9
Verge Score
Apple gave the people what they wanted, resulting in the most compelling update to the Apple Watch lineup this year.
Apple’s thinnest iPhone yet, its most capable wearables, its best AirPods Pro, and a lot more.
Satellite SOS would be fine, but maybe it’s time for a new wearable thesis rooted in what people really want.
Wired has some sick photos of a Pixel Watch 4 teardown. In my chats with the Pixel Watch team, I was told the inside would resemble a “bento box” and it certainly looks like it. Also: standard T2 screws everybody. This is such a huge step forward. Bravo, Google.
Dare I say it? Google has the wearable juice.
As announced Thursday morning, Apple has now released new iPhone and Watch updates that re-enable the Blood Oxygen monitoring feature in the US for Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, and Apple Watch Ultra 2 users as a workaround for the ITC’s import ban.
A lot of people are very excited about the return of Pebble smartwatches, but our first good look at the Time 2’s design has some admitting that nostalgia alone won’t get them to switch smartwatches.
Subsy:
“I love this for nostalgic reasons, but can’t ditch the Apple Watch for it.
I need NFC payment support, LTE for leaving my phone at home, and a good fitness app.”
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My colleague Allison was humbled by the attempt to ditch her phone and live on her Apple Watch alone, but a few commenters have chimed in to insist it can be done:
scttcnnr1:
I’ve done this for over a year now and have loved it - my phone stays in the office, which lets me check in on anything while at work, but outside of work I have found that an LTE Apple Watch does everything I need to do without any of the distracting apps. Been a huge improvement in my life.
Get the day’s best comment and more in my free newsletter, The Verge Daily.
Gemini’s biggest obstacle on smartwatches is the phone in your pocket.
After a leak from Android Headlines showed no major pricing changes for the Pixel 10 lineup, the outlet has shared another rumor that suggests the 41mm Pixel Watch 4 will start at the same $349 price tag for the Wi-Fi version, increasing to $399 for the LTE variant.
Meanwhile, Android Headlines says the larger 45mm Pixel Watch 4 could cost $399 for the Wi-Fi version and $449 with LTE.
[androidheadlines.com]
In its Q2 2025 earnings call, Garmin CEO Cliff Pemble says, “Glasses have come and gone once, and the utility and concerns around the use of those have always come up in the context.” He went on to say it’s a “wait and see thing.”
He’s not wrong. Privacy is still a major concern with smart glasses. But frankly, Garmin is probably happy enough with another gangbusters quarter in fitness, logging a 41 percent increase year-over-year.
[prnewswire.com]
7
Verge Score
I’m at peace with the squircle. Gemini is promising. But the sum of the parts doesn’t add up to a must-have upgrade.
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Google’s Pixel 10 range has leaked. This time Evan Blass did the honors, sharing images of the 10 Pro and Pro XL, the Watch 4, and our first look at the Buds 2A.
This week we’ve seen repeated leaks of the phone designs, the Watch 4’s new charger, and even an official tease, so there won’t be much left to tell when everything launches on August 20th,
Yesterday we learned Google’s new smartwatch might charge on its side, and now Android Headlines has shared official renders of it in various colors, matching almost every hue we’ve seen from the Pixel 10 phones: the vibrant “Indigo” and “Limoncello;” the muted “Moonstone” and “Porcelain;” and “Obsidian” black — plus a return for the Pixel 9A’s “Iris” purple.
More colors are expected, while the watch itself will apparently come in black, silver, gold, and “Moonstone.”
