Google would launch a Pixel Watch 2 alongside the Pixel 8 in the fall. Expectations for this next generation are high.
Google It may have taken a few years longer than the competition to launch its first smartwatch, but it wouldn’t take the American giant much longer to launch the second generation. According to a source from 9to5Google, the Mountain View company could launch the Pixel Watch 2 alongside the Pixel 8 line of smartphones this fall. Details are tenuous at this point, but Google typically launches its new Pixels in October. Its first smartwatch was unveiled at last year’s I/O conference. The pattern could be repeated at this year’s event.
Google will launch a Pixel Watch 2 alongside the Pixel 8 this fall
The first Pixel Watch of the name left room for improvement. The current model is equipped with a 2018 Exynos 9110 SoC, which performs very poorly compared to the Apple Watch and many other watches running Wear OS. A newer SoC could also improve the device’s autonomy. Google could borrow the health sensors from its latest Fitbit devices like the Sense 2. There is also currently only a 41mm variant. It wouldn’t be surprising if a larger model came out.
Software could also play an important role. In the Android 14 beta code, there are mentions that Wear OS could use Material You themes in particular, and it has been since Android 12. The Mountain View company has not yet enabled certain health features, such as oxygen saturation (SpO2) and night-time skin temperature tracking on its current Pixel Watch, but that could probably be done without new hardware.
Expectations for this next generation are high
Whether this rumor is proven or not, the expectations for this Pixel Watch 2 are now very high. Google’s next generation of connected watch must serve as a showcase for the possibilities of Wear OS as a whole. A success will logically remedy the shortcomings of the name’s first Pixel Watch, but could also prompt other manufacturers to intensify their efforts in this market.