Side-by-side Pixel Watch 3 and 3 XL renders showcase slimmer bezels for one model

Google’s Pixel Watch 2 is easily one of the best smartwatches available on the market. It offers a redesigned digital crown when compared to the first-gen Pixel Watch, support for always-on display, a 24-hour-plus battery life, alongside a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 chipset.

The wearable’s design remained consistent, closely resembling the first-gen Pixel Watch, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The Pixel Watch and Pixel Watch 2 are both well-designed, with the latter featuring an aluminum case and a domed glass design over the wearable’s display. Those expecting Google to switch things up with the upcoming Pixel Watch 3 shouldn’t necessarily hold their breath.

Google’s long-awaited Pixel Watch 3 seemingly leaked earlier this week, revealing not one, but two upcoming Pixel wearables. In renders shared by reliable leaker OnLeaks, we got our first look at the Pixel Watch 3, and the Pixel Watch 3 XL, and the wearables look awfully similar to the Pixel Watch 2. The XL model, albeit, is new. We’ve never had a 45mm Pixel Watch, with the previous generations of the wearable only offering a 41mm variant.

From what we know so far, the XL watch will feature a 1.45-inch display compared to the leaked 1.2-inch display on the Pixel Watch 3. But what about the bezels?

We know that the bezels on the Pixel Watch and Pixel Watch 2 have long been the main complaint about the watch series, taking up a good chunk of the display’s real estate. People who use a black colored watch face find that it blends in with the bezels. However, using a light colored watch face really shows how big and thick the watch’s bezels are, as seen in the image above. This is likely why almost all of Google’s marketing images for the Pixel Watch 2 feature a dark watch face.

Those expecting muted bezels with the Pixel Watch 3 shouldn’t get too excited

Source: OnLeaks

The renders make it a little hard to see the bezels, especially with the dark-colored watch faces masking where the display ends and the bezels begin. However, if you look really closely at the side-by-side image above, especially on the top left of both wearables, it looks like the XL watch might have slightly muted bezels, when compared to the Pixel Watch 3. There’s never been a Pixel Watch XL before, so we have nothing else to compare it to. The regular Pixel Watch 3’s bezels, on the other hand, look almost identical to its predecessor’s.

Elsewhere, a commenter on OnLeak’s X (Twitter) post said that they were able to run the upcoming wearables’ leaked body and screen measurements in a CAD software, which gives us a better look at the upcoming series’ bezels. According to the user, if the measurements shared by OnLeak are correct, the CAD renders they generated should also be correct.

Everything else that we know so far

The Pixel Watch and the Pixel Watch 2 were both announced in October, in 2022 and 2023, respectively. Considering that leaks and rumors about the Pixel Watch 3 series have already started emerging, it’s safe to say that Google is on-track to release, or show off the Pixel Watch 3 series in October.

The Pixel Watch 3 is expected to measure in at 40.79 x 40.73 x 14mm, while the Pixel Watch 3 XL will come in at 45mm x 45mm x 13.89mm. Both wearables will reportedly continue using pogo pin-based charging, and feature an overall slightly thicker design.

Further, considering that the bigger watch will don the “XL” moniker, and not “Pro,” we’re expecting it to feature no performance bumps over the regular Pixel Watch 3, barring a bigger display and battery.

It’s also worth noting, if the leaks turn out to be true, you won’t be able to use the Pixel Watch 3 and Watch 3 XL’s bands interchangeably. The Watch 3 XL will reportedly sport a larger band attachment system than the Watch 3 and predecessors, which means that it won’t be able to accommodate your old Pixel Watch bands.

A lot can change between now and October, so we suggest that you take these leaks and rumors with a grain of salt.