Google’s Pixel Watch has been in the works for years, and Google’s been quite happy to drop hints about what it’s been cooking up. (Admittedly, having an employee leave a prototype in a restaurant will also help knock some of the wind out of any surprise you may have planned.) Today, however, is the first time that Google has really lifted the lid on its new flagship wearable, and the first time we can see if it can make up for so many false starts in the watch race.

The Pixel Watch has a 41mm case with a domed, custom-molded and scratch resistant Gorilla Glass 5 crystal. At first blush, it’s clear that the curved crystal is very bulbous, but the benefit of it is that the roundness makes the bezel far less visible. Beneath which, users will be staring into a 320ppi AMOLED, always-on display with a brightness that can output up to 1,000 nits. It’s powered by a 294mAh battery that Google says will last for 24 hours on a single charge, but can re-juice up to 50 percent after just 30 minutes on is magnetic charging plate. Running down the side is both a haptic crown, blessed with “Premium Haptics,” and a Side Button.

There are two versions, a WiFi/Bluetooth model, and one packing its own LTE modem, which costs just $50 more. Both are rocking an Exynos 9110 SoC, paired with a Cortex M33 co-processor, as well as 32GB storage and 2GB RAM. Given that Pixel-branded devices are often the “best” of whatever class they represent, the choice not to use Qualcomm’s own wearable SoC speaks volumes. After all, that’s the silicon-of-choice for every non-Samsung Wear OS watch these days, and there’s similarly no mention of Google’s own custom silicon brand Tensor here.

Interestingly, Fitbit CEO James Park introduced the watch, and the watch comes with plenty of Fitbit-branded features. That includes activity, heart-rate and sleep-tracking, albeit boosted by Google’s own machine-learning know-how. One of the most notable features is live heart rate, with the device tracking your vital signs by the second. There’s also a built-in ECG. The additional health insights available with Fitbit Premium are also available to Pixel Watch users, as is the guided workouts. It suggests that Google sees the Pixel Watch as the beneficiary of Google’s partnership with Fitbit, rather than simply absorbing the wearables brand under its own name. You’ll also get, much like every other Fitbit device, a free six-month trial of Premium with your purchase, as well as three months of YouTube Music Premium thrown in for free.

Aside from the Gorilla Glass crystal, the only other durability promise is that it’ll be water-resistant up (or down) to depths of 5ATM. Oh, and that Google says that by 2023, the Watch will be able to detect falls and, should you have the LTE version and prove unresponsive, will call the emergency services on your behalf.

It’s worth remembering that Google beat Apple to the wearables space by a full year, in partnership with Motorola, Samsung, ASUS and LG. But the balkanized strategy employed, and the general lack of luster on those initial Android Wear versions handed much of the momentum to Apple. Since then, the Apple Watch has single-handedly outsold every other major wearables player in pretty much every quarter since. It’s only when Samsung teamed back up with Google to rework Wear OS has Google’s platform once again hit double-digit sales percentages.

And, much like Pixel phones, it’s likely that Google will be happy to sell a limited quantity of devices to a small section of the market. Especially since it has to protect the sales of both Samsung, its partner, and Fitbit, its new wholly-owned subsidiary. Although given that Samsung and Fitbit already cater for pretty much every part of the wearables market between them, it’s not clear what specific group Google might be targeting here.

Analyst Ben Wood, at CCS Insight, agrees, saying “the Pixel Watch poses zero threat to the Apple Watch,” and that its existence is more to “raise awareness of smartwatches for Android smartphone owners and encourage more of these people to consider buying a wearable.” For that to work, however, Pixel Watch needs to become instantly desirable, especially given Google’s short patience when it comes to products that don’t instantly click with the public.

The Google Pixel Watch is available in “Matte Black,” “Polished Silver” or “Champagne Gold” stainless steel colors. They are complemented by a variety of watch bands, which attach not with lugs, but with a camera lens-esque internal locking system that should make switching faster. It is available to pre-order right now, with the WiFi/Bluetooth model is priced at $349.99, while the LTE model will set you back $399.99, with both expected to begin shipping on October 13th.

Follow all of the news from Google’s Pixel 7 event right here!

Source: Engadget – Google (finally) announces the Pixel Watch