About time! Google to begin selling its its own Android smartwatches to take on Apple

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Google could be set to take on the Apple Watch with its own smartwatches.

Made by LG, the watches are set to be revealed on February 9th, according to VentureBeat, and will run Android Wear 2.0, Google's new software.

The two firms are expected to launch three versions of the watch at a special event on February 9th, and they will go on sale the next day in the US, and the rest of the world later in the year, probably following Mobile World Congress which starts on February 27 in Barcelona.

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According to VentureBeat's leaks, the 14.2-millimeters thick Watch Sport (left) will come in titanium and dark blue, while the 10.8-millimeter thick Watch Style — with swappable straps — will be available in titanium, silver, and rose gold.

According to VentureBeat's leaks, the 14.2-millimeters thick Watch Sport will come in titanium and dark blue, while the 10.8-millimeter thick Watch Style — with swappable straps — will be available in titanium, silver, and rose gold.

Teasing the upcoming launch, Jeff Chang, product manager of Android Wear at Google, confirmed the future watch plans in a recent interview. 

As well as new hardware, Chang, speaking with The Verge, confirmed the new watches would be the first to run the heavily updated Android Wear 2.0 operating system.

Revamping the software's awkward user interface, the update will also introduce a number of new features.

These include Android Pay support, standalone apps that don't require a phone to work, and the recently released voice-controlled Google Assistant.

Both will also use adigital crown button to navigate as well as a touchscreen. 

For iPhone owners, they will also have iOS compatibility.  

The new software will also roll out to other Android smartwatches

Despite having been overtaken by Apple and its Apple Watch at the top of smartwatch sales charts, Chang says Google remains 'quite optimistic' about the future of smartwatches.

Unlike Apple, Google doesn't make its own watches, instead partnering with third-party manufacturers and licensing out its software, a move it believes gives it the long-term edge.

'We've enabled a lot of diversity with our hardware partners to target different types of consumers and preferences,' Chang said.

'This is a marathon, not a sprint.

'This category of products is here with us to stay.'

Despite dodging manufacturing duties on the first Android Wear 2.0 watches, Google is no stranger to making its own gadgets.

 Although this mystery manufacturer hasn't been named, Chang confirmed the company had previously made Android Wear devices. This lengthy list could include tech firms such as Samsung, Huawei, Motorola and LG. Pictured is Motorola's 360 2 smartwatch 

Earlier this year, the company launched its first own-brand smartphone, the Google Pixel.

The new watches have been confirmed for release on an unspecified date in Q1 2017, a period that runs from January 1 to March 31.

With Mobile World Congress, the Barcelona-based mobile technology show, to run between February 27 and March 2, it's likely the new devices will make their first official appearance around this time.

Once the new devices are released, Google has confirmed the Android Wear 2.0 update will be rolled out to a number of existing devices.