Exclusive: Google Pixel Watch 2 to feature UWB, new chipset, and more
Exclusive: Google Pixel Watch 2 to feature UWB, new chipset, and more
Here's everything you need to know about the upcoming Google Pixel Watch 2 specs, including ultra-wideband, a new chipset, and more.
tl;dr:
- Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 SoC, 4-core CPU clocked at 1.7 Ghz, Adreno 702 GPU, more power-efficient than the previous SoC (Exynos 9110);
- Google is not using the W5+ variant, which adds the QCC5100 coprocessor, it will be using a custom coprocessor instead similar to 1st gen Pixel Watch;
- NXP SR100T UWB module (https://www.androidauthority.com/what-is-uwb-1151744/);
- 306mAh battery (vs 294mAh in 1st gen);
- Samsung Display instead of Pixel Watch’s BOE panel, specs remain the same;
- Wear OS 4 (based on Android 13) and seamless updates (https://source.android.com/docs/core/ota/ab);
It's amazing that, after nearly a decade of development, WearOS watches still barely eek out a day of use - and that's only if you don't use most of the advertised features. God forbid you use sleep tracking and track a workout in the same day, because you'll be charging 2-3 times that day.
Is it the OS? Or is it something else? I've got a Garmin and I don't have all the sensors on all the time, but I do have most of them on. The biggest thing is that GPS isn't always on. I get 1+ week of battery life.
With the Google watch, is GPS always on?
Galaxy Watch 5 44mm here with all the features enabled but raise to wake (AOD on), 2 days and a few hours of battery
It will hopefully get better with the new chip. From another article:
First, Qualcomm shares an example of a “sleek fashionable” smartwatch that has a 300 mAh battery. If that device managed 28 hours with the Snapdragon Wear 4100+, it would hit 43 hours on the Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1.
That 300 mAh total is key to the story here, as it’s roughly the average we see on most smartwatches. The Fossil Gen 6, for example, is rated for 24 hours of battery life with its 300 mAh battery. By Qualcomm’s stats, that device would see at least 40 hours of battery life on the Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1.
Not a direct comparison with the Exynos 9110 but it's pretty likely it could hold a charge for at least a whole day for the uses cases you described if Qualcomm's numbers are true.
Hopefully the massive bezel gets trimmed.
Is it still going to be tied up with Fitbit?