Google is anticipated to launch its upcoming Pixel Watch 3 series in August, alongside the Pixel 9 series. Numerous details about the watch were revealed earlier this week.
The upcoming watch is expected to feature the long-awaited ultra-wideband (UWB) capability, as evidenced by its recent appearance on the FCC.
Now Mishaal Rahman from Android Authority discovered a hidden UWB toggle in the May Wear OS 5 Developer Preview while digging Wear OS 5. The toggle’s description states that it “helps identify the relative position of nearby devices that have UWB.” This finding confirms that the upcoming Wear OS watches will be able to utilize this feature.
Set for an August release, the Pixel Watch 3 will likely debut this feature. UWB offers superior precision in location tracking, an advantage over GPS, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi, especially in small, battery-powered wearables. UWB’s accuracy in determining the distance and direction between devices makes it a valuable addition, already used in item trackers and by car manufacturers.
Enhanced Bluetooth LE Audio Support
The Wear OS developer preview also hints at support for Bluetooth LE Audio, first introduced in Android 13 for single-source, single-receiver audio transmission. With Android 15, Google might be enhancing this to support multi-device audio streaming. This means the supported watch could stream audio to multiple Bluetooth LE Audio-compatible headphones simultaneously.
Currently, no smartwatch offers Bluetooth LE Audio support. The Pixel Watch 3 could be the first to include this feature.
Addressing User Complaints
Google’s next Pixel Watch is rumored to address user complaints about the previous versions. The Pixel Watch 3 is expected to come in two sizes, 41mm and 45mm, with cellular and WiFi options. The bezels will be slimmer at 4.5mm compared to 5.5mm on the Pixel Watch 2.
The display will also be brighter with a peak brightness of 2000 nits, up from 1000 nits on the previous model. The watch series is rumored to come in multiple colors, including Silver, Black, and Gold cases paired with Hazel, Obsidian, Porcelain, and Rose Quartz bands.
