Bizarre leak: Google Pixel Watch 5 prototype apparently found during ocean dive
The successor to the Pixel Watch 4 (starting at $310 on Amazon) is expected to launch alongside the Pixel 11 lineup in August 2026. However, a prototype appears to have already surfaced – albeit under extremely odd circumstances that easily overshadow the 2010 incident where an iPhone 4 was accidentally left in a bar – assuming this story isn’t a hoax. But more on that later.
According to X user Randy Pitchford, a friend of his found a smartwatch while diving near the island of Saint Martin in the Caribbean. Upon closer inspection, the device turned out to be a Pixel Watch 5, at least based on the writing on the back, as shown in one of the images below. What’s so peculiar about this leak isn’t that a potential next-gen Pixel Watch prototype is being tested in the wild, but that it was allegedly discovered on the ocean floor.
Pixel Watch 5's design appears unchanged
The images shared by Randy Pitchford don’t show anything out of the ordinary, and the face of the person taking the photos can even be seen reflected in the inactive display. In a follow-up tweet, the X user claimed they had managed to track down the owner. That said, plenty of questions remain. For instance, why does the watch still look so pristine after being found in the ocean? Naturally, we don’t know how long it was in the water, but several scratches or other signs of damage would be reasonable to expect in this case.
Notably, the Pixel Watch 5 seems to echo its predecessor in terms of design. However, the device is likely to feature a new Snapdragon Wear chip for higher energy efficiency alongside Wear OS 7. The leaker claims the battery inside the prototype was nearly dead after the discovery and could only power the time indicator. This supposedly explains why none of the photos show an active display.
Source(s)
Image: Max Weinbach
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