Following a familiar slew of leaks, Google has already thrown in the towel and admitted it is launching the new Pixel 9 series on 13th August. The firm even went so far as to officially tease the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro Fold folding phone with images and a landing page on its website.
But that hasn’t stopped the leaks of other potential products coming. Thanks to the folks at Android Headlines, it looks as though the Made by Google event next month will also see the unveiling of the Pixel Watch 3 in both the 41mm size we saw for the first two models, and also a larger 45mm version – that means it’ll have a larger screen and battery, addressing two major downsides to the existing Pixel watches.
The leak showed alleged official renders of the new Pixel Watch 3 in both sizes as well as several pages of marketing material, shedding light on what could be new. The device is said to gain Google’s Actua Display, matching the tech seen on the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, and will have screens that can reach up to 2,000 nits of peak brightness (that’s very bright).
The smaller Pixel Watch 3 will have 20 percent faster charging than the last generation, and though no claim is made for the larger Watch 3 it’s probably because there’s no previous model to compare it to. Both should last for 24 hours on a charge or 36 hours in battery saving mode, though we’d hope there’d be a larger battery in the 45mm version for better longevity.
In our full Pixel Watch 2 review, we pointed out that one of the downsides to the wearable was its short battery life. We also knocked it for its thick bezel around the screen, which was hidden by the design but obvious when you are viewing text.
We also disliked how you have to pay for Fitbit Premium to get full access to health features. Apple, Samsung, OnePlus and Garmin do not charge for their wearable health apps, and we think it should be the same with Fitbit, which is owned by Google.
If you’re deep in the Google ecosystem you might appreciate the Pixel Watch 3 might be gaining the ability to see feeds from your Nest Doorbells and Cameras on your wrist rather than only getting alerts and having to look at your phone to see who is there.
Another new rumoured feature is getting a health and fitness focused Morning Briefing ping up at the start of the day that includes sleep data and the Readiness Score you only get if you pay for Fitbit Premium – though fingers crossed Google scraps Premium entirely.
If you want the new Pixel Watch for fitness, Google is said to also be supporting custom run routines and the ability to access your saved workouts to try and beat your PBs, along with audio and haptic cues.
We expect the Google Pixel Watch 3 to be officially announced alongside the Pixel 9 series on 13 August, while there are also rumours of Pixel Buds Pro 2 wireless earbuds.
