Having tried many smartwatches at this point, I can honestly say I’m not a fan of many. Looking back, my all-time favorite is the original Moto 360, followed by the Moto 360 (2nd-Gen), original Huawei Watch, and a few others from that time period. For me, a lot of the hardware didn’t look very appealing following those, leaving no wearables that I wanted to carry around on my wrist. I haven’t worn a smartwatch for an extended period in years. However, with the Pixel Watch seemingly right around the corner, I have that feeling of excitement that is reserved for only things that really pique my interest. We’ve been discussing the potential for a Pixel Watch for years, and while I can’t wait for Google to finally take the plunge, I think the best approach is cautious optimism.
- Look: Pixel Watch on the wrist!
If you’re one of the people that thinks what we’ve seen so far looks good, then you’re with me. I like the appearance of the device. For those calling it a “round Apple Watch,” yeah, how is that a bad thing? It looks minimal and clean, unlike some of the clunky looking monsters some of y’all be lugging around. Thanks, but no thanks to those.
So while there is optimism for its appearance, the strap situation has me nervous. Proprietary bands are an issue for me. What if I don’t want cheap rubber straps that Google will likely charge $40-$50 a pop for? Maybe I want a leather or canvas strap? Whenever I do wear a watch, I double it as a fashion piece, so I will switch out straps to match a pair of shoes or something else that I am wearing. If Google doesn’t make that possible, and all we get is a black rubber band, that’s a big time yawn.
Others may be thinking that buying anything 1st-Gen from Google is a crapshoot. They aren’t wrong. This watch has the potential to have plenty of issues, but it’s an argument best saved for once the device is actually released. We can discuss hypotheticals all day and night, but until we know the watch is bad or good (and what issues potentially plague it), we shouldn’t assume that any of that will happen. Google has had quite a bit of time to nail this wearable, so the hope is that they pulled it off well. Of course, the thought continues to linger, so again, I will approach it with cautious optimism.
And then there’s the price. Oh, please, don’t be stupid expensive. My guess for the Pixel Watch WiFi-only is $279, $329 for a cellular model. That seems reasonable, but also overpriced at the same time. To me, that’s usually a good sign that it’s priced appropriately.
While we’re beginning to see the watch appear on wrists, there are still many unknowns. So many so that it’s still premature to label as anything other than an unreleased prototype that has popped up on reddit. A lot can change still. It’s not a winner and it’s not a loser. Yet. With that said, I urge all my fellow Android fans to approach this device with a healthy level of cautious optimism. After all, pessimism isn’t healthy for your mental wellbeing.