What you need to know
- Someone left a Pixel Watch prototype in a restaurant.
- An Apple engineer famously left an iPhone 4 prototype in a bar.
- It's possible this Pixel Watch could be announced soon.
Someone appears to have managed to leave a pre-released Pixel Watch in a restaurant somewhere in the United States, with the finder then leaking images of the device to Reddit and the press. If that sounds familiar, it's because it is — an Apple engineer famously left an iPhone 4 prototype in a bar back in the day.
First reported exclusively by Android Central, the watch was found at an undisclosed restaurant. The person who shared the images understandably wanted to keep their name and the location out of the story, but the images do most of the talking. The same person later shared more images to Reddit.
While we don't get to see the Pixel Watch powered on — assuming this is what we're looking at — but we still get a good feel for what it will offer. In terms of bands, we see a connection that looks similar to the one used on Apple Watch, likely to allow for easy swapping in and out of accessories. Around the back, the Pixel Watch "looks metallic but feels like it's coated with glass." It's likely some sort of sensor system is embedded there, allowing for heart rate monitoring and potentially more.
The Pixel Watch was found with a box that carried text suggesting that this is indeed a pre-release model and that it isn't yet ready for public consumption — and it certainly hasn't been rated as such. It's thought to be possible that Google could announce the Pixel Watch alongside the Pixel 7 at its Google I/O event next month.
This device has not been authorized as required by the rules of the Federal Communications Commission and Industry Canada, nor has it been tested for compliance with EU regulations.
Android users have been waiting for Google to launch its own Apple Watch competitor and this might well be it. However, it's unlikely that it will work with iPhones and even if it did, it wouldn't be able to tie into iOS in the same way an Apple Watch can. No matter how good — or bad — this thing turns out to be, iPhone buyers should still remember that the best Apple Watch is exactly that.
Those keen to learn more about what was found in that restaurant should head over to our sibling site Android Central right now
