Google Pixel Watch 2: The Smartwatch Redemption? Price, Availability, And New Features

Alphabet Inc.'s GOOG GOOGL Google, on Wednesday, unveiled the Google Pixel Watch 2, which comes with better battery life and new safety features, and one crucial hardware upgrade – the chipset. The Pixel Watch 2 is now powered by Qualcomm Inc.'s QCOM W5+ Gen 1 chipset.

What Happened: Google’s latest smartwatch was launched alongside the Google Pixel 8 and Google Pixel 8 Pro at the Made By Google 2023 event in “Horizon Hall” at Pier 57, Chelsea, New York City. 

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Pixel Watch 2 Highlights

Design Upgrades: Users can expect a more durable cover glass, and Google has switched from stainless steel to recycled aluminum for the watch’s construction. Existing Fitbit bands from the previous year’s model are still compatible with the Pixel Watch 2, offering users versatility in customizing their wearable.

Google has retained the domed glass face from the original Pixel Watch, but it has managed to make it slightly thinner without impacting the durability. This is noticeable from the weight as well – while the old Pixel Watch weighed 36 grams, the Pixel Watch 2 weighs 31 grams.

Hardware Evolution: The first-generation Pixel Watch featured Samsung's Exynos 9110 chip, which, although snappy, left room for improvements in terms of efficiency.

However, Google has now made a crucial upgrade in this regard – the Pixel Watch 2 is equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 chip and 2GB of RAM.

Google is promising a "buttery smooth" experience without UI jank or lags, but it remains to be seen how the Pixel Watch 2 performs in real life.

Battery Life Boost: One of the main concerns with the original Pixel Watch was its battery life. Google seems to have taken this feedback seriously, offering a potential solution with the Pixel Watch 2. 

Although the battery size remains relatively unchanged at 306mAh (a slight increase from 294mAh), Google said users can now enjoy a 24-hour battery life even with the Always On Display feature enabled.

In addition, according to Fitbit CEO James Park, users can also expect to achieve a 12-hour battery charge within just 30 minutes and a full day’s worth of charge in approximately 75 minutes. 

Display And Watch Faces: The Pixel Watch 2 has retained the 41mm case size and circular 1.2″ OLED display, although it does feature a slightly lower resolution of 384 x 384px compared to the original’s 450 x 450px. 

This reduction aims to improve power efficiency, and to compensate for the lower resolution, Google has introduced a variety of new watch faces. These watch faces fall into four categories: Accessible, Arc, Gold Digital, and Analog Bold.

AI Algorithms And Sensors: The Pixel Watch 2 has also introduced advanced AI algorithms and three new sensors. Notably, it features a new multi-path sensor and an algorithm that promises 40% greater accuracy during vigorous activities. It also incorporates the cEDA sensor from the Fitbit Sense 2 for stress tracking and active prompts to manage stress effectively.

New Safety Features: The Sundar Pichai-led company has introduced a new safety feature called “Safety Check.” The feature essentially enables users to set a timer for when they are about to reach home, for example. If the user fails to respond to the timer prompt, the Safety Check feature automatically shares their location with emergency contacts.  

The Pixel Watch 2 also comes with Fall Detection and Emergency SOS features. 

Health And Fitness Tracking: Like its predecessor, the Pixel Watch 2 has optical heart rate and blood-oxygen sensors, stress level monitoring, and detailed sleep quality reports. However, it still does not feature an ECG function, distinguishing it from competitors like Apple and Samsung.

Wear OS And Google Services: The Pixel Watch 2 runs on WearOS and offers seamless integration with Google services such as Gmail, Google Wallet, and Calendar. Google Assistant has also been enhanced to handle health and fitness queries via voice commands. 

Pixel Watch 2 Availability And Pricing: Preorders for the Pixel Watch 2 are available starting Wednesday, with shipping expected to commence on Oct. 12. The GPS version will be available at $349.99, while the LTE version is priced at $399.99. 

Color options include silver and blue, silver and white, all-black, and gold and hazel.

Each Pixel Watch 2 purchase includes one month of YouTube Premium and six months of Fitbit Premium.

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Photo: Google