processor, design, autonomy… what we know about Google’s next connected watch
Google would be working on a new connected watch, the Pixel Watch 2. Price, rumors, autonomy, name, we take stock of everything we know about it.
While Google is due to launch its Google I/O conference this Wednesday, May 10, we already know that the manufacturer will take the opportunity to present new devices like the Pixel Fold or the Pixel 7a. But what about his next connected watch? After the manufacturer’s first model, the Google Pixel Watch, we are already waiting for a new version, the Google Pixel Watch 2.
If it seems unlikely that Google will unveil its exciting news so soon, we can however take stock of the first rumors and the clues pointing to an upcoming release of the Pixel Watch 2.
A name that seems to be confirmed for the Pixel Watch 2
In a tweet posted on Tuesday, May 9, leaker Evan Blass — better known as Evleaks — posted an image that can clearly read the name of the ” PixelWatch 2». If the leaker does not give more context, his regularly reliable information tends to corroborate the fact that the watch will indeed have this name.
Moreover, the fact that Evan Blass publishes this screenshot on the eve of the Google I / O suggests that Google could say a few words about it during its annual conference, May 10, 2023.
Further health metrics for the Pixel Watch 2
According to website information 9to5Google, the American manufacturer would go further in its health and well-being measures on its next connected watch. In this case, Google could add to its watch a function present on previous Fitbit models, the Sense 2 and the Versa 4, but absent from the first Pixel Watch: the continuous electrodermal activity sensor (cEDA).
This sensor makes it possible, in fact, according to the electrical activity on the surface of the skin, to measure the state of stress of the user, in conjunction in particular with the heart rate, the perspiration or the variability of the heart rate ( VFC) of the user.
In addition to this sensor, Google could also integrate a measurement of skin temperature.
A new processor for the Pixel Watch 2
While the first Pixel Watch was equipped with an Exynos 9110 chip dating from 2018, Google would this time be equipped with a SoC developed by Qualcomm, the Snapdragon W5 Gen 1. Announced last year and already used on the TicWatch Pro 5, this chip has the main advantage of not only better performance, but also higher engraving fineness.
With this processor, the Pixel Watch 2 would benefit from an engraving fineness of 4 nm, against 10 nm for the previous model. What gain substantially in terms of energy efficiency and therefore autonomy at equal performance. According 9to5Googlethe Pixel Watch 2 could thus exceed 24 hours of autonomy.
Same story for Android Authority . The site has obtained a lot of information about the characteristics of the Pixel Watch 2. It seems that Google has decided to integrate the Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 chip into its watch. However, Google would have skipped the Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 version, equipped with a Qualcomm coprocessor, since Google would have opted for an in-house coprocessor, as was already the case for the first version.
On the battery side, Android Authorityreports that Google would have opted for a slightly larger battery, going from 294 to 306 mAh. However, this growth of 4.08% should not be significant enough and it will probably be necessary to rely more on the finer burning process to gain autonomy.
An identical screen for the Pixel Watch 2
According to information collected byAndroid Authority, the Pixel Watch 2 would retain a round OLED screen 1.2 inches in diameter with a resolution of 320 pixels per inch. So we shouldn’t have any major upheaval on that side, except for a change of supplier. Google would indeed have chosen to go through Samsung Display this time instead of BOE, which provided the panel for the first Pixel Watch.
We still don’t know what the other features of the Pixel Watch 2 screen are. However, going through Samsung Display, Google could opt for a brighter display. Remember that the latest Galaxy Watch 6 and Galaxy Watch 6 Classic can indeed go up to a brightness of 2000 cd / m².
However, an identical screen size suggests still wide borders around the slab. We should therefore not expect an edge-to-edge design as the Apple Watch can offer, for example.
A UWB-enabled Pixel Watch 2
Latest information delivered by Android Authority, the compatibility of the Pixel Watch 2 with the ultra wideband protocol (UWB).
If the Canadian site does not advance on the functions that will be offered thanks to this protocol, one can however imagine that the watch makes it possible to locate geolocation beacons, can itself be located easily from a smartphone, that one can send files to a nearby connected speaker, or that you can use your watch to unlock a compatible vehicle.
What we would like to see on the Pixel Watch 2
The Google Pixel Watch has been warmly welcomed for its design… but is far from unanimous. In question, several problems arose and Google could respond to them rather easily with its Pixel Watch 2.
A more modern processor
The first point that could be corrected on this new version would be the chip integrated into the watch. On the first Pixel Watch, Google had integrated an Exynos 9110 processor. This is a chip initially launched by Samsung in 2018 with its very first Galaxy Watch. A new processor, both more powerful and with greater engraving finesse, could allow the Pixel Watch 2 to gain not only in performance, but also in autonomy.
As a reminder, the latest connected watches from Samsung, the Galaxy Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, are based on the Exynos W920 engraved in 5 nm – against 10 nm for the Exynos 9110 of the Pixel Watch. In addition, Qualcomm offers an engraving fineness of 4 nm for its W5+ Gen 1 chip. We therefore hope that Google will take the plunge with a more modern processor.
Thinner edges
One of the first criticisms made of the Pixel Watch, at the very moment of its announcement at Google I/O 2022, concerned its design. If its very round pebble shape had been able to seduce, it was however less the case for the large unused black borders around the screen.
Google could thus gain in display surface simply by reducing the size of its borders around the slab. The firm could then catch up not only vis-à-vis the edge-to-edge screens of the latest Apple Watch, but also Samsung watches. Indeed, several rumors about the Galaxy Watch 6 evoke watches with much thinner edges around the screen.
Several formats for better autonomy
When the first Pixel Watch was announced, Google took the risk of releasing only one watch format, with a 41mm case. A complicated bet when its main competitors – Samsung, Apple and even Garmin – generally offer their connected watches in two formats in order to adapt not only to large wrists, but also to those with thinner ones.
However, this is not just a matter of taste. The larger a watch is, the more it can integrate a large battery, and therefore the higher the proposed autonomy will be. An equation that is verified both with Samsung’s Galaxy Watch and with Apple Watch.
By skipping a large format model of 43 or 44 mm in diameter, the Pixel Watch also skipped a long battery life. We would like to discover a Pixel Watch 2 with a larger format, and therefore more autonomous. Even if, of course, better autonomy for the small model remains a priority.
Pixel Watch 2 price and availability
According to information from the 9to5Google site, which specializes in manufacturer news, the Pixel Watch 2 would be launched in the fall, with an announcement at the same time as the future Google Pixel 8. The schedule would thus be identical to that of the first Pixel Watch. If the first model had been shown first during the Google I / O, it was however on October 6, 2022 that Google delivered the smallest details, during its conference “Made by Google“.
For the Pixel Watch 2, we can therefore expect an announcement in the same way during the first half of October.
As for the price of the watch, here too it seems likely that Google will align itself with what it had already proposed last year. As a reminder, the Pixel Watch was positioned as a high-end watch with a Wi-Fi model at 379 euros and a 4G model at 429 euros. We therefore expect an identical price range for the Google Pixel Watch 2.
