Google Pixel Watch 2: New rumour suggests battery life and fitness tracking improvements with Snapdragon W5 and Fitbit chips

9to5Google has revealed new information about the Pixel Watch 2, having divulged details about the upcoming smartwatch at the start of the month. To recap, the website asserted that Google would introduce a second-generation Pixel Watch this autumn during its Pixel 8 series showcase. Seemingly, the Pixel Watch 2 will still only come in a single size, with 9to5Google remarking that its battery capacity 'shouldn't be much larger than we have today'.

For reference, the Pixel Watch features a 294 mAh battery, roughly 5% larger than the batteries in the smaller versions of the Apple Watch Series 8 and Samsung Galaxy Watch5. However, the comparative inefficiency of the Exynos 9110 results in the Pixel Watch offering worse battery life than its peers. According to 9to5Google, Google has sought to resolve the battery life deficit by equipping the Pixel Watch 2 with a Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 platform chipset, which is already available in the Oppo Watch 3 and Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 5.

Previously, Google had been expected to source customised versions of the Exynos W920 or Exynos W980 for its second-generation Pixel Watch; the latter is anticipated to power the Galaxy Watch6 series. Likely the Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 because of its power efficient ARM Cortex-M55 co-processor, the change is rumoured to deliver a day's battery life with AOD enabled. The website adds that it should therefore be possible to make the Pixel Watch 2 last for up to 48 hours between charges with a few power-saving tweaks. Moreover, 9to5Google alleges that the Pixel Watch 2 will also contain 'similar health sensors' to those Fitbit includes in the Sense 2. Specifically, the Pixel Watch 2 is expected to ship with continuous electrodermal activity (cEDA) and skin temperature sensors, with the former designed to monitor stress level changes.

Purchase the Google Pixel Watch Woven Band - Lemongrass on Amazon