After launching Android Wear (now Wear OS) in 2014, it took Google eight years to make its first smartwatch to use the software. Thankfully, it was worth the wait: both the original Pixel Watch and Pixel Watch 2 are excellent wearables that really showcase what Wear OS can do in the right hands — and why the latter is our pick for the best smartwatch for Pixel owners.
So what does Google have up its figurative (and literal, given we’re talking smartwatches) sleeve for the Pixel Watch 3? We’ve only heard a few things so far, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have a wishlist too.
Google Pixel Watch 3: Price and availability
The two Pixel Watches we’ve had to date have both launched in October, after appearing at Google’s annual fall event.
Having only two data points obviously makes it too early to tell whether Google intends to make Pixel Watch updates an annual occurrence, but if there’s a Pixel Watch 3 in 2024, it will almost certainly be in October.
It’s a similar story on pricing. Both wearables have launched at $349 and $399 (depending on whether you want LTE or not), so it’s possible this could be the case again — though given recent inflation on Pixel phones, a slight bump in price isn’t out of the question.
As you’ll read in a moment, this could be the first year when Google has multiple size options too. Both Apple and Samsung charge more for smartwatches with larger displays, though Google could take a leaf out of Garmin’s book with the Venu 3 and keep the price the same for both big and small models.
Google Pixel Watch 3: Rumors and specs
So far there have only been two rumors emerging about Google’s upcoming wearable plans — and only one of those is unambiguously about the Pixel Watch 3.
An inside source reportedly told 9to5Google that the Pixel Watch 3 will come in two different sizes. The article doesn’t include sizing details, but the implication is that the second will be larger than the 41mm frame currently in use.
From a market research point of view, that makes perfect sense. The Apple Watch Series 9 (41mm and 45mm), Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 (40mm and 44mm) and Garmin Venu 3 (41mm and 45mm) all have 4mm between their models, so we would expect a larger Pixel Watch 3 to hit the 45mm mark when it arrives.
The other possible Pixel Watch 3 rumor comes from the murky world of patent watching, which isn’t always a reliable guide to a company’s imminent hardware moves.
Google has filed a patent for a smartwatch that runs purely on gestures without any buttons. This could simplify the look of a smartwatch, while reducing the complexity of manufacturing and making it easier to waterproof.
While the image in the filing has a round face like the current Pixel Watches, patents aren’t always implemented — and even if they are, it’s not necessarily right away. File this one under “doubtful” for the Pixel Watch 3.
Google Pixel Watch 3: What we want to see
It’s still early days for the Pixel Watch 3, but we have a few things that we hope Google is looking at…
Thinner bezels
The Pixel Watch is a fine-looking wearable, but the bezels are thick even by smartwatch standards.
To be fair to Google, this isn’t noticeable most of the time thanks to the black background on most apps and watch faces. But this is ultimately a visual trick, and if Google could thin things down it would open the watch up to more colorful watch faces and apps in future.
Better battery life
The first-generation Pixel Watch struggled to get through a day’s use, and to Google’s credit the Pixel Watch 2 fixed this.
But it still only promised 24 hours, and it would be nice if Google could push it further, perhaps by taking a leaf from its Fitbit line of wearables which last longer with a few sacrifices.
Or perhaps the rumored larger model could pack a bigger cell, to give consumers a longer-lasting option.
One charger from now on
Speaking of Fitbit, before it was purchased by Google, the company sure loved its bespoke chargers, with almost every fitness tracker having its own uniquely designed cable incompatible with others in the range.
Worryingly, it looks like Google has followed this with the Pixel Watch: the two models so far released have different chargers that don’t work with each other.
That’s because the first one was wireless, while the second used faster-charging pogo pins. We don’t really mind which path Google chooses for the next generation, but we hope it sticks to one type going forward.
