It looks like Google is giving some Pixel Watch 4 models a price drop this year

Google’s next big hardware event is less than three weeks away, but leaks have already spoiled almost all the surprises. After getting a peek at the Pixel 10 series’ pricing earlier this week, the only major thing left to learn is exactly how much Google’s new Pixel Watch 4 series will cost. Now, it seems like we have an answer to that question as well.

Android Headlines has leaked the pricing for the full Pixel Watch 4 lineup, and it’s good news across the board. MSRPs for the Wi-Fi versions remain unchanged in both 41mm and 45mm sizes — and surprisingly, the LTE models are said to get a $50 price drop when compared to their Pixel Watch 3 counterparts.

These numbers are comparable to other Wear OS smartwatches, with Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 8 series and the OnePlus Watch 3 both starting at $349. While Google’s lineup doesn’t have an “Ultra” model, comparable watches from other Android OEMs also top out in the mid-$400 range for their larger LTE variants.

Notably, the Pixel Watch 3 series placed a premium on LTE variants, with these models retailing for $449 (41mm) and $499 (45mm).

Included with these prices, Google will reportedly offer a six-month Fitbit Premium trial and an additional month of free YouTube Premium.

Yet another new charger, but this one has benefits to go with its drawbacks

Google just can’t seem to crack the smartwatch charging equation. The first-gen Pixel Watch used wireless charging like most other options on the market — yet, due to a nonstandard charging coil, it didn’t work with many of the same chargers that can power the likes of the Apple Watch or Samsung’s Galaxy Watch series.

The Pixel Watch 2 switched to a pogo pin charger, one that Google had first used in its Fitbit smartwatches. Except the Fitbit models that used this system were square and the Pixel Watch 2 was round, so many of the existing pogo-based Fitbit chargers wouldn’t perfectly conform to the back of the Pixel.

Google stuck with that Fitbit pogo charger in the Pixel Watch 3 series, and by then, third-party charger offerings had adjusted to work with both Pixels and Fitbits. So this was the only Google watch to date that had a healthy selection of compatible chargers on Amazon when the device first became available.

But now, it appears that Google is throwing this whole system on its side — literally.

In today’s leak, Android Headlines explains that this new charging system will be “much faster” than the Pixel Watch 2 and 3 charger. Specifically, you should expect it to be 25% faster than last year’s, going from 0% to 50% in 15 minutes, or 0% to 80% in about 30.

The side pogo pin system should work nicely as a bedside clock, and it will likely improve compatibility with certain watch bands. But it’s not without its drawbacks.

For one, early adopters will struggle to find compatible third-party chargers, simply because it’s a new system. And with the pogo pins being on the side of the watch — specifically, the side facing you in most configurations — you might have to get used to unsightly bumps on the casing. And finally, the new system will very likely interfere with existing watch cases.

While these changes might be frustrating for some, Google will have a chance to explain itself in its big sales pitch on August 20th. The Made By Google event is all set to kick off at 1:00 p.m. ET that day, and the fanfare will of course be live-streamed on YouTube for all to see.