge with sizable bezels as a result.

At the 3 o’clock position you’ll find a bottle cap-like crown that rotates and can be pressed, while a side button is located just above it. The perimeter (or case) of the Pixel Watch is made of recycled stainless steel that’s available in polished silver and gold, as well as matte black.

The default “Active” band is made of fluoroelastomer and has a soft-touch finish. It connects via a proprietary strap connector that involves a press-and-slide with “band secure buttons” for easy swapping. Google also has an extensive first-party band collection with woven/fabric and leather straps.

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The bulbous underside is home to sensors that detect continuous heart rate at 1-second intervals, track sleep, measure blood oxygen (SpO2), and take ECG (electrocardiogram) readings. It’s arranged horizontally at the center with two semi-circles completing the array. Google says this is Fitbit’s “most accurate heart rate tracking yet.”

Besides the sensors looking like those found on Fitbit trackers, health information is displayed through a UI (the Today feed) that will be familiar to Versa and Sense owners, while the concept of Active Zone Minutes (AZM) and Sleep Score is brought over. An adjacent health capability is Emergency SOS calling with the Personal Safety app, as well as an accelerometer, altimeter, ambient light sensor, compass, and gyroscope. Google will also add support for fall detection next year.

Google touts “premium” haptics, including when you spin the crown. There’s a speaker and microphone, with the entire package rated for 5ATM (50 meters) of water resistance.

Google Pixel Watch can withstand some rain, shallow pools, and sweat from exercise, but it should not be immersed in water for more than 24 hours, used during high-speed or high-impact water sports, or exposed to soapy water or other liquids.

The Pixel Watch is rated for 24 hours of usage on a 294 mAh battery. A magnetic charging puck that’s also domed and white in color attaches to the bottom of the device with a USB-C connector on the other end. Charge times with an 18W adapter are:

About 30 minutes to 50%
About 55 minutes to 80%
About 80 minutes to 100%

Top comment by Omega192

Liked by 1 people

Gonna wait for some reviews and to see if theres a BF promo but I'm overall pretty set on getting a matte black one. I get it's not for everyone but I really love the look of it and that pic with the little puddles of water sure highlights it well. I'm impressed they managed to do a stainless steel case for $349 when Apple reserves that for the $699 model. Good to see it has a similar 1000 nit brightness boost as the AW Series 8, too. I just hope when the metal band becomes available it's not $349 like Apple's offering. Though if all else fails I'm sure there already is or soon will be adapters to go from the quick connect to typical watch band pins. Proprietary connectors are not ideal but I do think it was the right call here to get a nice blend of the bands into the watch body. Plus it allows for different band styles to have their own matching lugs rather than having to make them all share the same style of integrated lugs. Setting expectations accordingly for a first-gen device but I think they've ended up with a solid foundation to iterate upon. Would be cool if they follow Apple in stretching out the screen a bit more with each generation until the point it looks kinda like a Ressence TYPE 3. Edit: Oh, discovered there is a product page for the link band and it's gonna be 199. At least they don't charge and extra 100 for the black version like Apple does but that's still a bit more than I'm willing to pay for a band. Ah well. Default band should be fine.

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It’s powered by an Exynos 9110 SoC that’s paired with a Cortex M33 co-processor and 2GB of RAM with 32GB of storage. Standard connectivity includes Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi, NFC for payments, and GPS, while a 4G LTE model will be offered.

It runs Wear OS 3.5 with a swipe down from the watch face opening quick settings, while notifications are accessed by flicking up. Going left/right gets you Tiles to quickly access core app functionality. There are over a dozen watch faces that span digital and analog with plenty of complication slots. Besides Fitbit, other notable first-party experiences include Google Assistant, Home, Maps, Photos (watch face), Wallet, and YouTube Music. There’s also Fast Pair for headphones and audio/playback switching, as well as Find My Device.

The Pixel Watch starts at $349 (£339, €379) for the Wi-Fi/Bluetooth model that means your phone needs to be nearby, and the LTE version is $399 (£379, €429) with a cellular plan needed.

Pre-orders start today with the Pixel Watch launching on October 13 in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland (Wi-Fi model only), France, Germany, Taiwan, Japan, and Australia.