Why the Galaxy Watch could be the only flagship smartwatch for Android fans this year

Galaxy Watch was announced alongside the Note 9 at Samsung’s Unpacked event in New York City at the start of August.

The product will release in the UK later this week on September 6 and boasts a ton of new features for Android lovers to get excited about.

In addition to sporting a brand new design, the wearable also comes with enhances fitness tracking capabilities and an updated operating system.

Galaxy Watch is available in a 42millimetre and 46millimetre case size – the former costs £279 while the latter will be priced at £299.

One of the biggest new additions to the watch is the implementation of built-in network support, this means Android users can make calls without needing their phone at all.

Although versions of the watch with this utility have not been given a release date yet, it is something smartwatch fanatics can look forward to.

Samsung also claims the largest version of the product is able to achieve a week’s worth of battery on a single charge.

However usage cases were not detailed by the South Korean tech giant after it made such claims.

But it seems the flagship wearable from Samsung will not be joined by a Pixel branded watch from Google this year following a new report from Tom’s Guide.

The publication declared Google confirmed on two separate occasions that it had no plans to release its own wearable in 2018.

Instead, the tech giant insisted its “focus” was to work with other hardware manufacturers that would deliver products running Google’s Wear OS operating system.

In an interview with Tom’s Guide, Miles Barr, the director of engineering for Wear OS, said: “To think of a one-size-fits-all watch, I don’t think we’re there yet.

“Our focus is on our partners for now.”

Following the interview with Barr, a “PR representative” for the tech behemoth clarified it would not be releasing its own smartwatch this year.

Renowned leaker Evan Blass had previously claimed Google was planning to announce a “Pixel-branded watch” at a hardware event later this year.

He tweeted: “Besides the Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL, and second-gen Pixel Buds, a reliable source tells me – with high confidence – that Google’s fall hardware event will also introduce a Pixel-branded watch. Have a great summer!”

It is unknown if Google was initially planning to release a wearable alongside its latest smartphone, but it appears Android fans will have to wait a little longer to see if the tech giant enters the wearable sphere.

A recent report from Bloomberg insisted Google is planning a hardware event for October 9 in New York City that will showcase some of its future hardware.