Google's Pixel Watch has been rumored for years now, dating all the way back to before the Pixel branding, when it was referred to as the Nexus Watch. However, the rumors regarding Google's wearable heated up considerably over the last year — and it seems it may finally be ready for its debut in 2022.
The latest evidence comes from questionable origins as leaked photos of an alleged Pixel Watch prototype were given to Android Central by an individual who claimed they found it at a restaurant in the U.S. Those photos and additional images posted to Reddit by the same individual give us a clear look at the hardware that could be Google's long-awaited answer to the Apple Watch (via 9to5Google).
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The hardware matches up convincingly with previous leaks regarding the Pixel Watch. It features a unique wrapped display on its circular frame and a prominent depressible rotating crown (like the digital crown on the Apple Watch) with a single button alongside it.
Along the edge is a speaker grill and microphone along with what seems to be a proprietary connector for the watch bands. The band looks identical to a Fitbit Sense or Fitbit Versa band, but the clip mechanism is slightly different. A side view appears to show a pogo plug connector in one of the band slots. This could either indicate that bands will be able to offer advanced tracking options or it is simply a feature of the engineering sample and won't be present in the final design.
In the later images posted to Reddit, the user also offered some measurements for the prototype. This model is 40mm wide, matching the base Galaxy Watch 4 model, and just slightly smaller than the 41mm base Apple Watch Series 7. The startling measurement is the thickness at 14mm; that's 40% thicker than the Galaxy Watch 4 and 30% thicker than the Apple Watch Series 7. It's worth noting here that even if this is a legitimate Pixel Watch prototype, it may not precisely match the final hardware.
While originally the leaker was able to get the watch to display a "G" boot logo, it never progressed past that screen and it will no longer power on at all as they did not have a charger and have been unable to get it to charge using a standard Qi charger or Power Share from a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3.
Overall, the hardware looks intriguing. While the story of the watch being left in a restaurant doesn't sound terribly credible, the prototype certainly seems legitimate. We hope that Google managed to shave a couple more mm off the thickness for the final design, but like the previous leaks suggested, Google created a unique look with this one that could have some real appeal for Android fans that aren't sold on Samsung's excellent smartwatches and of course can't use an Apple Watch.
The earliest we could see the Pixel Watch is Google I/O next month, but we may have to wait until the unveiling of the Pixel 7 this fall.
