Google Store redesign indicates imminent Pixel Watch announcement

By Peter Hunt Szpytek April 19, 2022

The online Google Store has received its first major update since 2020, rearranging some elements and giving a fresh look to the overall design of the website. Curiously, a new tab dubbed the “Watches” menu has been added to the top of the digital storefront, which raises the eyebrows of many Google fans. It appears as if the “Fitbit” widget has been replaced with the much more general “Watches” tab, which is significant seeing as Google doesn’t make any watches. That is, the company hasn’t officially announced that it’s making watches — yet.

It doesn’t take a super sleuth to detect that Google is planning on releasing a Pixel Watch. Rumors and leaks have been going around for several years at this point indicating that the company has been looking to get deeper into the wearable tech scene, but there hasn’t been much official word from Google on the subject.

Related Videos

Screenshot of the Google store

Although a verbiage change on the company’s web store hardly counts as “official word,” it does seem to indicate that something is going on with Google’s wearable tech. Given how close Google I/O 2022 is, it seems to stand to reason that a Pixel Watch announcement could finally come at the event.

This isn’t the first time that Google’s online store has changed its wording around its products to give more updated information to customers. As pointed out by 9to5Google, the company previously changed a tab from “Laptops & Tablets” to just “Laptops” following the discontinuation of the Pixel Slate, so there’s precedent for Google to update its store to match its current lineup of products.

When exploring the Watch section of the store, there’s not much to report on just yet. It consists of the same Fitbit offerings that were available previously without any reference to a potential upcoming Pixel Watch. The bottom of the page does provide shoppers the option to receive email updates when the store’s stock changes, but that feature isn’t exclusive to the Watches section.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Mobile

The Google Pixel Fold may not be as expensive as you thought

Alleged renders of the Google Pixel Fold in black.

Google’s long-in-development foldable phone — the Pixel Fold — is reportedly eyeing a late June launch. A recent leak predicted that the Pixel Fold will hit the European shelves priced at 1,700 Euros, which equates to roughly $1,800 based on current conversion rates. That’s not easy to digest, especially for a first-gen foldable phone and considering Google’s own shaky history with its Pixel hardware and software.
But it appears that the Pixel Fold’s price won’t be inexplicably exorbitant at all. Leaker Yogesh Bear shared on Twitter that the foldable phone could actually cost anywhere between $1,300 and $1,500. Assuming that turns out to be true, the Pixel Fold could undercut the Samsung Galaxy Fold 4 and its successor by a healthy $500.

In fact, such an asking price would put the Pixel Fold in roughly the same ballpark as the higher storage configurations of phones like the Galaxy S23 Ultra and Apple’s iPhone 14 Pro Max. Of course, Google won’t be able to match the asking price of foldables from Chinese brands, but it would at least look competitive in the Western markets.
Now, a price of around $1,300-1,500 makes a lot of sense. First, the biggest deterrent for foldable phones is their high asking price. There’s a reason Samsung managed to sell bucketloads of its flip-style foldable phones because they cost nearly half vis-a-vis the phone-tablet hybrids in the Galaxy Z Fold series.

Mobile

Google Pixel 8: all the latest rumors and what we want to see

Google Pixel 8 leaked render.

The Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro are on their way. Google's fallen in a pretty reliable release pattern for Pixel phones, meaning we can safely expect a new lineup of flagship Pixels each year. In 2023, that means the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro.

The Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro are two excellent devices -- possibly two of the best smartphones Google has ever made. But while they have some serious strengths, a number of problems and missed opportunities drag both phones down. This wouldn't be a problem if the competition was standing still, but it's not. The Apple iPhone 14 Pro refreshed the iPhone design for the first time in years, and the recently released Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is quite possibly one of the best smartphones ever created. So what's a humble Pixel to do?

Mobile

I love the Galaxy S23 — here are 5 things the iPhone still does better

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra and Apple iPhone 14 Pro

Samsung’s Galaxy S23 has arrived to the masses, and it’s one of the best Android phones you can get right now, especially the S23 Ultra. However, for those who don’t need all of the fancy bells and whistles, like the S Pen and 200MP main camera, the regular S23 is also plenty powerful for the average person, especially if you prefer smaller devices.

I’ve been using the Galaxy S23 for the past few weeks, and so far, my experience has been delightful. I know that it’s still early on in the year, but for me, the S23’s small size is perfect and comfortable. Android also does a lot of things better than iOS, like individual volume controls and notifications, for example. But I am still primarily using my iPhone 14 Pro — despite Apple having some big flaws, such as overprocessing images after you capture them.