Google has confirmed that it will launch two flagship smartwatches in the first quarter of 2017. However, the smartwatches will not have Google or Pixel branding, but will be branded by the manufacturing company.
In an exclusive interview with The Verge, Jeff Chang, the Product Manager of Android Wear at Google, said the new watches will be will be powered by Android Wear 2.0 and will be the first devices to be launched with the new platform.
After the launch of the new devices, existing Android Wear watches will also get the new Android Wear 2.0 update. The new platform will come with a host of new features, which include standalone apps that do not require a phone to work, and have integrated support for Android Pay and Google's voice-controlled Assistant (already launched on the Pixel smartphones and Home speaker).
However, Google said that not every existing Android Wear watch will be updated, but most of the recent models will be. This is because certain features like Android Pay require specific hardware which are not supported by all the models.
The fifth and final developer preview of Android Wear 2.0 is expected to be released in January and will support both Google Assistant and Android Pay. It will also work with iOS devices. While there will be differences between Wear 2.0 on Android and iOS, Android Pay will work on both the platforms, Chang confirmed.
Additionally, other Google partners will also launch their new devices with Android Wear 2.0 throughout 2017 after Google's launch of the new smartwatches. The announcements on new devices can be expected at both the CES and the Baselworld trade show in 2017.
According to Chang, Google's strategy of working with many partners on Android Wear devices has been advantageous. "We've enabled a lot of diversity with our hardware partners to target different types of consumers and preferences," he said.