We loved the Google Pixel Watch from last year despite its middling battery life, chunky bezels, and dated internals. Plus, with regular updates, Google has improved the wearable considerably since its launch. Now, as the smartwatch is nearing its launch anniversary, more and more details about its successor — the Pixel Watch 2 — are popping up online. A new leak sheds light on the watch’s key specs, including the internals, display, and battery.
Corroborating a previous rumor, an Android Authority report claims the Pixel Watch 2 will use the Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 chip. This is Qualcomm’s latest and greatest wearable SoC fabricated on Samsung’s 4nm node, packing four Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 1.7GHz. It should bring a massive leap in performance and efficiency compared to the Pixel Watch’s 10nm Exynos 9110 chip, which has dual Cortex-A53 cores running at 1.15GHz.
Qualcomm also offers a W5+ Gen 1 SoC featuring a dedicated QCC5100 coprocessor. But Google seemingly opted for the non-Plus variant as it plans to use its custom NXP coprocessor, as seen on the original Pixel Watch.
Besides the faster and more efficient chip, the Pixel Watch 2 could feature a larger 306mAh battery. That’s a slight 4% bump from the original watch’s 294mAh cell. While small, the combination of the Snapdragon chip and 306mAh cell could ensure the Pixel Watch 2 lasts more than 24 hours on a charge.
Google plans to add an ultra-wideband chip to the Pixel Watch 2 as another key upgrade. The wearable will apparently sport an NXP SR100T module, though it is unclear how the company will use the hardware. UWB addition could make the Pixel Watch 2 act as a digital car key, enable seamless transfer of media playback between your devices, and more. Apple already includes its U1 ultra-wideband chip on the Apple Watch that’s used for precision finding and other features.
Sadly, it does not look like the Pixel Watch 2 will ship with a bigger display or slimmer bezels. Google will reportedly switch to a Samsung Display panel that could feature higher brightness levels and power efficiency. But its size and resolution will remain unchanged at 1.2 inches and 384 x 384. The bezels surrounding the screen are also not expected to see any size reduction.
On the software front, the Pixel Watch 2 should run Android 13-based Wear OS 4 out of the box. It will be among the first Android smartwatches to feature seamless updates. This will allow the watch to update the system files in the background and switch to them with a reboot.
Lastly, the Pixel Watch 2 could launch in India, as the regulatory e-labels of the watch have been spotted with BIS certification. The watch might see an even wider launch in new markets, but there are no details about this yet.
