If you haven’t read about the Google Pixel Watch 5 leak yet, it’s worth your time. Not because the leak reveals anything groundbreaking about the watch, but because the story is so bizarre that nobody quite knows what to make of it.
Whether engagement farming, clever marketing, or just a true story, the Pixel Watch 5 is the big talking point right now.
But quite frankly, I couldn’t care less. Perhaps if the leak had shown a substantial design change, I might have been intrigued, but there’s simply nothing about the Pixel Watch that makes me excited anymore.
I’ve felt the same for years, and now I care even less when there’s a far more exciting smartwatch on the way.
Smartwatches and their history
Trivia challenge
From early digital wristbands to today’s health hubs — how well do you know the smartwatch story?
HistoryBrandsTechnologyFirstsDesign
Which company released what is widely considered the first commercially available smartwatch in 1994?
Correct! Seiko released the Ruputer in Japan in 1998, but its earlier wrist-computer efforts began in 1994 with the MessageWatch. Seiko has long been a pioneer in blending computing with wearable timepieces.
Not quite — it was Seiko. While Casio made impressive calculator watches, Seiko was the brand pushing wrist-worn computing into commercial territory in the early 1990s, ahead of most competitors.
The Pebble smartwatch became a landmark product partly because of how it was funded. How much did its 2012 Kickstarter campaign ultimately raise?
Correct! Pebble’s 2012 Kickstarter raised over $10 million, smashing its original $100,000 goal and becoming one of the most successful crowdfunding campaigns of its era. It proved there was real consumer appetite for smartwatches.
Not quite — Pebble raised over $10 million on Kickstarter in 2012. That staggering sum, against a $100,000 goal, signaled to the entire tech industry that the smartwatch market was real and ready to explode.
Apple Watch was first announced in September 2014, but when did it officially go on sale to consumers?
Correct! Apple Watch went on sale on April 24, 2015, nearly seven months after its announcement. The gap allowed Apple to refine the software and manufacturing before its highly anticipated launch.
Not quite — Apple Watch launched on April 24, 2015. Apple announced it in late 2014 but held off on release to polish the experience, a strategy that helped it debut to enormous demand and critical attention.
Which operating system powers the majority of Samsung’s modern Galaxy Watch lineup?
Correct! Starting with the Galaxy Watch 4 in 2021, Samsung switched from its own Tizen OS to Wear OS, developed in partnership with Google. This marked a major shift in Samsung’s wearable strategy.
Not quite — Samsung’s modern Galaxy Watch lineup runs Wear OS. Samsung used its own Tizen platform for years, but switched to Wear OS with the Galaxy Watch 4 in 2021 after a collaboration with Google was announced at Google I/O.
IBM and Citizen collaborated on an early smartwatch concept in the late 1990s. What was this wearable prototype called?
Correct! IBM and Citizen developed the WatchPad around 2000, a wrist-worn device that ran Linux and included features like a fingerprint scanner. It was a remarkable proof-of-concept decades ahead of mainstream smartwatches.
Not quite — it was the WatchPad. IBM and Citizen jointly developed this Linux-powered wrist device around 2000, complete with a fingerprint reader. It never reached mass production but showed remarkable ambition for its time.
The original Apple Watch was offered in multiple ‘Editions’ at launch. What material was the ultra-premium Apple Watch Edition casing made from?
Correct! The first-generation Apple Watch Edition featured an 18-karat gold case and was priced at up to $17,000. It was Apple’s bold statement that smartwatches could compete in the luxury fashion market.
Not quite — the original Apple Watch Edition used 18-karat gold. Priced as high as $17,000, it was Apple’s attempt to position the smartwatch as a luxury fashion item, not just a tech gadget. Titanium and ceramic came in later generations.
Fitbit is best known for fitness trackers, but it did release a full smartwatch. What was the name of its first true smartwatch, launched in 2017?
Correct! The Fitbit Ionic, released in 2017, was Fitbit’s first proper smartwatch, featuring onboard GPS, music storage, and third-party apps. It was an ambitious step up from Fitbit’s tracker roots, though it was later recalled due to a battery issue.
Not quite — Fitbit’s first true smartwatch was the Ionic, launched in 2017. While the Surge was a GPS fitness ‘superwatch,’ the Ionic was the first to support third-party apps and music. It was later recalled in 2022 over overheating concerns.
Which health-monitoring feature did Apple add to the Apple Watch Series 4, making it a milestone for the wearable health industry?
Correct! Apple Watch Series 4 introduced ECG capability in 2018, allowing users to take a single-lead electrocardiogram directly from their wrist. It was the first FDA-cleared ECG product available directly to consumers over the counter.
Not quite — it was ECG capability. Apple Watch Series 4 became the first consumer smartwatch cleared by the FDA to take an electrocardiogram reading in 2018. Blood oxygen monitoring came later with Series 6 in 2020, and blood glucose tracking remains unavailable.
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The Pixel Watch bores me to death
Rounder, bigger, better, and just as boring
I’ve never been one for wearing a watch. I grew up surrounded by phones and computers, so checking the time on an electronic device always felt more natural to me than toting around a physical clock.
But as social media and doomscrolling began to affect my life negatively, I began to see the advantages of a smartwatch.
The original Pixel Watch was my first smartwatch, and I only picked it up as part of a promotional bundle with the Google Pixel 7 Pro.
I was cautious about first-generation hardware, but I gave it my best effort. I immediately noticed the benefits.
I was picking up my phone less, even leaving it at home on short trips out. Distractions were down, and I found numerous uses for my watch, like checking my shopping list when my hands were full.
However, I began to tire of the constant recharging, connection issues, double notifications, and the watch’s general redundancy.
Soon, it was spending more time out of battery in my drawer than on my wrist. Indeed, I haven’t used it in about two years.
When it comes to phones, new generations often reignite my interest in a brand. But with each generation of Pixel Watch, I became less and less interested.
Sure, they offered bigger screens, better battery life, and more advanced features, but none of this excited me.
There were no quirky software or hardware features, and the heavy focus on fitness tracking features was increasingly pointless for me.
So the Pixel Watch slowly dropped out of sight. I kept tabs on the devices for professional reasons, but as far as my personal life went, I couldn’t care less.
I was smartwatch-free and happy. I scoffed at my Apple Watch-toting friends and rolled my eyes at those sporting the latest Galaxy Watch.
But my interest in smartwatches was reignited this year, and it wasn’t thanks to Google, Samsung, or even Apple.
I saw hundreds of gadgets at CES 2026, but I made only one purchase
I’m excited for more Pebble devices, and you should be too
Pebble brought the smartwatch back to its roots
It gives us what we need and plenty of fun to boot
At CES 2026, I saw and pre-ordered the Pebble Round 2. This decision might seem odd coming from someone who regularly pontificates about the irrelevance of smartwatches, but I was sold on the device from the minute I saw it.
Two things cemented my love for the Pebble Round 2 (and to a lesser extent, the Time 2). First was battery life. The Round 2 and Time 2 offer a 14-day and 30-day battery life, respectively.
Straight out of the tech specs, the smartwatches have eliminated my major pain point of modern smartwatches.
Secondly, the smartwatches are built as fun gadgets, not AI-powered wearables designed to help you. In the words of Google: “Stay connected. Stay organized. Stay uncompromising.”
I’m constantly frustrated by how the biggest smartwatch manufacturers are trying to turn the smartwatch into a phone.
I don’t want my smartwatch to do everything my phone can; I own a phone to do those things! I don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars just to have a smaller, slower, less functional phone on my wrist.
The Pebble Watch is the ideal accessory. It works great as a regular watch; its fitness features are all I need (only step and sleep tracking), and the Pebble Appstore is packed with some of the most brilliant smartwatch apps I’ve ever seen.
Best of all? It only costs $199. The Pixel Watch 4? $349.
Yes, the Pixel Watch 4 is more powerful and has Gemini (not that I care), but the Pebble Round 2 is what a smartwatch should be. But most importantly, it’s fun.
I wore the Pixel Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 8, and this is the one I’d buy
It’s really close between these two top smartwatches, but one just edges the other out
I don’t see the point of phone-like smartwatches in 2026
If this all sounds like I think Google should burn down its smartwatch department, I want to set the record straight.
I think Google just launched one of the best wearables on the market with the Fitbit Air.
The Fitbit Air is a $99 screenless fitness tracker with an elastic fabric band. It offers a seven-day battery life, and can charge to one day of battery life in five minutes.
In short, it’s fantastic. Cheap, packed with features, and does everything you want. In my opinion, it’s a better choice than the Pixel Watch, as, let me remind you, your phone already does everything the Pixel Watch can.
What your phone can’t do is offer the detailed tracking that the Fitbit Air provides. What’s this? A genuine use case for a Google wearable? Amazing!
So forget about the Pixel Watch 5 and its underwater adventures. Get a Pebble smartwatch for something truly exciting, or save your money with a Fitbit Air.
- Colors
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Matte Black, Brushed Silver, Polished Rose Gold
- Display
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1.3″ 64 color e-paper screen
- Battery
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2 week battery life
- Strap size
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14 or 20mm
The Pebble Round 2 brings back the original Pebble Time Round’s design, and updates it with the brand’s new technology and software.
