As Google’s prominence in the hardware space continues to rise – thanks in no small part to product lines such as its Pixel smartphones and Home smart speakers – the tech giant seems set to expand its repertoire even further in 2019.
A report from respected Japanese media outlet Nikkei via “sources familiar with the company’s plans” claims that Google has a host of new hardware releasing this year, including the company’s first Google-branded smartwatch that we’ve been hearing about for so long.
Rumors of a Pixel Watch have been floating around for quite some time, and with the company recently purchasing $40 million worth of tech from smartwatch manufacturer Fossil, it seems highly likely that Google is cooking up something in the wearable realm.
- We've had plenty of Google Pixel 3 Lite leaks and rumors so far
- Including what appears to be a video showing off the entire device
- As well as a possible benchmark result and name change
Not just a pretty (watch)face
The article also mentions that a more affordable Pixel phone (likely the Google Pixel 3 Lite) will be part of the company’s 2019 roadmap and will enter the market earlier than the other speculated devices, landing at a price below Apple’s iPhone XR – the most affordable iPhone in the Cupertino firm's recent lineup.
Although the Nikkei report largely focuses on the Pixel 3 Lite – albeit without offering up any new details – it does also mention Google’s plans to launch a new smart speaker (likely another Home product) and web camera, which could potentially manufactured by Nest, the smarthome security company purchased by Google in 2014.
The Nikkei report also affirms that we can expect the usual iteration of flagship smartphone updates this year – we expect the Pixel 4 will arrive in October, just like its last three predecessors.
Of course, at this stage we don’t have anything concrete on these devices from Google, but given the confluence of rumors bubbling up about all these products, it seems very likely that we’ll be seeing a Google Pixel 3 Lite, a Pixel Watch and an updated Home speaker launch some time before the end of 2019.
