Google was late to the smartwatch game, but the company has already shown that it knows how to make a great wearable.
2022’s original Pixel Watch was solid but suffered from poor battery life, something that was addressed on the Pixel Watch 2 a year later. However, despite it now being the best smartwatch for most people, there’s still room for improvement.
So, what should you expect when the Google reveals its next wearable later this year? Here’s all the news and rumours so far about the Pixel Watch 3.
When will the Google Pixel Watch 3 be released?
There’s no concrete news or rumours at this stage, but we can look to the previous generations as a guide:
Google appears to have settled into an annual update cycle, and it’d be a surprise to see 2024 end with no new model. Therefore, it seems likely that we’ll see the Pixel Watch 3 in October 2024, perhaps alongside the Pixel 9 and 9 Pro smartphones.
How much will the Google Pixel Watch 3 cost?
Nothing has been revealed regarding pricing so far. But the launch price of previous models gives you an idea of what to expect:
- Google Pixel Watch (Wi-Fi only) – £339/$349.99
- Google Pixel Watch (Wi-Fi only + 4G LTE) – £379/$399.99
- Google Pixel Watch 2 (Wi-Fi only) – £349/$349
- Google Pixel Watch 2 (Wi-Fi only + 4G LTE) – £399/$399
After small price rises in the UK between the first and second generations, this may be repeated on the Pixel Watch 3, potentially taking the 4G model over the £400 mark. However, it remains to be seen whether the same will be true of the US, which has kept near-identical pricing so far.
What specs and features will the Google Pixel Watch 3 have?
With the launch date still a fair way off at the time of writing, there’s little in the way of concrete leaks and rumours regarding the Pixel Watch 3. However, that hasn’t stopped various leaks and rumours from appearing – here are the ones worth paying attention to.
A second size
One of the most interesting rumours that have appeared so far comes from 9to5Google, which reported in January 2024 that the Pixel Watch 3 would come in two sizes.
At the moment, you can only get a Pixel Watch and Pixel Watch 2 in a 41mm size, but a larger alternative would be welcome for those with bigger wrists or difficulty reading smaller displays.
Chris Martin / Foundry
There’s no word on what the larger size will be, but going by the likes of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Samsung Galaxy Watch 6, we’d expect to see one around 44mm or 45mm.
As well as a larger screen, this would naturally make room for an increased battery size, which would be another welcome addition to the Pixel Watch 3.
New dedicated chipset
The Pixel Watch 2 is powered by a Qualcomm’s Snapdragon W5, but an October 2023 announcement from the chipmaker seems to suggest that we’ll see a new processor in the Pixel Watch 3.
In a statement, Qualcomm said that it would be “building on their long-standing collaboration with Google by bringing a RISC-V based wearables solution for use with Wear OS by Google”. While several smartwatches run on Wear OS these days, it would make sense for Google’s own smartwatch to get priority with the new chipset.
Qualcomm goes on to say that the move will “help pave the way for more products within the ecosystem to take advantage of custom CPUs that are low power and high performance”. If this materialises on the Pixel Watch 3, we could be getting improved performance and better battery life.
Touch sensitive case controls
Perhaps the strangest rumour we’ve seen so far comes from Lifewire, which reported on a patented new technology that measures touches on the casing itself to execute commands.
The Gesture Recognition on Watch Bezel Using Strain Gauges patent (catchy title) looks like it could allow squeezing the frame, rubbing sections of it or tapping to trigger functions. It would have to safeguard against accidental taps, though, to avoid accidentally triggering functions.
However, if the technology works as shown in the diagram below, it could eliminate the need for physical buttons on the Pixel Watch 3. It may also open up the possibility of quick access to various commands without needing to scroll through menus or between screens.
That’s all we’ve seen so far, but of course we’ll update this article as more details come to light. You may also be interested in similar articles for the Apple Watch X (the rumoured name of the Series 9 successor) and Samsung Galaxy Watch 7.