The most likely theory for the semiconductors being shipped from Samsung to Google is that these will be used in a reference design, perhaps to test elements of a revamped Wear OS to launch in 2021. Google has regularly updated its Android operating system for smartphones with new features and functionality, but Wear OS hasn’t seen the same level of attention in a while.
It’s also possible the chips will be used to prototype a Pixel Watch ahead of an announcement this year, or next. Google typically holds its hardware showcase, dubbed Made By Google, in early October, so it seems a little last-minute to be mocking up smartwatch designs in August.
Google recently bought fitness tracking firm Fitbit. When inking the deal, the Mountain View-based company said the $2.1billion acquisition was about “devices, not data,” so it’s perfectly possible that whatever we see emerge from the Google design lab isn’t a Pixel Watch at all – but a new Fitbit tracker with some added Google smarts.