Google is expected to announce its first Pixel smartwatch at its fall hardware event alongside the Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL and second-gen Pixel Buds.
While this week has mostly been about Google’s developments in software (Android P) and AI (Assistant makes phone calls now) that were announced at Google I/O 2018, we now hear of some developments in the hardware field as well. We know that Google will hold a hardware event later this year where it is expected to launch the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL, but it looks like the company is also working on a brand new product as well, namely a Pixel smartwatch.
On Thursday, tipster Evan Blass tweeted, based on a reliable source, that Google’s fall hardware event will not only see the launch of the Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL flagship smartphones and second-generation Pixel Buds, but the company will also debut its first Pixel-branded smartwatch. This is the first time we’re hearing about a Pixel smartwatch and the tweet also confirms the existence of new Pixel Buds as well, but not much else is know about the earbuds right now.
Blass’ tweet doesn’t reveal anything else about the Pixel smartwatch, but a few more details were revealed shortly after by another notable tipster Roland Quandt of WinFuture.de. Quandt claims that there will be three models, which have been codenamed Ling, Triton and Sardine. It is still unclear how the models will differ from each other with popular guesses being that they could vary in sizes, some variants could offer LTE connectivity or all three are totally different from each other. What Quandt can confirm is that the Pixel smartwatch models will be powered by the new Snapdragon Wear 3100 platform.
The platform uses a quad-core CPU which is paired to Adreno 304 GPU. One of the highlights of Snapdragon Wear 3100 platform is its power management solution. Codenamed Blackghost, the chip can reportedly run continuously and will allow smartwatches to respond to voice commands at any time. Additionally, smartwatches with this chip can also support Always-On display. Naturally, the Pixel smartwatch is expected to run Wear OS which was recently rebranded from Android Wear.
News of a Pixel smartwatch isn’t too surprising considering how Google is looking to expand its Pixel portfolio every year. In addition to the Pixel phones, we already have the Pixelbook and Pixel Buds that were launched last year. With the Pixel smartwatch, Google will be entering a new market where it will take on the Apple Watch.
Coming back to the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL, details about Google’s next flagship phones are still slim, but we can safely assume that the phones will run the recently announced Android P from day 1. At Google I/O 2018, the company announced Android P Beta availability for its current Pixel phones as well as phones from brands like Nokia, OnePlus, Sony, Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo and Essential.
Some of the features coming to Android P include Adaptive Battery, App Actions, Gesture Navigation, and App Limit to name a few. Notably, the first developer preview back in March showed that Android P will be design supporting the notch, and with more and more Android OEMs adopting the notch, it is possible that the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL could sport that trend as well.
ALSO READ: Android P: A closer look at Google’s biggest ever update to Android OS
