Brand | |
---|---|
Type | Smartwatch |
Series | Pixel |
Compatible networks | |
First released | October 12, 2023 |
Availability by region | 30 countries |
Predecessor | Pixel Watch |
Successor | Pixel Watch 3 |
Dimensions |
|
Weight | 31 g (1.1 oz) |
Operating system | Wear OS 4.0 |
System-on-chip | |
GPU | Qualcomm Adreno 702 |
Memory | 2 GB SDRAM |
Storage | 32 GB eMMC flash |
Battery | 306 mAh (lithium-ion) |
Display | AMOLED at 320 ppi with DCI-P3 color |
Sound |
|
Connectivity | |
Data inputs |
|
Water resistance | 5 ATM |
Codename |
|
Other | Custom 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.
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.
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]
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]
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]
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]
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]
A heart rate monitor (HRM) is a personal monitoring device that allows one to measure/display heart rate in real time or record the heart rate for later study. It is largely used to gather heart rate data while performing various types of physical exercise. Measuring electrical heart information is referred to as electrocardiography.
Fitbit is a line of 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. It operated as an American consumer electronics and fitness company from 2007 to 2021.
A smartwatch is a portable wearable computer that resembles a wristwatch. Most modern smartwatches are operated via a touchscreen, and rely on mobile apps that run on a connected device in order to provide core functions.
Pebble is a discontinued smartwatch developed by Pebble Technology Corporation based in Palo Alto, California that shipped from 2013 to 2016. A brainchild of Eric Migicovsky, funding was conducted through a Kickstarter campaign in 2012. It was the most funded project in Kickstarter history at the time, raising $10.3 million. 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 Pixel version of 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 9, Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL 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.
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.
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.
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.
The Huawei Watch and latest Huawei Watch 4 series are HarmonyOS-based smartwatches developed by Huawei. The Huawei Watch is the first smartwatch produced by Huawei. It was announced at the 2015 Mobile World Congress and released at IFA Berlin on September 2nd. 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.
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.
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 enter full swing until 2020. The first-generation Tensor chip debuted on the Pixel 6 smartphone series in 2021, and was succeeded by the Tensor G2 chip in 2022, G3 in 2023 and G4 in 2024. Tensor has been generally well received by critics.
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 deep integration with Fitbit, which Google acquired in 2021. Two Pixel-branded smartwatches had been in development at Google by July 2016, but 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.
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.
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. At launch, a charging speaker dock was sold with each device. However, a standalone version without the dock was released on May 14, 2024.
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.
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold is an Android-powered foldable smartphone designed, developed, and marketed by Google as part of the Google Pixel product line. It serves as the successor to the first-generation Pixel Fold. It was officially announced on August 13, 2024, at the annual Made by Google event, and was released in the United States on September 4, 2024.