Last update: January 25, 2022 at 14:38 UTC+01:00
The Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic remained the only smartwatches on the market to be powered by Wear OS, but that exclusivity won’t last forever. Google is developing its first Wear OS 3 smartwatch, tentatively named Google Pixel Watch, and according to a recent rumorSamsung could face competition from Google from May 26.
Wear OS 3 is the result of a joint effort by Google and Samsung. The latter company ditched Tizen OS in favor of the new version of Wear OS, and Samsung has enjoyed exclusivity on the software ever since.
It should be remembered that Wear OS 3 for the Galaxy Watch 4 series still has a proprietary user interface – One UI – covering the default version. With that in mind, once Google releases the Pixel Watch, likely on May 26 around Google I/O, it won’t look like the Galaxy Watch 4. The software experience, while similar to the base, will be different.
As for the exterior design, based on leaked information, the so-called Pixel Watch is expected to have a round dial with no physical bezel. Early renders depict a very sleek wearable device with a proprietary strap in various color options.
Pricing details remain unknown, and as always, the launch price will be a huge factor in how the smartwatch is received by the public, especially since Samsung already offers the best Android smartwatches starting at $249.
Keep in mind that Google’s launch schedules are variable and sometimes hard to predict with pinpoint accuracy, which means the May 26 date isn’t set in stone.
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