For years, we've been waiting for Google to roll out a smartwatch that's capable of taking on the Apple Watch for the title of best smartwatch. A new report claims that showdown may finally happen in 2022.
The report from Insider claims that Google’s Pixel hardware group is hard at work on an in-house smartwatch that will supposedly pair with upcoming Pixel phones, much like Apple Watches pair with iPhones. As a matter of fact, the new watch is expected to be Google’s attempt to compete directly with Apple in the wearables space, and it would debut in 2022.
The watch hasn’t been officially announced or named yet per the unnamed source by Insider, though analysts informally refer to the device as the Google Pixel Watch. Unfortunately, Google seems to be keeping things under wraps for now, as it has previously shot down rumors regarding the watch. The company bought Fitbit for $2.1 billion earlier this year, but the Fitbit team is apparently not working on the Google Pixel Watch in any capacity per Insider's report.
As for what to expect with the watch, we don’t have much to go on yet. Rumors have suggested it will have basic features like step counting and heart rate monitoring, and Google’s acquisition of Fitbit may result in some type of Fitbit integration with Wear OS (codenamed “Nightlight”).
Without Google in the mix, Samsung currently makes the best smartwatch for Android in the form of the Galaxy Watch 4. At the moment, few other smartwatches compare on Google’s platform, but the narrative could change if the company introduces its own competitor.
No one really knows what a Google Pixel Watch might cost. According to a source close with The Verge, Google could price its watch more than Fitbit.
