It’s that time of the year for Google to introduce its line-up of smartphones, smartwatches, and everything else that is destined for greatness. Samsung showed off last month what’s in their kitty, Apple’s going to reveal all the excitement next month, and bang in between is Pixel, right now. We already revealed our initial impressions of the Pixel 11 and the Pixel Tag, so now it’s the Pixel Watch 5 under the scanner.
The new wearable from the Google camp was making all the news in the weeks leading up to the final announcement, and most of those leaks have come true. Just like the Pixel Watch 4, the new wearable gets the same 360 domed Gorilla Glass 5 and more or less the same material composition from which the chassis is constructed. Last year’s Pixel Watch was good, and this one is an even better upgrade if you want to roll into the Google ecosystem.
Designer: Google
The watch designed for Gemini Intelligence gets a 320ppi AMOLED LTPO display supporting DCI-P3 color, but still has the same 3,000 nits brightness level as the predecessor. Under the hood, this wearable gets a clocked-up version of the Snapdragon W5 Gen 2 (claimed to be 12 percent faster than last year’s offering) mated to an upgraded 3GB RAM (from 2GB last year) and 64GB storage, which again is an upgrade from the 32GB on the Watch 4. However, I was expecting the Snapdragon Wear Elite (based on the 3nm manufacturing process) to grace the smartwatch, just like on the new Galaxy watches. That said, it isn’t a deal breaker in any way.
Just like with all the newer gadget offerings, this one improves on the health tracking and claims to bring accurate sleep tracking for loyal users. Other reliable features include the loss of pulse detection (called the Breathing emergency detection) and skin temperature tracking. SpO2 monitoring and ECG tracking also come standard with both the models.
Improvement of life features include recovery recommendations based on heart rate and sleep metrics, custom strength routines, and the Google Health Coach with custom workouts. According to Google, the route tracking accuracy on the Pixel Watch 5 has improved by almost 100 percent. Do look out for the Blood Pressure Trends and non-invasive Insulin Resistance Trends, which could be a deal-maker if you are looking for exactly those kinds of features in a smartwatch.
Quite predictably, Google is offering the IP68 and 5ATM-rated Pixel Watch 5 in 41mm and 45mm sizes, in both Wi-Fi-only and LTE variants. The 41mm version gets a 332mAh battery pack while the 45mm variants have a beefier 465mAh battery on board. Both are slight bump-ups from last year’s version for a few hours more of juice. The 41mm version lasts for around 30 hours, and the 45mm version for 40 hours on one full recharge. According to Google, the Quick charge dock adds 15 hours of runtime with just 15 minutes of charge.
Google is offering the 41mm model in Matte Black, Polished Silver, and Champagne Gold colors, whereas the bigger 45mm variant will be available in just the Champagne Gold hue. The prices on both the Pixel Watch 5 models and their variants have gone up slightly. The 41mm version for the Wi-Fi model costs $399, and the LTE variant goes for $499. The bigger 45mm version is priced at $29 for the Wi-Fi model, and the LTE version costs $529.
