Update: The Google Pixel Watch may borrow another stylistic feature from Apple Watch, with a report claiming a range of swappable bands are on the way
Google’s first foray into wearables with the Google Pixel Watch has all eyes and ears on the company's progress. While we are eagerly awaiting the smartwatch's arrival — it's slated for a “late fall” launch — a new regulatory filing reveals that the Pixel Watch will have more in common with the Apple Watch than you might realize.
Specifically, Google will share the same wearables manufacturer as Apple uses for its Apple Watch — Taiwan’s Compal Electronics. Compal is one of the two companies that Apple relies on for its Watch manufacturing.
In terms of design the Pixel Watch already sports a crown which looks very similar to the Apple Watch. Considering the Apple Watch is already the best smartwatch out there, it is no surprise that Google is taking a page out of Apple Watch’s book.
You've heard that Imitation is the best form of flattery. Well, with their manufacturers being the same, we wonder if we will see more design or even other hardware similarities between the two smartwatches.
While Google was on stage announcing the Pixel Watch at Google I/O 2022 earlier this month, the company timed its regulatory appearance just like Apple does. Spotted by 9to5Google, our FCC listings appeared on May 11 on the day of the Google I/O 2022 keynote. The first filing covered a Bluetooth-only version of the Pixel Watch (likely to be the most popular and cheapest variant) white two other support LTE.
The fourth filing reveals Google is going for a USB-C charger for its Pixel Watch. It will be a wireless puck but with a USB-C connector. In comparison, the Fitbit Sense, Fitbit Versa 3, as well as Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 4, still use USB-A.
As we move closer to the launch, there have been a lot of rumors on the Pixel Watch. We just saw how the Pixel Watch could have surprising spec boosts — more RAM and a lot of storage. But according to recent reports, the Pixel Watch could underwhelm with this four year old chip — The Pixel Watch will apparently use the 10nm Exynos 9110, which first appeared on wrists in 2018’s original Galaxy Watch and not the newer 5nm Exynos W920 chip which debuted in 2021’s Samsung Galaxy Watch 4. But that has not stopped us from believing that the Pixel Watch looks so good, we might switch to Android.
While we wait for the Pixel Watch, you can check out our guide on the best smartwatches for Android.
