In the fall of this year, Google is expected to release the Pixel Watch. Wear OS has had a history of disappointment and many people have high hopes for it. With Wear OS 3, it will hopefully be successful in doing its job. For now, Google just has to create a smartwatch with great functionality and serve as a good product.
Google is working on backup features that would let you transfer data between devices. It’s a major oversight that Wear OS doesn’t cause backups, but in the future you’ll be able to do this without factory resetting your device. Normally, we should be able to upload data to the cloud easily, but this workaround solves the problem temporarily.
This just shows how low the bar is for a smartwatch. Competitors like Samsung and Apple already have backups because it’s 2022. So long as the Pixel Watch can last 24 hours on one charge, has a quick CPU, and can provide common features of a smartwatch (e.g., contactless payments, music streaming, fitness tracking), then it will still succeed despite not being perfect. Anything else is bonus.
It is plausible for Google’s smartwatch to surpass expectations and perform satisfactorily.
With Wear OS 3, Google has shown they can create a competent smartwatch. The company introduced the platform at I/O 2021 with Samsung and more popular third-party developers like WhatsApp have new apps optimized for it. Google plans to upgrade wear OS 2 to wear OS 3 for the Pixel Watch coming out this Fall. This could include apps like Google Pay or Messages, streaming via YouTube Music, or have other characteristics of modern watches.
Google Fi support will extend beyond a “good-enough” bare minimum. Google also has features planned for Wear OS 3, such as a streamlined interface, Fitbit integration, and emergency calling. We should expect apps like Google Assistant, YouTube Music, Google Wallet and Google Maps – which is currently what I expect to see in a modern smartwatch.
I can’t comment on how well the Pixel Watch will perform until I have tried it out myself. All I can say is that the bar for good wearables is so low and Samsung still has no competitors apart from themselves. If the Pixel Watch can give Galaxy Watches a run for their money, it would be unexpected, but anything would be better than the mediocre products we have seen before.