Why Google's upcoming Pixel Watch May Not Make You Miss Apple's Wearable

Alphabet Inc. s GOOG GOOGL Google recently confirmed the existence of its long-rumored Pixel Watch - its take on Apple Inc.'s AAPL Apple Watch.

What Happened: Google announced the Pixel Watch at Google I O 2022, and it is likely to be launched after making its debut on October 6 at an event alongside the Pixel 7. The fact that the product made it through the Bluetooth Special Interest Group's checks in April is another indication that it is close to launch. Gene Munster, co-founder of Loup Funds, said in May that Google will have a hard time competing with the Cupertino giant in the wearable market, as many expect this new device to become the most fearsome Apple Watch competitor.

Here's why Google's Upcoming Pixel Watch May Not Make You Miss Apple's Wearable.

Why It's Important: The Pixel Watch's fitness tracking will most likely be based on the capabilities of devices produced by Fitbit, a company acquired by Alphabet in late 2019. This might be one of the most appreciated Pixel Watch features, given how much better Fitbit s suite is than Google's underwhelming health application. The device is expected to feature Fitbit's workout tracking, active zone minutes and other health-tracking tools. The same kind of sensors on the Fitbit Luxe and Charge 5Fitbit Luxe and Charge 5 will be used in the device, along with a heart-rate sensor that supports SpO 2 and ECG readings.

The LTE model has rumored pricing of $399, placing the Pixel Watch in aggressive competition with Apple's competing mobile network-enabled device, which costs an extra $100 for the smaller 41 mm version. The expected manufacturer of the Pixel Watch, Taiwan s Compal Electronics, has also made Apple's wearable, making the two devices likely to have a lot in common.

As many as six interchangeable Pixel Watch straps are being developed by Google, which will launch alongside the new wearable device. Alphabet's take on the Apple watch may be a bit underwhelming in some compartments. It is rumored to be rumored to ship with a 10 nm Exynos 9110 chip, the same as we have seen in the original Samsung Galaxy Watch in 2018, along with a BioActive biometric sensor for measuring heart rate, electrocardiogram and body fat percentage that was featured in August 2021's Galaxy Watch 4. A tweet by Qualcomm suggests that the Pixel Watch could feature the new Snapdragon Wear 5100 system on a chip.

Google's latest device will probably ship with a co-processor that will help with performance and possibly more than 1.5 GB of random access memory, along with 32 gigabytes of storage space - enough for over 9,500 average songs to be stored on board. The rumored 300 mAh battery is larger than the ones in the Galaxy Watch 4 but smaller than Apple Watch 7 s. That battery won't allow for more than a day of use with a rumored charging time of 110 minutes, the same charging time as the Galaxy Watch 4, showcasing a lack of fast charging.

A Wear OS rebirth: The device will run Wear OS, Google's own smartwatch operative system, which has seen little love by the company, leaving it a high-potential platform plagued by too many bugs to depend on in everyday life. The infamously unstable operating system was recently updated and displayed on the Galaxy Watch 4, and further improvements are expected to come with the release of the Pixel Watch.

Alphabet may bet on its superior artificial intelligence prowess and put Google Assistant - arguably a far superior service compared to Siri - front and center in its timepiece. Despite Google's better artificial intelligence systems, it will still be hard for the company to beat the Cupertino giant at its own game, meaning we will see interesting developments in the near future.