Leaked Pixel Watch photos offer our best look yet at the design, proprietary watch bands

Google's long-awaited smartwatch just got its biggest leak so far

There's a new torrent of Pixel leaks for us to reckon with, but this time, unusually, it's not for a phone but a smartwatch. Evidence of the Pixel Watch's existence and imminent announcement has leaked several times over the past few weeks, with today's taking the Upside Down Cake as the most interesting.

A new report from Android Central claims that someone came across an engineering sample of Google's upcoming smartwatch at a restaurant somewhere in the U.S. — specifics are pretty vague to protect the source — but the person had the wearable in their possession long enough to take photos of it from almost every conceivable angle. Should the leaked images prove to be real, they reinforce the design renders that have been floating around since December of last year, when Jon Prosser's FrontPageTech showed off a series of marketing renders that were reportedly shared with retailers. Earlier in December, Business Insider reported that the watch, codenamed "Rohan," would be released sometime in 2022.

This most recent set of images shows a near bezel-free rounded watch with a right-mounted rotating crown and a button nested above it in the shiny stainless steel frame. While the size of the face is unclear, the watch appears to use a set of proprietary lugs for its watch bands, which will likely preclude it from being used with standard quick-release straps. Google-owned Fitbit has famously resisted supporting standard watch bands, arguing that for its own quick-release mechanisms make it easier and faster for users to swap out bands for different scenarios such as fitness and formal attire. It's unclear if the bands shown in the leaked photos are using the final design, but if they are they appear to employ a set of plastic "teeth" that snap into the watch housing on either side.

Below the crown appears to be a microphone hole, and the back of the watch houses a set of sensors that is sure to include a heart-rate monitor and perhaps oxygen saturation and skin temperature sensors, similar to those found on the Fitbit Sense. It's unclear how the Pixel Watch charges, but given the prevalence of magnetic Qi-based chargers across the industry today, from the Apple Watch to the Galaxy Watch lineup, it's safe to assume the Pixel Watch will offer something similar.

This particular unit appears to show the "G" Google logo but reportedly doesn't boot into Wear OS itself. With Google I/O arriving in just over two weeks, it's likely we'll get our first proper look at the features included in the Pixel Watch's upgraded Wear OS software.

Android Police previously reported that the Pixel Watch will be sold in both Wi-Fi and cellular models with 32GB of internal storage and be available in three colors: gray, black, and gold. A more recent leak pointed to the watch being released with Android Wear 3.1, a bump over the currently Galaxy Watch4-exclusive Wear OS 3.0 that we've been using since mid-2021. If things pan out, the Pixel Watch could end up being one of the best Android smartwatches available — even if it feels like this may be Google's last chance at making it happen.