TheGoogle Pixel Watchwas a decent first attempt from the company. Despite the dated internals, the wearable performed decently, although the battery life was less than average. There were other problems with the watch, including sub-par fitness tracking and build quality issues. These issues could be attributed to Google’s choice of using the four-year-old Samsung-sourced Exynos 9110 SoC. Turns out, there’s a reason why the Pixel Watch’s hardware felt so dated when it launched in 2022.
Reliable Google leaker Kamila Wojciechowska claims the Pixel Watch was initially supposed to be released alongside thePixel 6series in 2021. And it was apparently going to be marketed as the Google Watch.
Google’s reasoning behind the branding change and the delay in the watch’s release is unclear. But it does make sense for the company to stick to the same Pixel branding across its hardware product lineup for better visibility and marketing purposes.
Despite the delay, Google apparently did not take advantage of the additional time to make any hardware changes to the Pixel Watch. Kamila says the company launched the exact same device in 2022 alongside thePixel 7 series. If the Pixel Watch had debuted in 2021, its hardware would have felt less outdated than it did a year later.
It would have been understandable if Google delayed the Pixel Watch’s release to refine its design further or finish its half-baked software features. But even after a delayed launch, the wearable suffered from poor build quality. More embarrassingly, it was missing several health-focused features on debut, like fall detection and SpO2 tracking, all of which are found in thebest Android watches. Google added these features in the months following the Pixel Watch’s release.
Google appears to have learned its lesson, as thePixel Watch 2is rumored to use more up-to-date internals. Leaks suggest the watch will use Qualcomm’s latest W5 Gen 1 chip paired with 2GB RAM and a custom co-processor. Coupled with the underlying improvements that Wear OS 4 introduces, the Pixel Watch 2 should be a step up from its predecessor in performance and battery life.
Additionally, the watch could featureFitbit Sense 2’s electrodermal activity sensor to track stress levels. A temperature sensor might also be a part of the package for on-demand skin temperature checks. These should allow Google’s second smartwatch to deliver a better fitness experience. We won’t have to wait long to know more about the Pixel Watch 2 as it goes official at thecompany’s Made by Google event on October 4th.
