After waiting for years for Google’s first smartwatch, we won’t have to wait as long for the second generation of the Pixel Watch. A source from 9to5Google reports that Google is planning to launch the Pixel Watch 2 alongside the Pixel 8 phone. Since Pixel phones usually come out in October, the release could be as soon as five months from now.
According to the reports, the upcoming smartwatch from Google may not be named the Pixel Watch 2. Instead, Google could opt for a name similar to Apple’s “Series” naming scheme, such as “Series 2”. Alternatively, they could choose to call it “Pixel Watch” and create confusion for consumers trying to figure out which model they are holding or buying.
Although it may appear that the release of the Pixel Watch 2 is happening quickly, it’s essential to remember how long the original Pixel Watch had been in development. Rumors of a Pixel Watch had been circulating for five years. This prompted Google to officially announce that it would not launch a wearable device in 2018.
However, rumors persisted that Google was working on something, and exciting patents suggested that a new device was in development. Eventually, promo material was leaked by Jon Prosser at the beginning of 2022.
The Pixel Watch has faired quite well for most users since its launch. The performance is good enough, and the battery life lasts an entire day. That being said, we’d like to see a couple of features and improvements with the next generation of the Pixel watch.
Pixel Watch 2: Improvements we want to see
Here are some improvements we would like to see with the Pixel Watch 2.
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Processing power
As you might know, the Pixel Watch runs on the Samsung Exynos 9110. The Exynos 9110 is an old chipset from 2018 and is the same chipset found in the 2018 Galaxy Watch. It uses a 10nm process (Cortex-A53 cores) compared to the 5nm Exynos W920 (Corex-A55) on the Galaxy Watch 4/5. An upgrade to the Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 would be a welcome upgrade. The Exynos W920 found in the Galaxy Watch 4 and 5 would also give the Pixel Watch a considerable boost in performance.
The Pixel Watch would also see an improvement in battery life and efficiency. This is because the W5+ Gen 1 and Exynos W920 run on 4nm and 5nm processes, respectively. While it’s uncertain whether Google is aiming for full-day battery life, a new chip will at least guarantee longer usage time for users who utilize their smartwatches extensively.
Thinner bezels
I doubt the Pixel Watch 2’s design will change with the second generation. I mean, if it were to change, we would have already seen some leaks. The current design is beautiful and minimal, something that most users, myself included, have grown to love.
However, I hope that Google shrinks down the display bezels a bit. This will, in turn, give users a bigger display to play around with. A bigger display would also display more information at a glance.
Additional fitness sensors
When it comes to fitness sensors, it would be nice if Google borrowed some from the Fitbit Sense 2. Some sensors that could be added include the continuous Electrodermal Sensor (cEDA) for monitoring stress levels and a dedicated skin temperature sensor.
Google has yet to enable overnight skin temperature and oxygen saturation (SpO2) stats in the Pixel Watch’s Health Metrics dashboard. Having these enabled on the Pixel Watch 2 out of the box would be nice.
Pixel Watch 2: Conclusion
The release of the Pixel Watch 2 is not anticipated until later in the year. But Google may provide an initial preview at the upcoming Google I/O 2023 conference, which will begin on May 10th. So, stay tuned for any updates.
