Google's Pixel Watch borrows all its best moves from the Apple Watch

Ever wondered what $2.1 billion buys you? In the case of Google, it's your very own pebble-shaped smartwatch. Having long been rumoured ever since the search giant, YouTube owner and somewhat erratic phone maker announced its acquisition of Fitbit in 2019 the Pixel Watch is finally legit. Unveiled in full at a Made By Google event, it is… pretty much exactly what anyone who has been following the long-running saga could have predicted. If what you predicted was an all-new wearable that owes plenty to the Apple Watch. Having taken a look at the Pixel Watch before its grand unveiling, we reckon that's a pretty smart move.

So what do we know about the Google Pixel Watch?

We've seen a lot of round smartwatches in our times, but few as suave as the Pixel Watch and its domed design. With a rotating crown and a recycled stainless steel build, it sits like a button on your wrist and uses a clever click-in mechanism to fix its bands in place. While most Android smartwatches come with limited options for customisation, the Pixel Watch supports seven families of bands including metal mesh and metal links options so you even can dress it up with a suit if you so please. It's an impressive statement of intent, and one that cribs from the Apple Watch's guiding mantra of personalisation.

To that end, the Pixel Watch itself is available in a few finishes including matte black, gold and silver – all of which are comprised of recycled stainless steel. The gold model is an especially sleek look with its polished crown making for a delightful contrast with its inky black 41mm screen. Pair this look with one of the 19 customisable watch faces Google has created for launch and you have a rather beguiling device, on first impressions at least. For what this aesthetic lacks in novelty, it makes up for in polish and execution.

There aren't that many smartwatches we'd want to wear outside the gym or the unending solitude of the great outdoors, but the Pixel Watch has the charm of a classic Casio, Swatch or G-Shock watch. Sure, it's a bit geeky, but it also says something about you beyond the fact that you don't own an iPhone and want to count your steps from time to time.

If the Pixel Watch looks undeniably familiar, then Google is counting on its software capabilities to separate the Pixel Watch from the often overwhelming fray of fitness-focused wearables. To do that it'll meld Fitbit's longstanding expertise in health tracking with the latest Wear OS operating system which elaborates dramatically on Samsung and Google's generally well-received Wear OS 3 collaboration last year. Continuous heart rate, built-in GPS, sleep tracking and an ECG app are all built into the mix, as are stats like ‘Active Zone Minutes’ to ensure you're eke-ing the maximum amount of effort/misery from your workouts.