It looks like Google is finally making its own smartwatch.
According to a report from Insider, the Pixel-maker plans to launch the often-rumoured wearable in 2022.
The report indicates that Google’s Pixel hardware team is working on the smartwatch and that, surprisingly, Fitbit, which Google acquired earlier this year, isn’t creating the wearable.
According to the report, it’s currently unclear if Google will call the smartwatch the ‘Pixel Watch.’ That said, the wearable will reportedly serve as an example for third-party hardware developers. The Verge’s source says the wearable is expected to cost more than a Fitbit and that it aims to compete directly with the Apple Watch.
The report indicates that the watch will sport fitness tracking features, a heart rate monitor and step counting. Google will also work towards adding Fitbit integration to Wear OS through a project currently codenamed ‘Nightlight.’
Google is currently working on a new platform with Wear OS 3, which it developed in partnership with Samsung after merging its smartwatch OS with Tizen earlier this year.
The report also states that LG’s Watch Sport and Watch Style were planned to be marketed as the Pixel Watch. However, Google reportedly backpedalled on this strategy because it felt that the design of the smartwatches didn’t match the Pixel line’s aesthetic.
It’s unclear when we’ll see the upcoming Pixel Watch release, but it will likely appear in May alongside Google I/O or in October when Google reveals the inevitable Pixel 7.
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