Google has finally lifted the curtains on its long-awaited Pixel watch, which will officially go on sale in the U.S. on October 13.
The new Pixel watch features a 41mm case that’s comprised of 80% recycled stainless steel, along with curved 3D Gorilla Glass 5 that protects the face.
Weighing just 36 grams, the new wearable has a pixel density of 320ppi, boasting always-on functionality that can brightness boost up to 1000nits. Naturally, the Pixel is also water resistant, in this case up to 5ATM (50 meters).
The Pixel watch will be available in four finishes, Champagne Gold case with a Hazel Active Band, a matte black case with an Obsidian Active Band, a polished silver case with a Chalk Active Band and a polished silver case with a Charcoal Active Band, along with no fewer than 20 bands to choose from, which rely on a proprietary locking mechanism, similar to how a camera lens attaches to a camera body.
Additionally, Google claims the Pixel Watch features “Fitbit’s most accurate heart rate tracking yet”, plus it comes with six months of Fitbit Premium, offering brand-specific features like a Daily Readiness Score and Active Zone Minutes. It also provides up to 32GB of onboard storage.
There’s also ECG functionality (as on the Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 5, along with the Fitbit Sense, Sense 2 and Charge 5) to analyze the wearer’s heart rhythm, and even detect atrial fibrillation.
Sleep tracking with sleep stages is also slated to be added this winter, while fall detection with Emergency SOS support in promised to be included as well.
The Pixel Watch is compatible with Android 8.0 and up, but not iOS. Another downside, is the watch uses Samsung’s aging 10nm Exynos 9110 SoC, a far-cry from the South Korean company’s latest 4nm Exynos W920 that’s used on its current Galaxy Watch.
The main concern here, centers around power efficiency, with the pairing of this older chip and a relatively small 294mAh battery pushing hard against Google’s promise of up to 24-hours of use.
Elsewhere, the Pixel includes a USB-C magnetic puck charger, when plugged into a 18W power adapter, promises to recharge 50% of the Pixel Watch’s battery in 30 minutes, 80% in 55 minutes and 100% in 80 minutes.
The base model Pixel watch will sell for $349.99, while the cellar version will fetch $399.99.
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