After years of speculation, we finally know what Google’s first internal smartwatch will be called. Absolutely no one to surprise, a new trademark filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office reveals that it is… Pixel Watch.
The submission (via 9to5 Google) is about as barebones as it gets. The description says that the Pixel Watch name is “intended to cover the categories of smartwatches; cases adapted for smartwatch storage; wearable computers in the form of smartwatches; smartwatch bands; smartwatch bands.” Later in the submission, it is noted that while the Pixel Watch name is not currently in use, there is an intention to use it, not to mention Google recently changed its store to more prominent watches† Obviously, Google has smartwatches in the brain.
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Admittedly, this name was completely expected, even if it’s a bit of an anticlimax. Tech media has been referring to the concept of a Made by Google smartwatch as the Pixel Watch for years. It also makes sense when you consider that Big Tech has used smartwatches to advance their ecosystems. By calling it the Pixel Watch, Google is indicating that the wearable is intended to complement its Pixel phones. And if that brings more people to the web of gadgets and services from Google… Well, that’s always been the plan.
We already have a pretty good idea of what to expect. News that Google would finally make the Pixel Watch real broke in December, and there have been several leaks of renders and watch faces. Google has also long been expected to tease the Pixel Watch at Google I/O next month — strongly supporting the timing of this trademark filing. The Pixel Watch is also expected to have some sort of Fitbit integration with Wear OS 3. The smartwatch is also expected to cost more than a Fitbit and serve as a direct Apple Watch competitor.
There are plenty of reasons why 2022 will be the year the stars finally align for the Pixel Watch. But despite false starts and rumors that never materialized, Google has been laying the groundwork for Android-first smartwatches for years. Not only was it the first to release the wearable game in 2014 with Android Wear, which has since been rebranded as Wear OS. In 2019, it was revealed that a Pixel Watch nearly debuted years ago. The only reason it didn’t was those early attempts “that didn’t look like what belonged in the Pixel family.” And to be honest, it was the right decision because the LG Watch Style and LG Watch Sport were terrible.
That does suggest that this new watch is something that Google is proud to put his name on it. We’ll have to wait and see what happens at Google I/O, but it looks like the long wait is finally coming to an end.