We didn’t see a whole lot of Wear OS at Google I/O this year, but the word on the street is that the company will reveal some fresh hardware later this year.
According to tipster Evan Blass, Google will show off a Pixel-branded smartwatch alongside the next Pixel phones and Pixel Buds at its annual hardware unveiling in October.
Besides the Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL, and second-gen Pixel Buds, a reliable source tells me — with high confidence — that Google's fall hardware event will also introduce a Pixel-branded watch. Have a great summer!
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) May 10, 2018
That’s not all: German tech blog Winfuture.de reports that Google actually has three wearables, codenamed ‘Ling’, ‘Triton,’ and ‘Sardine,’ in the pipeline. They’re said to benefit from a new Qualcomm processor that conserves battery life while also listening for voice commands without having to be woken from standby mode.
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I’m interested to see how Google approaches this, for a couple of reasons. If these devices are real, we’ll get to see the company create a flagship smartwatch on its terms instead of leaving it to third-party brands (the first Android Wear watches came from Samsung and LG).
Folks who are looking for a non-Apple smartwatch are spoiled for choice with several brands to choose from, but I don’t believe there’s really been a quintessential Wear OS-based device that brings the best of the platform along with a universal design. Perhaps a Pixel watch could serve as that showcase.
Next, I quite like the clean, timeless, and sophisticated design language we’ve seen in Google’s Pixel devices. I’d love to see that sort of thinking incorporated into a smartwatch’s look and feel.
These likely won’t be the only rumors about Google’s upcoming wearables; expect a bunch more leaks over the next five months.
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