TL;DR
- Multiple retailers are getting ready for Google’s Performance Loop Band for the Pixel Watch 3.
- So far, it’s been spotted in Canada on Best Buy’s and Amazon’s sites, but shows as out of stock.
- Earlier rumors pointed to a potential October release.
Who doesn’t love a good mystery? Google’s latest smartwatch, the Pixel Watch 3, is out and ready for you to take home, but the same can’t be said for all of its official accessories. Right after the Watch 3 itself debuted, a mysterious “Performance Loop Band” briefly surfaced on Amazon before the listing was pulled — and we’ve been waiting for it ever since. And while it’s still not here, some recent developments suggest that Google may finally be getting around to releasing it.
Our first tease of this band arrived in the lead-up to last month’s Made By Google event, when a leak attempted to detail all the official watch bands debuting with the Pixel Watch 3. And indeed, that source suggested that the Performance Loop Band in particular would not have immediate availability, and could be delayed until sometime around the end of October.
The crew over at Droid Life apparently got tired of waiting around for Google to announce anything, and started digging into some more retailer listings. This time, they turned to the Great White North, finding Performance Loop Band showing up on landing pages at both Best Buy and Amazon in Canada.
Both sites show the band as being currently out of stock, and Amazon is especially a little wonky, claiming compatibility only with the 45mm Watch 3 even when the smaller band is selected — we’re sure this is just a glitch, and expect the product listing to get sorted out when the band actually arrives for sale.
It’s a shame this is all taking so long, especially because the Performance Loop Band looks like a solid alternative to the Woven Band, with a slightly more premium design.
Beyond the release date itself, we’re also still curious about pricing. This Best Buy listing has the band at $80, but that’s Canadian dollars, and it’s almost certain to be significantly less in the US. And perhaps more to the point, these listings are early and seem a bit incomplete, so we’re trying not to feel too dissuaded by what might not even be an accurate figure to begin with.
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