Pixel Watch 2

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Pixel Watch 2
Google Pixel Watch 2, shown in Shibuya Stream.jpg
A Pixel Watch 2 on display at a store in
Shibuya Stream in Tokyo, Japan
Codename
  • Eos
  • Aurora
Brand Google
Series Pixel
Compatible networks
First releasedOctober 12, 2023;2 months ago (2023-10-12)
Availability by region30 countries
Predecessor Pixel Watch
Type Smartwatch
Dimensions
  • D: 41 mm (1.6 in)
  • H: 12.3 mm (0.48 in)
Mass31 g (1.1 oz)
Operating system Wear OS 4.0
System-on-chip
GPU Qualcomm Adreno 702
Memory2 GB SDRAM
Storage32 GB eMMC flash
Battery306 mAh (lithium-ion)
Display AMOLED at 320  ppi with DCI-P3 color
Sound
  • Speaker
  • Microphone
Connectivity
Data inputs
Water resistance 5 ATM
OtherCustom 3D Gorilla Glass 5
Website Pixel Watch 2
References [1]

The Pixel Watch 2 is a Wear OS smartwatch designed, developed, and marketed by Google as part of the Google Pixel product line. It serves as the successor to the first-generation Pixel Watch.

Contents

The Pixel Watch 2 was officially announced on October 4, 2023, at the annual Made by Google event, and was released in the United States on October 12.

History

In May 2023, 9to5Google reported that Google intended to release a successor to the Pixel Watch, a Wear OS–powered smartwatch, in October. [2] Two codenames for the watch, believed to be in reference to the Wi-Fi and cellular models, were later discovered to be "Eos" and "Aurora". [3] Three models were approved by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in August, [4] while the Eos model was listed on the Google Play Console device catalog for developers. [5] After previewing the watch in September, [6] Google officially announced the Pixel Watch 2 on October 4, alongside the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, at the annual Made by Google event. [7] Pre-orders became available the same day, before being released in 30 countries on October 12. [8] [9] The watch suffered from significant shipping delays at the online Google Store. [10]

Specifications

Design

Visually, the Pixel Watch 2 is near-identical to its predecessor, save a "slightly redesigned haptic crown". Six new families of watch faces were made available at launch. [8] [11] It is available in four case–band color pairs: [12]

Color options for the Pixel Watch
Google Pixel Watch (Polished Silver + Bay).svg Google Pixel Watch (Matte Black + Obsidian).svg Google Pixel Watch (Champagne Gold + Hazel).svg Google Pixel Watch (Polished Silver + Chalk).svg
Case Polished Silver Matte Black Champagne Gold Polished Silver
Active Band Bay Obsidian Hazel Porcelain

Hardware

The Pixel Watch 2 is made of recycled aluminum, a departure from the original Pixel Watch's stainless steel watch frame. Google stated that the change was made to make the watch lighter and more comfortable for users. [13] [8] It is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon SW5100 system-on-chip (SoC), a departure from its predecessor's Samsung Exynos chip. [5] The watch's new circular sensor array consists of several new sensors. [14] A multipath heart rate sensor boasts more accurate readings; a skin temperature sensor tracks sleep but not menstruation; while an electrodermal activity sensor detects sweat beads to assess the wearer's mood. The Pixel Watch 2 is not compatible with the first generation's proprietary magnetic charger, instead requiring a newer and faster one. [8]

Software

The Pixel Watch 2 shipped with Wear OS 4.0. [5] Like its predecessor, the watch features heavy Fitbit integration, given Google's acquisition of the company in 2021. [15] New personal safety features include emergency location sharing, Safety Check, and Safety Signal. [8]

Reception

In her review for The Verge , Victoria Song praised the Pixel Watch 2's improvements from the first-generation on all fronts, especially battery life, [16] as did Yahoo! Finance reviewer Daniel Howley and Digital Spy reviewer Jason Murdock. [17] [18] Julian Chokkattu of Wired concurred, writing, "I get a watch that actually comes with everything I wish the original did out of the box. Hooray!" [19] Matthew Miller of ZDNET highlighted the watch's deep Fitbit integration and safety features, but was ambivalent toward its small size. [20] Will Greenwald of PCMag praised the watch's design, performance, and health features, [21] while Mark Knapp of IGN called it "elegant and performant" but "still not a killer". [22] CNN Underscored's Max Buondonno and TheStreet 's Jason Cipriani hailed its health, performance, and battery life enhancements. [23] [24] Writing for The Guardian , Samuel Gibbs appreciated the improved performance and battery life but was disappointed with the lack of advanced health features and ability to be repaired. [25] Engadget 's Cherlynn Low was conflicted, commending Google's efforts to close the gap between other smartwatches but still finding it mediocre overall; [26] Inverse 's Raymond Wong agreed, calling it "a better smartwatch, but not the best". [27] Elizabeth de Luna of Mashable described the watch as "playing catch-up to the Apple Watch", [12] while Robert Leedham of GQ thought it was the ideal smartwatch for those indifferent toward smartwatches. [28]

Related Research Articles

Fitbit, Inc. is an American consumer electronics and fitness company. It produces wireless-enabled wearable technology, physical fitness monitors and activity trackers such as smartwatches, pedometers and monitors for heart rate, quality of sleep and stairs climbed as well as related software. The company was acquired by Google in January 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smartwatch</span> Wearable computer in the form of a watch

A smartwatch is a wearable computer in the form of a watch; modern smartwatches provide a local touchscreen interface for daily use, while an associated smartphone app provides management and telemetry, such as long-term biomonitoring. While early models could perform basic tasks such as calculations, digital time telling, translations, and game-playing, smartwatches released since 2015 have more general functionality closer to smartphones, including mobile apps, a mobile operating system, and WiFi/Bluetooth connectivity. Some smartwatches function as portable media players, with FM radio and playback of digital audio and video files via a Bluetooth headset. Some models, called watch phones, have mobile cellular functionality such as making telephone calls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pebble (watch)</span> Discontinued smartwatch

Pebble is a discontinued smartwatch developed by Pebble Technology Corporation. Funding was conducted through a Kickstarter campaign running from April 11, 2012, to May 18, 2012, which raised $10.3 million; it was the most funded project in Kickstarter history, at the time. Pebble began shipping watches to Kickstarter backers in January 2013. Pebble watches can be connected to Android and iOS devices to show notifications and messages. An online app store distributed Pebble-compatible apps from many developers including ESPN, Uber, Runkeeper, and GoPro.

Google Pixel is a brand of portable consumer electronic devices developed by Google that run either ChromeOS or the Android operating system. The main line of Pixel products consist of Android-powered smartphones, which have been produced since October 2016 as the replacement of the older Nexus, and of which the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro are the current models. The Pixel brand also includes laptop and tablet computers, as well as several accessories, and was originally introduced in February 2013 with the Chromebook Pixel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wear OS</span> Smartwatch operating system by Google

Wear OS is a version of Google's Android operating system designed for smartwatches and other wearables. By pairing with mobile phones running Android version 6.0 "Marshmallow" or newer, or iOS version 10.0 or newer with limited support from Google's pairing application, Wear OS integrates Google Assistant technology and mobile notifications into a smartwatch form factor. Wear OS is closed-source, in contrast to the free and open-source Android.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Google Fit</span> Health-tracking platform by Google

Google Fit is a health-tracking platform developed by Google for the Android operating system, Wear OS, and iOS. It is a single set of APIs that blends data from multiple apps and devices. Google Fit uses sensors in a user's activity tracker or mobile device to record physical fitness activities, which are measured against the user's fitness goals to provide a comprehensive view of their fitness.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asus ZenWatch</span>

The Asus ZenWatch is an Android Wear-based smartwatch announced on September 3, 2014 at IFA and released by Asus on November 9, 2014. It uses Android Wear, a modified version of Android designed specifically for smartwatches and other wearables. ASUS also provides a custom app manager for this watch called the ZenWatch manager.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pebble Time</span> Smartwatch developed by Pebble technology

Pebble Time is a discontinued smartwatch developed by Pebble Technology and assembled by Foxlink, released on 14 May 2015. This is the first Pebble to introduce a color e-paper display, as well as a microphone, a new charging cable and a new Pebble Time-optimized operating system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Huawei Watch</span> Smartwatch by Huawei

The Huawei Watch and Huawei Watch 3 are HarmonyOS-based smartwatches developed by Huawei. The Huawei Watch, the first smartwatch produced by the company, was announced at the 2015 Mobile World Congress and released at IFA Berlin on September 2. The Huawei Watch 3 was introduced in June 2021 after the United States Department of Commerce added Huawei to its Entity List in May 2019.

Mobvoi Information Technology Company Limited is a technological company headquartered in Beijing, China that sells and develops consumer electronics and Chinese voice recognition, natural language processing, and vertical search technology in-house.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pixel 3</span> 2018 Android smartphone designed by Google

The Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL are a pair of Android smartphones designed, developed, and marketed by Google as part of the Google Pixel product line. They collectively serve as the successors to the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. They were officially announced on October 9, 2018 at the Made by Google event and released in the United States on October 18. On October 15, 2019, they were succeeded by the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL.

The Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro are a pair of Android smartphones designed, developed, and marketed by Google as part of the Google Pixel product line. They collectively serve as the successor to the Pixel 5. The phones were first previewed in August 2021, confirming reports that they would be powered by a custom system-on-chip named Google Tensor. The cameras are housed in a horizontal bar on the back, while the front features a hole-punch display notch in the center. They shipped with Android 12, with Google announcing numerous artificial intelligence and ambient computing features during the phones' launch event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Google Tensor</span> Series of system-on-chip processors

Google Tensor is a series of ARM64-based system-on-chip (SoC) processors designed by Google for its Pixel devices. It was originally conceptualized in 2016, following the introduction of the first Pixel smartphone, though actual developmental work did not become in full swing until 2020. The first-generation Tensor chip debuted on the Pixel 6 smartphone series in 2021, and were succeeded by the Tensor G2 chip in 2022 and G3 in 2023. Tensor has been generally well received by critics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pixel Watch</span> 2022 smartwatch developed by Google

The Pixel Watch is a Wear OS smartwatch designed, developed, and marketed by Google as part of the Google Pixel product line. First previewed in May 2022 during the Google I/O keynote, it features a round dome-shaped display as well as heavy integration with Fitbit, which Google acquired in 2021. Two Pixel-branded smartwatches had been in development at Google by July 2016, but they were canceled ahead of their release due to hardware chief Rick Osterloh's concerns that they did not fit well with other Pixel devices. Development on a new Pixel-branded watch began shortly after Google's acquisition of Fitbit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pixel 6a</span> 2022 Android smartphone developed by Google

The Google Pixel 6a is an Android smartphone designed, developed, and marketed by Google as part of the Google Pixel product line. It serves as a mid-range variant of the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. The device was announced on May 11, 2022 as part of Google I/O's keynote speech.

The Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro are a pair of Android smartphones designed, developed, and marketed by Google as part of the Google Pixel product line. They serve as the successor to the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, respectively. The phones were first previewed in May 2022, during the Google I/O keynote. They are powered by the second-generation Google Tensor chip, and feature a design similar to that of the Pixel 6 series. They shipped with Android 13.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pixel Tablet</span> 2023 Android tablet developed by Google

The Pixel Tablet is an Android tablet designed, developed, and marketed by Google as part of the Google Pixel product line. It was previewed at the Google I/O keynote in May 2022 and announced in May 2023. It was released in June 2023.

The Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro are a pair of Android smartphones designed, developed, and marketed by Google as part of the Google Pixel product line. They serve as the successors to the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, respectively. Visually, the phones resemble their respective predecessors, with incremental upgrades to their displays and performance. Powered by the third-generation Google Tensor system-on-chip, Google placed heavy emphasis on their artificial intelligence–powered features, especially in the realm of generative AI and photo editing.

References

  1. ↑ "Google Pixel Watch Tech Specs". Google Store. October 4, 2023. Archived from the original on October 11, 2023. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  2. ↑ Li, Abner (May 5, 2023). "Source: Google planning to launch Pixel Watch 2 with Pixel 8". 9to5Google. Archived from the original on May 5, 2023. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
  3. ↑ Bradshaw, Kyle (June 13, 2023). "Google app reveals Pixel Watch 2 'Eos' code name, suggests similar design". 9to5Google. Archived from the original on June 13, 2023. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  4. ↑ Song, Victoria (August 14, 2023). "The Pixel Watch 2 may not get UWB support after all". The Verge . Archived from the original on August 14, 2023. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 Cantisano, Timi (August 18, 2023). "Pixel Watch 2 Google Play Console listing reveals Snapdragon W5, 2GB RAM, and more". XDA Developers . Archived from the original on August 19, 2023. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  6. ↑ Roth, Emma (September 7, 2023). "Google teaser previews Pixel Watch 2 and both Pixel 8 phones". The Verge . Archived from the original on September 7, 2023. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
  7. ↑ Haselton, Todd (August 30, 2023). "Google announces event for Oct. 4, where new Pixel phone and smartwatch expected". CNBC. Archived from the original on August 30, 2023. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Chokkattu, Julian (October 4, 2023). "Google's Pixel 8 and Pixel Watch 2 Have Arrived. Here's What's New" . Wired . Archived from the original on October 4, 2023. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  9. ↑ Waraich, Sandeep (October 4, 2023). "Google Pixel Watch 2: New ways to stay healthy, connected and safe". The Keyword . Archived from the original on October 4, 2023. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  10. ↑ Schoon, Ben (November 1, 2023). "Pixel Watch 2 is still heavily delayed at Google Store, but shipping immediately from Best Buy". 9to5Google. Archived from the original on November 1, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  11. ↑ Wong, Raymond (October 4, 2023). "Google Pixel Watch 2 Hands-On: The Major Upgrades Are All Internal". Inverse . Archived from the original on October 5, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  12. 1 2 De Luna, Elizabeth (October 4, 2023). "The Google Pixel Watch 2 feels like deja vu". Mashable . Archived from the original on October 4, 2023. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
  13. ↑ Li, Abner (July 24, 2023). "Sources: Pixel Watch 2 will use aluminum, Fitbit 'Coach' coming". 9to5Google. Archived from the original on July 25, 2023. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  14. ↑ Song, Victoria (September 8, 2023). "Pixel Watch 2 teaser shows off a new crown and sensor layout". The Verge . Archived from the original on September 8, 2023. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
  15. ↑ Blum, Sofia (October 4, 2023). "Google's latest Pixel phones have new camera AI tricks". CNBC. Archived from the original on October 4, 2023. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  16. ↑ Song, Victoria (October 11, 2023). "Google Pixel Watch 2 review: better battery, better watch". The Verge . Archived from the original on October 11, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  17. ↑ Howley, Daniel (October 12, 2023). "Google Pixel Watch 2 review: Google's smartwatch is better the second time around". Yahoo! Finance. Archived from the original on October 13, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  18. ↑ Murdock, Jason (November 1, 2023). "Google Pixel Watch 2 review: The most stylish wearable returns". Digital Spy . Archived from the original on November 1, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  19. ↑ Chokkattu, Julian (October 13, 2023). "Review: Google Pixel Watch 2" . Wired . Archived from the original on October 13, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  20. ↑ Miller, Matthew (October 11, 2023). "Google Pixel Watch 2 review: In one key area, it surpasses every other smartwatch". ZDNET . Archived from the original on October 12, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  21. ↑ Greenwald, Will (October 11, 2023). "Google Pixel Watch 2 Review". PCMag . Archived from the original on October 12, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  22. ↑ Knapp, Mark (October 13, 2023). "Google Pixel Watch 2 Review". IGN . Archived from the original on October 13, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  23. ↑ Buondonno, Max (October 12, 2023). "The $350 Google Pixel Watch 2 is a big improvement over the original". CNN Underscored. Archived from the original on October 13, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  24. ↑ Cipriani, Jason (October 18, 2023). "The Pixel Watch 2 marries Google brains with Fitbit brawn in an elegant design" . TheStreet . Archived from the original on October 19, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  25. ↑ Gibbs, Samuel (October 26, 2023). "Pixel Watch 2 review: Google smartwatch gets speed and battery boost". The Guardian . ISSN   0261-3077. Archived from the original on October 26, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  26. ↑ Low, Cherlynn (October 11, 2023). "Pixel Watch 2 review: Not leading the way, but no longer lagging". Engadget . Archived from the original on October 11, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  27. ↑ Wong, Raymond (October 24, 2023). "Google Pixel Watch 2 Review: A Better Smartwatch, But Not the Best". Inverse . Archived from the original on October 26, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  28. ↑ Leedham, Robert (October 13, 2023). "Google's Pixel Watch 2 is a great smartwatch for people who don't like smartwatches". GQ . Archived from the original on October 14, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
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