Google has finally unveiled its own smartwatch, called the Pixel Watch. The spoiler to the title of this article the answer is Fitbit. Google couldn’t make the smartwatch it wanted without a killer health and fitness platform, and until very recently, it simply didn’t have one. In 2019, Google agreed to acquire the fitness tracker company– Fitbit for $2.1 billion, but the deal closed in 2021 and this is why the search giant’s smartwatch platform took a long time to be released.
The Pixel Watch is meant to be a great fitness device, an object of style and fashion, and a Google Assistant on your wrist — roughly in that order. The killer app on watches today is definitely health and fitness.
The Pixel Watch has a circular, domed design and features a “tactile” crown and side button. It’s made of recycled stainless steel and has swappable proprietary bands. It’ll also run on an “improved” Wear OS 3 that features a “refreshed UI” with better navigation and smart notifications. You’ll also have the option to pick a cellular version of the device for standalone connectivity.
Software-wise, Google says the Pixel Watch will have the native Google apps you’d expect as well as a shiny new Fitbit integration. That includes staples like Google Maps and Assistant but also apps like Google Wallet and Google Home that are new to Wear OS. Another feature coming to Wear OS is Emergency SOS. We’ve seen this feature on other smartwatches, and the gist is you can use your watch to contact a trusted friend or family member as well as call emergency services. As for the Fitbit integration, you’ll be able to view insights for heart rate, sleep tracking, and Active Zone Minutes.
The Fitbit integration is the most significant collaboration between the two companies we’ve seen since Google bought Fitbit for $2.1 billion. (Technically, adding Google Assistant to the Fitbit Versa 3 and Sense was the first.) According to Rick Osterloh, Google’s senior vice president of devices and services, this Fitbit integration will go beyond customizing watch faces and be “imbued throughout” the Pixel Watch experience. Users will be able to sync their data with a Fitbit account, meaning they’ll be able to view it within the Fitbit app and on the web. The watch will use all of Fitbit’s latest algorithms for health and fitness.
So, like the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4, the Pixel Watch will not be compatible with iPhones as previous Wear OS watches were. Google has however been tight-lipped about the watch’s specs, wouldn’t tell anyone what chip it uses or if it will come in different sizes or colors, and so on. Google also wouldn’t say if it has any advanced features like EKG that might require unusual regulatory approval. More details, the company said, will be shared in the coming months.
