Google Pixel Watch 2: News and Expected Price, Release Date, Specs; and More Rumors

The first Google Pixel Watch looks and feels great, but its short battery life and thick bezels give even the most diehard Google fans pause. Rumors of a Pixel Watch 2 have us eager to see if its shortcomings can be addressed this year.

When Will the Pixel Watch 2 Be Released?

Despite silence from Google about the possibility of a new Pixel Watch, the flaws of the first-gen wearable have us feeling like it's time for a refresh.

The other big players in this space, Apple and Samsung, introduce a new smartwatch with their flagship phones, meaning there's a new watch to look forward to every year. This is probably Google's plan, too, but we won't know until there's a second one.

One indication that this watch is in the works is a tweet from prominent leaker Evan Blass:

It's unclear what this means—is it a super early tease or just a hopeful note? It was posted just before Google I/O 2023, so it's possible Blass was anticipating an announcement during that event.

Finally, a 9to5Google source claims Google is planning to launch Pixel Watch 2 with the next Pixel phone:

According to a source, the Pixel Watch 2 — which may not be the final name but would match the naming scheme for phones — is currently scheduled to launch alongside the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro.

Trusted leaker Jon Prosser backs this up, adding that Google plans to launch a watch for kids, too, although it'll likely fall in the Fitbit category.

Pixel Watch 2 Price Rumors

$349.99 is an educated guess because that's how Google priced the first Pixel Watch. The LTE version is $50 more, which will probably be repeated this year.

Of course, you'll have to shell out more than that if varying case sizes are offered or if a Pixel Watch Pro comes along with beefier hardware. Although, there's currently no reason to think there will be anything other than one Wi-Fi model and one LTE model, like last year.

Assuming Google doesn't fix the problems we outline below, a hefty price cut would be expected—$250–$300 sounds about right—but we're not holding our breath.

Pre-Order Information

The 2023 Pixel Watch will likely be available for pre-ordering from Google Store following the announcement event. If last year's schedule is repeated this year, Pixel Watch 2 pre-preorders will run for a week before it ships.

Google Pixel Watch 2 Specs & Features

Like its release date and price, we don't have any official word from Google on what this smartwatch will look like or what sort of hardware will be packed inside. But nobody doubts that a few big areas of improvement are needed in the next Google Pixel Watch: battery life and screen size.

Longer Battery Life

The biggest improvement we'd like to see is with battery life. According to 9to5Google, who has a source with information about the Pixel Watch 2 battery, "Google is seeing over a day of usage with the always-on display (AOD) enabled."

This is much needed. The poor battery life in the current watch is the main reason it's hard to recommend it to others, and countless Pixel Watch owners admit that they'd love the watch if it weren't for its abysmal battery. You can expect it to run for about 30 hours, but only if a conscious effort is made to use it sparingly, defeating the purpose of such a device.

That all-day battery life quickly turns into much less if you decide to trigger Google Assistant as often as you'd like, stream music, track workouts, or run calls through it. These power-stretching efforts mean it also can't show off its beautiful array of watch faces because it avoids using the always-on display.

If you don't stay on top of daily charge-ups, you'll likely be away from a charger when you need the watch most, like to pay for something. Charging it overnight is tempting, but that means missing out on its sleep-tracking capabilities.

These things are manageable most of the time by simply avoiding heavy use, and the watch includes Bedtime Mode and Airplane Mode that can help reduce rapid battery loss. But you shouldn't be expected to feel forced to think about all this to conserve power.

Beyond a new chipset, one thing that could ease battery strain is less frequent heart rate monitor checks. Second-by-second sampling is neat to watch in real-time, but it's probably not something everyone cares to have running 24/7. A setting that lets you adjust this, or turn it off altogether, could squeeze a bit more life out of the battery.

If reverse wireless charging with a phone isn't supported in the second-gen Pixel Watch, maybe Google could opt for a bigger battery instead. The current watch uses a 294 mAh battery, while the competition, like the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, has a 590 mAh battery with up to 80 hours of battery life. The higher the mAh rating, the longer the device can be powered between charges.

Smaller Bezels

Tilt the watch just right, or trigger the flashlight, and you can see the thick bezels surrounding the screen.

This is less of a concern than the battery but is still an area where Google could improve in the second iteration of the Pixel Watch. We don't expect or even want, the overall design to change much more than this.

Smaller bezels would provide more screen space without enlarging the watch. This also means first-gen bands would be compatible.

Other Improvements

• We also expect general stability improvements and bug fixes. Delayed notifications and random app crashes that can only be fixed with a reboot will hopefully be resolved with Pixel Watch 2.
• You'll recall that the first Pixel Watch is built on the Exynos 9110 SoC, the same chip as the 2018 Samsung Galaxy Watch. It also has a Corex-M33 coprocessor. An upgrade here could offer some performance improvements. 9to5Google's source says the next Pixel Watch will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset from the latest “W5” generation.
• Nobody complains about too much storage, so the 2023 Pixel Watch could be upgraded in that department. However, the 32 GB in the first-gen models doesn't seem to be a problem for most people, and it's the same capacity offered in the last several Apple Watch series.
• Real-time automatic workout detection would be a nice addition. Currently, the Fitbit app will detect workouts when you're finished with them, but it's inconsistent, and you can't see them on your watch.
• Another tip from 9to5Google is that this watch will have "similar health sensors to the Fitbit Sense 2." This means the Google Pixel Watch 2 might have an electrodermal activity sensor for tracking stress, and/or a skin temperature sensor.
• The first Pixel Watch includes 6 months of Fitbit Premium for free, a trial you'll most likely be able to grab with the next Pixel Watch. It's a big ask, but we'd love to see a full subscription in a Google smartwatch purchase. Or maybe a freebie for Google One subscribers?
• Adding a second or third watch size would give shoppers options as they have with other brands. The single 41mm size might not work for all wrist sizes or preferences. On the other hand, Apple Watch users can pick from multiple case sizes, including the 49mm Apple Watch Ultra. A bigger size also means a potentially larger battery.

We'll update this page as we learn more about the next Google Pixel Watch. In the meantime, check out all that the first-gen Pixel Watch offers; most, if not all, of those features will make their way into the next models, like the rotating crown, health tracking, media controls, Emergency SOS, customizable tiles, and contactless payments.

The Latest News About the Pixel Watch 2

You can get the latest smart and connected news on Lifewire. Below are rumors and related stories on the Google Pixel Watch 2.