The Pixel Watch 5 is doing a Pixel 10a (that’s bad): A Practical Look
The full specs for the Pixel Watch 5 have leaked, alongside the marketing material for the smartwatch, and it paints a rather boring picture for anyone hoping for a major overhaul.
The curtain covering the Pixel Watch 5 has been prematurely lifted ahead of the wearable’s 12 August launch alongside the Pixel 11 phones, and it’s an unfortunate state of affairs to say the least, going by the info obtained by MyMobiles.
If anything, the Pixel Watch 5’s small smattering of upgrades feels eerily reminiscent of the Pixel 10a, which is almost identical to its predecessor. A similarly large Pixel 11 leak has led to similar levels of disappointment.
Credit: OnLeaks, MyMobiles
Here’s what’s changing over the Pixel Watch 4:
- Wrist-based Gemini Intelligence: A more advanced version of Gemini is very much the epicentre of Android 17, with the promise of AI that can actually use apps on your behalf to take over menial tasks like booking a table at a nearby restaurant. Well, Google is looking to bring that same technology to the Pixel Watch 5. In the marketing slides, we can see Gemini Intelligence pre-empting what you would like to do, suggesting pre-written replies based on the context of your conversation with someone.
- Better sleep tracking: With Google making more of an effort on the health side of things with the recent Fitbit Air and the all-new Google Health app, the brand is looking to capitalise on this push by making the Pixel Watch 5 more proficient at sleep tracking. Much like the Apple Watch Series 11, the new Pixel Watch will now provide a sleep score based on your performance.
- A larger battery: Take this upgrade with a pinch of salt as it might not make a meaningful difference to everyday use. Both the 41mm and 44mm versions of the Pixel Watch 5 have slightly bigger batteries at 332mAh and 465mAh (over 325mAh and 455mAh respectively), but the marketing slides quote the same 30/40-hour battery life as before with the always-on display toggled.
- More storage: The Pixel Watch 5 will have double the storage of the Pixel Watch 4 at 64GB. This added room offers up more space for offline downloads of playlists and audiobooks, not to mention apps and watch faces. A previous leak suggested it would also get a 50% memory bump to 3GB RAM.
Apart from Gemini Intelligence, the list of upgrades here is fairly meek in comparison to previous iterations of the Pixel Watch, and after the recent unveiling of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 9, which features a slimmed-down chassis, longer battery life and more expansive fitness tracking software to rival the likes of Whoop, the Pixel Watch 5 feels a touch deflating.
Credit: OnLeaks, MyMobiles
What makes things worse is that the new watch will come with a higher starting price if these leaks turn out to be true. The cheapest 41mm model will come in at £369/$399, which is £20/$50 more expensive. While the 45mm alternative will carry the same £399 price tag in the UK, in the US it’ll be a touch more at $429.
If the usual proceedure applied, the Pixel Watch 4 will remain on sale at a reduced price, making the Pixel Watch 5 look even worse value.
Where does Google go from here?
As the price of tech continues to rise, and the scope for upgrades (particularly on wearables) seems to decrease, it feels that Google, more than ever, could benefit from having a budget-friendly option in the line-up.
TheTideChart / OnLeaks
There is the Fitbit Charge 6, which caters to the fitness tracker crowd, but something to more closely rival the Apple Watch SE 3 and the Samsung Galaxy Watch FE, with proper smart features, wouldn’t go amiss – aka a Pixel Watch A-series.
Here are the leaked Pixel Watch 5 specs in full:
- Screen: AMOLED LTPO Actua 360, 320 ppi, up to 3,000 nits
- Processor: Snapdragon W5 Gen 2 Accelerated + Cortex-M55 coprocessor
- RAM: 3GB
- Storage: 64GB
- Battery 41mm/44mm: 332mAh / 465mAh
- OS: Wear OS 7
- Connectivity: Bluetooth 6.0, Wi-Fi, NFC, UWB
- Resistance: 5ATM, IP68
