Update 5/11: The Pixel Watch is official! See Google's announcement at Google I/O 2022 here.
This story was updated shortly after publishing to include more information about the leaked alleged Google Pixel Watch, including an image of the potential watch next to a Samsung Galaxy Watch and an Apple Watch. The article also includes a few more details from a Reddit post that our source wrote about.
What you need to know
- A source who sent the images to Android Central said what could be the Pixel Watch was left and found at a restaurant in the U.S.
- The images of what could be the watch seem to match many rumors that have leaked, including the minimalist design, the crown, and a potential hidden button.
- It looks like the watch has proprietary Google bands.
- We don't know what the charging will look like as the watch did not come with a charger.
A Google Pixel Watch was apparently left and found at a restaurant in the U.S., and the images sent by a source to Android Central look like what could be Google’s first smartwatch.
Android Central has reviewed the images of the watch that could be announced during Google I/O next month. It’s possible that the watch itself could be released alongside the Pixel 7.
The source, who we have left anonymous to protect their identity, said the watch, which could be “a testing model for the Internal Pixel team,” was found at a restaurant. The source requested Android Central to not publish their name or the restaurant name, including location, in order to protect their job. After the reporting of this story, the source wrote a Reddit post about the alleged watch. The source indicated that the watch was left at the restaurant "for a few weeks expecting the people that left it to return, but that never happened."
The leak is very reminiscent of when Gizmodo reported about the iPhone 4 prototype that was lost and found at a bar. The phone was camouflaged to look like an iPhone 3GS.
If the images are real, this is the first time that we have seen the rumored watch dubbed “Rohan.” 9to5Google found the code hidden in a Google update indicating that the Pixel Watch will use an Exynos chipset, rather than the Snapdragon model found in most Wear OS 3-eligible watches.
The watch in our images looks almost identical to leaks of rumored rendered images. It has a minimalist design and follows what leaks have suggested a screen with hardly any bezels. The image also confirms one of the rumored colors that the watch will come in: black.
Previous rumors have suggested the watch will have a rotating crown and potentially two hidden buttons.
It is a bit hard to tell from the image above, but if this is the rumored watch then there is definitely at least one button next to the crown.
Looking at the above images, it seems that the watch’s band is a proprietary Google band and looks very similar to the jelly-like Apple Watch sport bands. This could mean that we might see many more colors to come. It also looks like it attaches directly to the watch case.
This might make swapping out watch bands difficult, especially when most of the other top Android smartwatches give you more leeway with standard watch band types.
No charger was left behind with the watch, but it is possible that the watch could be charged from the back of the watch case. This is also how Fitbit’s Versa 3 and Sense smartwatches (Fitbit is owned by Google) and the Apple Watch are charged.
The source indicated that the bottom “looks metallic but feels like it’s coated with glass.”
The above image is a side by side comparison with a 40mm Apple Watch and 46mm Galaxy Watch. The image was posted on Reddit by our source after the publication of this story.
In this particular image that is shown above, we can see what looks like prongs in one of the band slots. It is possible that this is just an engineering sample used for testing and won’t be there on a production release.
We can’t be certain, but the watch could also have the Qi standard, allowing for wireless charging capabilities.
Because the watch didn’t come with a charger, we can’t be sure what’s happening on the inside.
The source indicated that nothing happened past the boot logo when they tried to power it up, which you can see per the above image. This likely means that there is no OS yet installed on the watch.
We do know that Google will use the new Wear OS 3 co-developed with Samsung, but we could also expect Google to put its own Pixel-esque spin on the software.
The last thing to note, we don’t know the regions in which Google plans to release the watch, but it is possible that it will include North America, Canada, and the E.U.
Per this image, a small note on the bottom of the box indicates: “This device has not been authorized as required by the rules of the Federal Communications Commission and Industry Canada, nor has it been tested for compliance with EU regulations.”
It also notes that this model is for “internal testing and development only” and that the “markings and packaging are not final.”
Android Central blurred parts of this box for privacy reasons.
