Update: Official Google Pixel Watch bands just leaked — here’s how they work.
The Google Pixel Watch price has been a major subject of speculation ever since the company teased its first smartwatch this past May. With Google's October 6 hardware event drawing closer, you might be wondering what the rumors say about how much the Pixel Watch will cost.
To be clear — there’s no confirmed Google Pixel Watch price as of this writing. We will learn the pricing and availability information at the aforementioned Google event next month. But that hasn’t stopped a surge of price rumors from surfacing and suggesting the smartwatch’s MSRP.
The latest of those rumors comes from 9to5Google, with an unnamed retail source claiming the Google Pixel Watch will start at $349.99 for the GPS-only model. The Google Pixel Watch with LTE price, meanwhile, is believed to start at $399.99.
This intel actually lines up with the price rumors we heard for the Pixel Watch before it was previewed during May's Google I/O 2022. In April, leaker Yogesh Brar tweeted that the Pixel Watch will cost between $300 and $400. An earlier rumor also claimed the Pixel Watch is arriving with a $400 price tag.
Google Pixel Watch price — what we hope to see
Still, the alleged Pixel Watch price tag is surprising if you consider how Google prices its other hardware. The flagship Pixel smartphones are typically more affordable than the competition; for example, the iPhone 14 starts at $799 while the Google Pixel 6 starts at $599 (though it’s soon to be replaced by the Google Pixel 7.)
In the $300 to $400 price range, the Pixel Watch looks to be more affordable than the Apple Watch Series 8 and simultaneously more expensive than the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5.
Google also owns Fitbit, and its upcoming Fitbit Sense 2 will sell for $299; of course, that wearable lacks a LTE or cellular connectivity option. This makes me wonder if, for a higher price, the Pixel Watch will be as full-featured as the second-generation Sense.
At least that’s what I’d like to see. If the Google Pixel Watch ultimately comes in at the rumored $349 starting price, I’d hope it has the features offered by the best smartwatches at a similar cost. The Apple Watch, Galaxy Watch and Fitbit smartwatches have made several incremental improvements — as a newcomer, the Pixel Watch will likely need to play catchup.
Some potential features that come to mind are a blood oxygen sensor, always-on display, mobile payment, fall detection, music storage, voice controls and thorough workout tracking. As a Wear OS 3 smartwatch, the Pixel Watch will also need to have many Google services and a large app selection via the Play Store. ECG, body composition analysis or a skin-temperature reader would help, too.
Google Pixel Watch outlook
I’ll admit, I’m skeptical about a first-generation device. But who knows? With the help of Fitbit in-house and picking up some tips from a Wear OS partnership with Samsung, the Pixel Watch could impress.
We’ll get a better sense of whether that's the case on October 6.
