The recent re-branding of Android Wear as Wear OS by Google raised some speculation that the company may soon show off its full ability with a smartwatch of its own. However, nothing has happened so far. But it’s set to change now, as Google is reportedly preparing a Pixel-branded smartwatch for its autumnal hardware launch.
Google Pixel Watch
Noted industry insider and Twitter leaker, Evan Blass (@evleaks) tweeted on Thursday that Google’s fall hardware event will see the announcement of its first ever smartwatch, the Google Pixel Watch (name not official). Citing “a reliable source”, Evan also revealed that the event will also see the announcement of both the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL Android flagships, and the second generation of the Google Pixel Buds. While the Pixel 3 lineup was already widely expected to launch this October, the existence of the other two products has come as a surprise.
“Besides the Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL, and second-gen Pixel Buds, a reliable source tells me — with high confidence — that Google’s fall hardware event will also introduce a Pixel-branded watch. Have a great summer!” Evan tweeted on Thursday.
A Pixel-branded smartwatch, or rather Pixel wearable series, is expected to follow a similar strategy Google adopted while creating the Pixel smartphone series. The product would serve as a reference design for other original equipment manufacturers to follow, while being the ultra-premium representative of its product category.
There was a time, when we thought Google’s Android Wear might soon reach a dead-end. It looked more so due to the fact that Qualcomm wasn’t showing any interest in building new chips for Android Wear. But things has changed now. While Google started the revival with the re-branding of Android Wear as Wear OS, Qualcomm has also promised that it will be releasing a new system-on-chip (SoC) lineup designed for smartwatches and other wearables very soon. Though it’s been more than two and a half years since it debuted the Snapdragon Wear 2100 series, which Wear OS watches still run on, it’s something that every Wear OS OEM would rejoice about.
