Google has filed for a trademark with the US Patent and Trademark Office for the “Pixel Watch”, revealing that that is what the first smartwatch from the company will be called. The watch is expected to be announced at Google’s I/O event in May, but we may have a glimpse into what it could look like after someone reportedly left behind a test unit of the same at a restaurant in the United States.
Could these found images be the actual rumored Google Pixel Watch?https://t.co/rCvMd85qHl pic.twitter.com/Bm1YFrwxR4
— Android Central (@androidcentral) April 24, 2022
The images of the device obtained by Android Central reveal many similarities to earlier leaks and rumours, including a minimalist design, an almost bezel-less screen and a crown. The images also hint that the watch could make use of proprietary Google watch band attachments, unlike most Android smartwatches, which use standard watch band types.
A Google Pixel Watch prototype was left at a restaurant… Where have I seen this before? 😉 @Jon_prosser pic.twitter.com/NKh5ZuYJdE
— ian (@ianzelbo) April 23, 2022
The device was reportedly discovered along with a box which indicates that the watch is for internal testing and development only. According to the source who provided the publication with the images, the watch “looks metallic but feels like it is coated with glass”.
Unfortunately, the test unit found by the source does not go beyond the booting screen when switched on, meaning that it is not possible to see what the OS could look like. This could mean that there is no OS installed on the test unit.
But according to Android Central, the watch is likely to feature Wear OS 3, which Google developed in collaboration with Samsung. Some code found in a Google update earlier by 9to5Google indicates that the Pixel Watch will use an Exynos chipset from Samsung instead of a Snapdragon chipset.
There was no charger found with the test unit but there is a possibility that the device could be charged from the back of the watch like the Apple Watch and some Fitbit models. Google had completed its acquisition of Fitbit in January 2021.
The test device was also found with a blue-coloured wrist wrap that seems to further confirm that the device can only be used with proprietary watch straps.
Patent application number #97370181 filed by Google for the smartwatch intends to trademark the name Pixel Watch, “ to cover the categories of smartwatches; cases adapted for holding smartwatches; wearable computers in the nature of smartwatches; smartwatch straps; smartwatch bands,” according to the patent filing.
