Rumors about a smartwatch or smartwatch made by Google have been circulating for a long time but have never come true. Now the latest news says Google is ready to launch a smartwatch next year.
According to a Business Insider report, Google is currently preparing a smartwatch with the internal code 'Rohan'. The watch was developed by the Google Pixel hardware team, not by Fitbit, which Google acquired earlier this year.
This smartwatch is also likely to use the Pixel branding, but the name is currently unknown. This means that this smartwatch will have the same role as the Pixel phone, which is to show the capabilities of Google's software on a capable device.
In terms of design, Google's smartwatch will have a round screen without physical bezels. The price of smartwatches made by Google will also be more expensive than Fitbit devices, and will compete directly with Apple Watch as quoted from The Verge, Saturday (4/12/2021).
Google smartwatches will have basic health and exercise features, including a step counter and heart rate monitor. Google is also reportedly working on a Fitbit integration into Wear OS which will debut at the launch of the watch.
Google actually almost launched the Pixel Watch in 2017. According to a 2019 report, the LG Watch Sport and LG Watch that launched at the time were originally going to be marketed as part of the Pixel branding.
Google employees told Insider that their hardware boss, Rick Osterloh, dropped the idea because it was deemed incompatible with the Pixel family.
Google itself has just overhauled the Wear OS 3 operating system aimed at wearable devices. Unlike the previous Wear OS, this new version of the operating system was developed with Samsung which integrates the Tizen platform into Wear OS.
Currently, Wear OS 3 is only present on the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4. Sales of this smartwatch have succeeded in boosting the market share of Wear OS in 2021.