I think it’s time Google branched out to give people what they need — a Pixel Watch Pro. And I’m saying this because, after playing with the Pixel Watch 5, I’m not sure why the company keeps putting out a new version of the watch every year when not much has really changed.
I want to be very clear: I love the Pixel Watch. I mean, I broke the news that the very first Pixel Watch was found in a restaurant. So you can imagine my excitement when I see new Pixel Watches every year. But now it’s starting to get boring.
Not much has changed, nothing exciting is happening, and the number of Wear OS updates and upgrades doesn’t justify the price increase of the Watch.
Still the same watch
While the form factor of the watch remains the same, Google did come up with some new watch band colors, including olive-toned, magenta-toned, and frost-toned, to match the new Pixel 11 base colors.
Google also didn’t update its chip to the Snapdragon Wear Elite, as Samsung did with its Galaxy Watches. Instead, the new Pixel Watch 5 is still using the Snapdragon W5 Gen 2 “Accelerated,” which seems to be a boosted version of the same chip from the Pixel Watch 4.
The look and feel of the new watch is literally the same as the past two generations, and in my opinion nothing really has changed. That’s not fully a bad thing; the Pixel Watch is one of the more gorgeous smartwatches on the market. However, it’s starting to get bland, and something new needs to happen here.
|
Specs |
Google Pixel Watch 5 |
|---|---|
|
OS |
Wear OS 7 |
|
CPU |
Snapdragon W5 Gen 2 Accelerated, Cortex M55 co-processor |
|
Display |
Actua 360 AMOLED LTPO display, 320ppi 3,000 nits, 1-60Hz refresh rate |
|
Storage |
64 GB eMMC flash |
|
Sensors |
Compass, altimeter, red and infrared sensors for oxygen saturation (SpO2) monitoring, multipurpose electrical sensors compatible with ECG app, multi-path optical heart rate sensor, 3-axis accelerometer, gyroscope, ambient light sensor, electrical sensor to measure skin conductance (cEDA) for body response tracking, far field skin temperature sensor, barometer, and magnetometer. |
|
Battery |
41mm: 332mAh, 30 hours with AOD, 48 hours with Battery Saver 45mm: 465mAh, 40 hours with AOD, 72 hours with Battery Saver |
|
Charging |
41mm: 15 minutes to 50%, 25 minutes to 80%, 45 minutes to 100% 45mm: 15 minutes to 50%, 30 minutes to 80%, 60 minutes to 100% |
|
Materials |
Recycled aluminum |
|
Protection |
Custom Corning Gorilla Glass 5, 5ATM, IP68 |
|
Band |
Active Band (2nd gen) |
|
Dimensions |
41mm: 41 x 41 x 12.3mm 45mm: 45 x 45 x 12.3mm |
|
Weight (w/out band) |
41mm: 31g 45mm: 36.7g |
|
Colors |
Matte Black, Polished Silver, Satine Pyrite, Champagne Gold (41mm) |
New features might make the watch worth it
If you were to get the Watch 5, the only reason you should get it is because of the new Gemini and Wear OS features. And many of these features are probably going to take a while to trickle down to the other watches.
The new Insulin Resistance Trends and Blood Pressure Trends features are incredibly compelling. Both have never been on any Pixel Watch before, and both are active features to help monitor your health trends. When I was at my content capture, both features were not available to try out, as they were not ready yet. But I am certain that when the Watch is ready to be shipped, it will be available.
I will also note that my Google rep told me it takes about a month of daily tracking to get trend results, so even if that feature was there at content capture, it would be hard to test without at least 30 days of testing.
Android Central’s Derrek Lee is also very excited about the newly upgraded workout experience, which now includes weight and rep tracking as well as rest timers and a workout builder, making the Watch 5 a more well-rounded fitness companion.
Generative Watch Faces: Your next bff
Honestly, the thing I was most excited about was the new Generative Watch Faces feature. This feature is going to be so fun to play around with, and it uses Google’s Nano Banana to generate.
I tested the feature by asking the watch face to generate pink unicorns, and it actually did. It was super cute and fun, and I think this will be a game-changer for people who like custom watch faces and want to have fun with what their watch looks like.
It’s time for a Pixel Watch Pro
As much as I love the Pixel Watch, it’s time for Google to upgrade what it’s doing. I like the new workout features and some of the other features I mentioned above, but I think it’s time Google launched a Pro version of its watches.
It could be something similar to the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 or the Apple Watch Ultra 3, a watch that is much more rugged and geared to serious workout enthusiasts or athletes. In my opinion, the watch could have a deeper focus on fitness and offer something even more compelling for those who would pay the money for it.
As an example, I currently own a Garmin Forerunner 970, and I sought out this watch because I am training for a half marathon. I knew that my training would involve deep stats and workout details that a regular watch might not suffice for. And I think it’s for this very reason Google needs to think about expanding its watch family.
I don’t hate the Pixel, and I think maybe after reading this you might think that, and that is far from how I feel. I love the Pixel; I think it is a robust watch with really great features, but Gen 5 feels boring and flat. I want something more, and I know Google is capable of it.