Google Pixel Watch 2 Release Date, Price & Specs Rumours

The new Watch has already been unveiled alongside the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, which that event will also detail, and possibly some new Pixel Buds.

Google posted a teaser video of the products it will announce on 4 October, with accompanying text confirming the Watch 2 will go up for pre-order on the day.

How much will the Google Pixel Watch 2 cost?

There are no confirmed price details from Google at this point in time. With the original Pixel Watch only being released in October 2022, we don’t think there will be too much change from the price of that smartwatch:

• Google Pixel Watch (Wi-Fi/Bluetooth) – $349/£339/€379 
• Google Pixel Watch (LTE) – $399/£379/€429

Indeed, according to Roland Quandt, the Pixel Watch 2 will just be a little bit more expensive than its predecessor at £349 in the UK.

And via billbil-kun on Dealabs, the wearable will start at €399, which is €20 more than the original. The same price bump will reportedly apply to the LTE model making it €449.

It’s thought that those pre-ordering a Pixel 8 Pro smartphone will get a Pixel Watch 2 for free in certain markets.

What new features will we see in the Google Pixel Watch 2?

We don’t know the official specs of the Google Pixel Watch 2 yet, so we’re still relying on the rumours that have surfaced so far to give us a clue on what we might see when the new model arrives. 

In classic Google fashion, the company had already very likely leaked the Pixel Watch 2 itself. The company accidentally published the below image on its own website of a man using a Pixel 8 Pro. But it could also be the new Watch on his wrist, as it looks slimmer than the original version with a less rounded glass display:

Among the rumours is the notion, via Jon Prosser, that Google is in fact working on two models: a standard Pixel Watch 2 and a separate version for kids, though he admits that this latter might end up being released under the Fitbit brand, perhaps as a follow-up to 2021’s Fitbit Ace 3.

We reckon there will only be one Pixel Watch 2 model, and perhaps only in one size, just like the original. Colourways expected are: Black, Bay, Porcelain and Hazel and the watch will be both IP68 and 50ATM rated.

The other big news so far regards the chip inside the watch. 9to5Google cites unnamed sources who claim that the Pixel Watch will be powered by one of the Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 chips, meaning a switch away from the Samsung Exynos chip used in the first generation. A later Android Authority report suggests it’ll be the W5 Gen 1.

Google

The biggest impact of the shift is likely to be on battery life, with the site reporting that Google is now aiming for more than a day’s battery life with the always-on display enabled – a big jump, considering the first gen could only just last 24 hours without the always-on display.

The battery could also be boosted by software improvements, given that we’re expecting the Pixel Watch 2 to be the first watch to launch with Wear OS 4, which Google has already teased will include battery life improvements and a more colourful user interface based on Material You.

However, various leaks suggest it will remain at 24 hours and charging is quoted as “fast wired charging” but is limited to 2.5W.

A promotional video posted by 91mobiles shows that the Pixel Watch 2 will come with a selection of hardware and software upgrades starting with Fitbit’s multi-path optical heart rate sensor for more accurate and robust tracking. There’s also a new cEDA (continuous electrodermal activity) sensor as well as skin temperature sensor.

These will combine with the Fitbit app to show body responses throughout the day as well as the stress management system. And this tallies up with a leak from Evan Blass.

Evan Blass

The heart rate monitor will also show a target zone. There are also improved safety features including something called ‘Safety Check’ where you can set a timer and if you don’t check in when it goes off then your location will be shared with emergency contacts.

Here are the things we hope Google improves with the Pixel Watch 2:

Better battery life

If there was a main weakness with the Google Pixel Watch, it was the battery life. The small 294mAh cell is a pretty normal size for a smartwatch, but when we reviewed it we encountered inconsistencies in performance, which meant that durability ranged from 48 hours to 12 hours, with no real change in how we were interacting with the device.

Software refinements can no doubt improve upon this, but in the new model we hope that Google can nail down this very important aspect. As we’ve mentioned above, there are rumours of a new chipset in the Pixel Watch 2, so if that is accompanied by software optimisation, then the second edition of Google’ smartwatch could last a lot longer than the one it replaces. 

Support for Qi wireless charging

Although the Pixel Watch does come with its own wireless charger, the device doesn’t support Qi charging, so this means you won’t be able to use it with third-party options. This is particularly annoying when you consider that the Pixel 7 offers reverse wireless charging, but the Pixel Watch is incompatible. 

We’d like to see this changed in the Pixel Watch 2, as it seems a strange oversight by Google in the first place. 

Fitness tracking improvements

While the Pixel Watch offers a good range of fitness tracking options, it omits the auto start, stop and pause features that appear on some current Fitbits such as the Fitbit Sense 2. This means it can miss workouts and not give you the results you’ve earned through your exertions. Again, this seems simply down to software refinements, so we hope to see that implemented in the Pixel Watch 2. 

That’s all we have so far on Google’s new smartwatch, but we’ll keep updating this article as more information comes to light. In the meantime, why not take a look at our guides to the best smartwatch and best fitness trackers to see what other options are available.