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A Pixel Watch 2 launching in October seems like a lock at this point, as the leaks are piling up quicker than we can write them. To take us through the weekend, a new leak provides a number of details surrounding specs that really paint the picture of a much-improved Pixel Watch that’ll have you begging Google to offer high trade-in values for your old model.
The report out of Android Authority suggests a new processor for the Pixel Watch 2, which was previously rumored to be from Qualcomm. We should also see a (slightly) bigger battery, potentially improved display, the introduction of seamless updates, and UWB for those with a fancy car.
Because it’s the weekend, let’s make this quick, so you can get back to doing fun things. Here’s the fast edition of what we’ve learned today about the Pixel Watch 2:
- New chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 is once again suggested as Google’s replacement for the old Samsung Exynos chip used in the original Pixel Watch. Google has apparently not chosen Qualcomm’s W5+, though, which includes a coprocessor for lighter tasks. Google is going with the regular W5 because this report says they have gone with a coprocessor of their own choosing. This chipset change should mean big improvements in power efficiency at the very least.
- Bigger Battery: The Pixel Watch 2 could sport a bigger 306mAh battery. That’s not a huge jump from the original’s 294mAh battery, but we’ll take it. Since the design and size of the Pixel Watch 2 aren’t expected to change, we shouldn’t really have expected a big change here.
- UWB included: UWB! The Ultra-wideband is reportedly baked into the Pixel Watch 2, so that should make finding your lost or stolen watch easier and could also let your watch unlock your car doors. Of course, you would need a car that supports UWB car keys.
- New Display: Google will apparently still keep a 1.2″ display on the Pixel Watch 2 with the big bezels, but they have swapped out the old display for an OLED made by Samsung. Hopefully, if anything, it’s more power efficient. I’d love to leave always-on display switched to ON.
- Seamless updates: You know how Pixel phones download software updates, take forever to process them in the background on your phone, and then only ask for a reboot (sometimes an hour later) to finish applying them? Those are called seamless updates and they are said to make their debut on smartwatches with the Pixel Watch 2. As someone who is not a fan of the ridiculously slow process of seamless updates, I have mixed thoughts on this. But hey, modern updates!
And that’s it! To recap, the Pixel Watch 2 should get a much more modern chipset that is more power efficient, hopefully leading to improved battery life. We should also get a slight bump in battery capacity, new display from Samsung, UWB for stuff, and updates that may or may not be improved.
I’m liking it all so far.
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