Google’s $200 metal Pixel Watch band is very premium, very expensive

When the Pixel Watch got here out in October, it appeared like a decent-but-first-generation swing at a smartwatch (though Android Put on got here out about 9 years in the past). A part of what offers off the first-generation vibe is the Pixel Watch’s lack of watch band selection. Eight months after the watch’s launch, Google is taking a giant step towards fixing that downside by introducing steel watch bands. The “Google Pixel Watch Steel Hyperlinks Band” was briefly on the market on the Google Retailer Friday earlier than being bought out.

Google’s steel watch band is $200, which could appear costly for a $350 watch, however that’s on par with what Samsung expenses, and Apple’s steel hyperlink band is $350. We’ve considered one of these bands in individual now, and it is value each little bit of the $200 price ticket. Google’s watch band feels simply as premium as a band from a luxurious watchmaker, with an unbelievable quantity of weight and a solid-feeling clasp part. With the default quantity of steel hyperlinks (you get six further within the field), the Pixel Watch plus a steel band weighs 145 g, which is mid-weight luxurious watch territory.

The band hyperlinks have an fascinating attachment mechanism. I am used to bands that both have a protracted screw working by every hyperlink or a pin you slide in from the facet, however the hyperlinks on the Pixel every join with an inside spring bar system. Fold one of many hyperlinks in half, and you may reveal a set of openings to insert a particular pair of included tweezers. Squeeze the tweezers, and you may compress the spring bar, retracting the 2 pins and disconnecting the hyperlink from the watch band.

Spring bars can usually be fiddly because you normally need to compress them after which make them hit left and proper holes within the watch band. However on the Pixel Watch band, a small ramp is milled round every gap, which can deal with the spring compression, and you may simply click on the band hyperlinks collectively. The entire system feels safe and straightforward, and all these holes and ramps within the hyperlinks handle to be fully hidden from any regular view. Every thing concerning the watch band feels nice. It is actually as good as you possibly can hope for.

Like every actual watch, smartwatches are half know-how, half style accent, however the Pixel Watch has struggled with that final half. Apple and Samsung perceive the necessity for a smartwatch to look good and match a person’s type; Samsung has round a dozen types of watch bands, and Apple presents an almost limitless collection of bands from itself and licensed third-party designers like Nike and Hermès. The Pixel Watch launched with 5 totally different watch bands, all of which had been rubber, material, or leather-based. The normal steel watch band hasn’t been an choice from Google till now.

Google’s preliminary lack of number of watch bands was simply one of many provide chain points the corporate had with its first first-party smartwatch. The truth that the steel hyperlink band is already bought out, with solely a “waitlist” to hitch, nonetheless does not look like all of Google’s points have been ironed out. Google’s different steel watch band type promised at launch, the “Steel Mesh Band,” was speculated to launch in “Spring” alongside this hyperlink band, however the itemizing was faraway from the Google Retailer in April. A Google spokesperson tells us the steel mesh band “didn’t meet our high quality requirements, so we won’t be making them accessible for Pixel Watch, sadly.”

Eight months is a very long time to attend for an adjunct, and we’re already speaking concerning the Pixel Watch 2 rumors. This watch band makes use of a proprietary connection system, so hopefully Google will use the identical connector for the second version.

Itemizing picture by Ron Amadeo