Pixel Watch 5 Steph Curry Edition leaks as Google roasts rivals You Should Know
Last week Google announced the star-studded cast for its Made by Google launch event. While I thought the inclusion of Steph Curry was possibly (hopefully) for more Fitbit news, it seems it’s for the Pixel Watch 5.
While some Fitbit news isn’t totally out of the question, it seems unlikely. However, a leak appears to confirm there will be a Steph Curry Special Edition of the Pixel Watch 5, via MyMobiles and OnLeaks, so he’s not there to just shoot some three-pointers.
The device follows on from the Steph Curry Special Edition of the Fitbit Air. The NBA star helped Google launch the screenless tracker earlier this year as the official Performance Advisor.
Like the budget fitness tracker, the Special Edition refers to the band specifically while the smartwatch itself remains the same. It is “Designed with 4x NBA champion Stephen Curry, this special edition band features a water-repellent coating for your toughest workouts.”
MyMobiles / OnLeaks
It has the same orange and grey/beige design as the Fitbit Air version and features his name on a part of the strap along with the hashtag #LockedIn.
Also mirroring the Air strap, the Pixel Watch 5 version is water-repellent, but there’s a big caveat here as Google says it won’t last.
“While this product is designed to be water-resistant, this resistance is achieved through a specialized surface coating/treatment. This protection is not permanent. The protective water-resistant coating may diminish or be completely removed over time due to normal wear and tear, environmental exposure, and regular use,” says Google’s small print as per the Fitbit Air version.
More caveats
There are more caveats too, as the leak says the Steph Curry Special Edition strap for the Pixel Watch 5 is limited to the larger 45mm LTE model, discriminating against those with smaller wrists if true.
It’s set to cost €579.99, which is €30 more than the model with Google’s standard strap (price rises are expected). Furthermore, it may be limited to the US, as per the Fitbit Air, as the small print also says “Not available in all countries”.
MyMobiles / OnLeaks
If it’s because the NBA, in which Curry plays, is an American league, that’s a little short-sighted.
The final thing to note is that the display on the Pixel Watch 5 shows 20 August as the date. Since we know the smartwatch will be announced on 12 August, this could be the on sale release date.
Google roasts rivals
In related news, Google has continued its series of teasers for the Made by Google event.
After a very brief glimpse at the Pixel Watch 5 in the video showing the Dune colour of the Pixel 11 Pro and the celebrity guests, the smartwatch now stars in its own clip with the name confirmed.
We get a slightly better and longer look at it, but it only seems to further confirm it looks just like the Pixel Watch 4.
The surprising part is how Google throws shade at rivals, when it doesn’t normally stoop to this kind of level.
The video and post says, “Imagine a watch that tracks your health, sleep and fitness… but still has the decency… to look like a watch.”
Ouch if your one of Google’s rivals, many of which ironically run Wear OS, Google’s operating system for wearables.
Whether Google is solely targeting the square Apple Watch is hard to say, but it will be interesting to see if the Made by Google event is as spicy as this teaser.
