Google Pixel Watch could have these surprise spec boosts

The first Google Pixel Watch specs leak — that it would feature a four-year-old processor — may have been disappointing, but the latest report from 9to5Google’s sources sounds a lot more promising.

While the site’s new source backs up the somewhat underwhelming sounding inclusion of the Exynos 9110 processor seen in the original 2018 Samsung Galaxy Watch, there’s an important twist. It will apparently be paired with a co-processor.

That will probably work in the same way as the Snapdragon Wear 4100+, where an ultra-low power QCC1110 co-processor takes on some of the duties from the main chip. 

If correct, that suggests that while the Pixel Watch may have the same main chipset as the first three generations of Galaxy Watch, it will feel a bit snappier in use. Though whether it can keep up with the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 with its newer Exynos W920 chip is another matter.

However, 9to5Google’s sources claim that the Pixel Watch will have two key advantages over the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 and, indeed, every other Wear OS device out there.

The first is RAM. The site claims that the RAM in the Pixel Watch should “slightly surpass” the 1.5GB included in the Galaxy Watch 4. We know that more RAM can dramatically improve Wear OS performance, given the performance boost we saw when the TicWatch Pro went from 512MB to 1GB, though of course there could be diminishing returns past the 1.5GB mark. 

The second is internal storage, with 9to5Google’s source confirming that the Pixel Watch will have a massive 32GB. As the site points out, that’s double the capacity of other Wear OS watches, matching the Apple Watch 7, and opening the door for offline songs from Spotify or YouTube Music for those who like to leave their phone behind from time to time.

Finally, the site reveals that the Pixel Watch will match the health sensors found on the Fitbit Luxe and Charge 5 with a heart-rate sensor that supports SpO2 and ECG readings. That should be helpful, given Google’s pledge to include Fitbit software from its $2.1 billion acquisition within the Pixel Watch.

While Google has confirmed that the Pixel Watch is real and coming, the company says it won’t be out until the fall, when it’ll launch alongside the Pixel 7. 

Hopefully more official details will fall between now and then, though price is the big known unknown — and that’s something that could make or break Google’s first stab at a smartwatch. Be sure to check out our Pixel Watch hub for all the latest news.