Google is gearing up to introduce its next-generation Pixel Watch. The Google Pixel Watch 4 will debut on August 20 event alongside the new Pixel 10 series. As usual, the search giant isn’t known for holding secrets well when it comes to hardware launches. The Google Pixel Watch 4 is the latest device to be leaked. The wearable will come with a new chipset and an improved display technology.
Google Pixel Watch 4 Coming With Improved Display, Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 and M55 Co-Processor
As per the leaks, the Google Pixel Watch 4 will sell in 41mm and 45mm sizes. These correspond to 1.2-inch and 1.4-inch displays just like the Pixel Watch 3 series. The new displays will go up to 3,000 nits, which is a significant upgrade over the last models. Precisely, they will reach 3,000 nits over the 2,000 nits offered in the last model – a 50% upgrade. Interestingly, the brightness level matches the new Samsung Galaxy Watch8 series as well as the Apple Watch Ultra 2. It’s an interesting upgrade. After all, the brighter the display, the better it will be for use under sunlight. Smartwatches should be ready for any scenario of usage.
Previous rumors have been pointing to the Pixel Watch 4 with the same chipset as the Watch 3 and Watch 2 – The Snapdragon W5 Gen 1. However, the new leak suggests the new wearable will be equipped with the Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1. Furthermore, the device will come with a co-processor dubbed M55. Both the W5 and W5+ have the same Quad-Core architecture using the old Cortex-A53 cores. However, the Plus model has an AON (Always-On) co-processor. It is built on a low-power 22nm node and is used to run things while the rest of the chipset is asleep. This includes speech processing, audio playback, and health tracking features. It may not be an upgrade in performance, but the battery life will be better.
The co-processor uses a Cortex-M55, which is part of ARM’s low-power CPU cores portfolio. In addition, it will bring an Ethos-U55 NPU for machine learning applications. Despite the similar architecture, we will finally see some extra quality-of-life updates when it comes to what the chipset is capable of.
Battery Life Sees a Significant Improvement
The Google Pixel Watch 4 will have bigger batteries – 327 mAh for the 41mm size and 459 mAh for the 45mm size. It’s an extra 20mAh for the 41mm and 39mAh for the 45mm if we compare with the Watch 3, respectively. Any upgrade is great for a device that has a tiny battery, and the optimizations with the co-processor will likely make the Watch 4 much better than its predecessor in battery life. The 41mm model is expected to go up to 30 hours with AON enabled and up to 48 hours in battery saver mode. The 45 mm size should reach 40 hours with AOD and up to 72 hours in battery saver mode. The extra battery comes with a cost, though. The leak mentions the new generation will be thicker, with 14.3mm over the 12.3mm in the 2024 models.
The leak also mentions a “side-charging” feature. So, users can rotate the display so it’s right side up while the watch charges sideways on a dock. For example, if you put the dock on your nightstand, the watch will look like some sort of alarm clock. When it comes to the software and features, we also expect big updates for the device, making it a better companion for everyday use and for sports tracking.
The leaks suggest the Google Pixel Watch 4 41mm will be €400 for the variant with Wi-Fi. The LTE one will cost extra €100. The larger 45mm option will cost €450 and €550, respectively. Google will sell both devices in a good variety of colors, including Obsidian, Lemon, Moonstone, Iris, and Porcelain. There will be a wide variety of watch bands with different looks and materials.
