Leaked by Japanese retailer Joshin and shared by Roland Quandt on Twitter, the Pixel Watch looks like it has a gigantic bezel which, if rumors about the size of this watch are to be believed, could be taking up a quarter of the watch’s face!
The bad kind of thicc
So far, we’ve had glimpses of the hardware, but nothing that featured a clear view of the display being on or how big it is. It looks as if the “reimagined” Wear OS is doing a lot of legwork in hiding that chunky bezel. Joshin’s product page also discussed a 41mm diameter with a 12.3mm thickness, which largely matches up with what we’ve been seeing in rumors and leaks building up to the Google October event. But it’s the fact that we’re now seeing detailed menus and watch faces that have detail around the edge of the display that has us slightly worried about the usability of this device. Look at the fitness menu image, for example, and you can see how cramped the display looks when surrounded by that large bezel. In fact, someone did the math in the replies and found that the surround of the display could measure up to 5mm, which leads to a display size of just 31mm. Bear in mind that Apple Watch models start at 41mm in a frame that, while it’s a different shape, is very similar in size to the Pixel Watch. With that in mind, you’d be right to feel a little concerned about trying to interact with small menu items. For a different look, the Redditor who leaked the Pixel Watch unboxing also shared a picture that clearly shows how thick that bezel is.
Outlook
We all knew that Wear OS devices needed to go through a bit of rehabilitation, but for Google to go for a far smaller display than the majority of its own competition is a strange move, to say the least. Of course, there are some tight integrations with the Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro to look forward to — making this part of a full suite of products for your mobile lifestyle. Plus, I do like a round face over the rounded rectangle of the Apple Watch, but a 31mm display has alarm bells ringing for how useful this is as an alternative to taking your phone out of your pocket. We will find everything out tomorrow though, so keep your eyes locked on Laptop Mag for our Pixel event live blog.
