Google’s answer to the Apple Watch is expected in 2022

Google’s plans have been haunted for months through the net, according to which the group is working on its own smartwatch based on the new wearable operating system Wear OS 3. Now both The Verge and Insider report that it will be released over the course of next year and will be offered under the Pixel brand.

While Google has been offering its own smartphones under the Pixel brand since 2016, the company has not yet developed its own smartwatch, although Google has had its own wearable platform based on Android since 2014.

The major update to Wear OS 3, which was developed together with Samsung, has only produced smartwatches from Samsung to date, some of whose features only work in conjunction with smartphones from the South Korean industry leader. The Pixel Watch developed by Google, as it is called by some insiders, should not have such restrictions.

The smartwatch, which is being developed under the code name “Rohan”, is to be developed by Google’s Pixel hardware group independently of Fitbit, which Google bought for 2.1 billion US dollars earlier this year. According to the Insider report, the first Google watch – it is not yet clear whether it will ultimately be marketed as the “Pixel Watch” – will play a role similar to that of the Pixel smartphones for Android: They are for users: inside and hardware Partner an example of what Google’s software is really capable of when you give it the right hardware.

The watch is not supposed to be a bargain: The smartwatch is expected to cost more than a Fitbit watch. It should compete more directly with the Apple Watch, according to the source of The Verge.

Not much is known about the planned functions of the watch, but it is said to be equipped with basic fitness tracking functions such as a pedometer and heart rate monitor. Google is also working on the integration of Fitbit functions in Wear OS (code name “Nightlight”). In the course of Google I / O 2021, Google had already mentioned corresponding plans.

With regard to the running time, no miracles are to be expected, reports insider (Paywall) citing internal Google documents. Like the Apple Watch or Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 4, the Pixel Watch has to be charged at the end of the day.

According to sources from Insider, the watch is currently in a so-called “dog food test”. This is what Google calls internal tests in which Google employees put as yet unpublished products, such as the watch, through their paces for their suitability for everyday use. Two employees told Insider that a market launch in the spring would be possible if the most recent round of testing was successful. The sources emphasize, however, that details and schedules can still change depending on the feedback from the testing employees. Nevertheless, a launch next year can be expected.

Aside from the Pixel Watch, Google has big plans for its wearable business. The company completed its $ 2.1 billion acquisition of Fitbit in January. Fitbit is now planning to develop the first smartwatches based on the new Wear OS.