Aha! So that leaked Pixel Watch 2 was the OG Pixel Watch all along!

So, after having to go to the hospital because of the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, I gave up on using some of the best smartwatches in favor of something older and way more reliable (and fun): the Pebble Watch.

That being said, I can’t help to hide my excitement about the Pixel Watch 2. And even despite the fact that I got my hand literally burned by the last WearOS watch I tried on, I can’t help but appreciate how the Pixel Watch — made by the people who make wearOS — is actually making an effort to stand out in a crowd of boring watches.

Which is why I am excited to report that I was right to be disappointed about this leak of an alleged render for the Pixel Watch 2, which looked identical to its older sibling, because ultimately, that render is indeed one of the original Pixel Watch.

What a conundrum!




So, as you may have already heard, this is related to a Play Console — a tool for developers to track different metrics for their releases — leak related to the Pixel Watch 2, which we’re expecting to launch soon alongside the Pixel 8 series of Google flagship phones.

And while the specs related to the leak may turn out to be true, everyone was busy with a design-related fact: the image on these leaks looked way too familiar. But that was only because it was a placeholder image, displaying the Pixel Watch and not the upcoming sequel.

“But how can we be certain?!” I hear you ask! Well, simple: the original Play Console listing for the first Pixel Watch is still up. And, you’ve guessed it: it has the same picture. So this is just the Big G preserving the hype for the PW2 — because I can’t stand to type out “pixel watch” one more time in this article.

Now, while all of that is fine and dandy, the fact of the matter is that this doesn’t mean that we're in for any groundbreaking design changes regarding the expected Google smartwatch. And I can give you a couple of reasons as to why:

• The smartwatch is still establishing its identity, so it needs to stick to its design principles (like the Nothing Phone (2) did)
• The design of the original was unique and exciting in its own right, so there isn’t really much need for a revamp

Which is also why I’m excited to — finally! — see the watch. Even if I like how the first one looked, I can’t pretend like there were no issues related to performance and battery life. If the second generation removes those and sticks to the design… That’s a hype train I can certainly look forward to boarding.