We know Google is planning to reveal its first smartwatch, called the Pixel Watch, later this year – and now we might finally know how much it’ll cost.
Like its rivals, there won’t be one price for the Pixel Watch. Instead, Google is expected to offer its first smartwatch with and without LTE.
The former will have its own 4G connection, likely for streaming music and making phone calls while away from a smartphone. The latter will only have Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, so can only access data and handle calls when connected to a Wi-Fi network, or to a smartphone via Bluetooth. Apple and Samsung also take this route with their smartwatches.
According to an unnamed source speaking to 9to5Google, the Pixel Watch with LTE will be priced at $399 (£338), which is the same as the WI-Fi/Bluetooth version of the Apple Watch Series 7, but more expensive than the $279 Samsung Galaxy Watch 5. The Pixel Watch also sits above the new Fitbit Sense 2, which at $299 will act as Google’s entry-level smartwatch, since Fitbit is owned by the search giant.
The Pixel Watch is expected to be offered in three different colours – silver, black and gold – with no difference in price expected between them. For now, it doesn’t look like Google will offer different sizes of Pixel Watch, as Apple does, and there is no evidence of a more expensive model made from titanium or ceramic, as there is with the Apple Watch.
Similarly, Google does not seem to be aiming a pricier smartwatch at the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, which costs $449 for Wi-Fi and $499 with cellular connectivity.
It was previously reported how the Google Pixel Watch will use Samsung’s Exynos 9110 processor with 1.5GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, and it’ll run Google’s Wear OS 3 software. Smartwatch staples like GPS, 50 metres of water resistance and NFC are also expected, along with all of the health and fitness tracking tech you would expect from the owner of Fitbit.
It isn’t yet known when Google will reveal the Pixel Watch, or when it will go on sale. All we know is that it should arrive in the autumn, likely alongside Google’s new Pixel 7 and 7 Pro smartphones.
It’ll be a busy few weeks for smartwatches, as Apple is expected to announce the Watch Series 8 alongside the iPhone 14 at its Far Out launch event on 7 September.
