The Pixel Watch 5 is likely to strongly resemble the Pixel Watch 5 (both under the hood and on the surface). | Image by TheTideChart
While the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra understandably generated the highest level of excitement out of the multiple new products Samsung unveiled at its summer Unpacked event yesterday, the Galaxy Watch 9 and Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 feel in a way worthy of even more attention and admiration from their target audience.
Google's next big thing will be just as powerful as the Pixel Watch 4
Look, I'm not going to sit here and trash the 2025-released Google Pixel Watch 4, which is undoubtedly still one of the best smartwatches money can buy. But there's no such thing as a perfect wearable device (no, not even the Apple Watch Series 11), and while our in-depth Pixel Watch 4 review praised the search giant's latest circular beaut (among others) for its excellent performance, the Snapdragon W5 Gen 2 processor has officially been left behind by Qualcomm.
The Pixel Watch 4 packs a reasonably powerful but not exactly mind-blowing Snapdragon W5 Gen 2 SoC. | Image by PhoneArena
Unveiled around three and a half months ago with major raw power and energy efficiency enhancements, the Snapdragon Wear Elite SoC is making its commercial debut inside the Galaxy Watch 9 and Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, but for some reason, it's not expanding to the Pixel Watch 5 next month.
That's because the Pixel Watch 4's sequel is seemingly retaining its forerunner's Snapdragon W5 Gen 2 chipset, almost definitely entering the market with a big disadvantage compared to Samsung's newest smartwatches in both the overall performance and battery life departments.
Could Google pull a rabbit out of the hat at the last minute?
Technically, the newly unearthed Google Play console data for the Pixel Watch 5 (codename "godric") doesn't include any explicit "Snapdragon W5 Gen 2" mention. Instead, the SoC is listed by the Qualcomm SW5100 moniker, which was originally associated with the Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 platform powering the Pixel Watch 2 and Pixel Watch 3.
Recommended For You
It's unlikely, but the Pixel Watch 5 could still be slightly more powerful than the Pixel Watch 4. | Image by 9To5Google
While certainly slim, this maintains the possibility that the Pixel Watch 5 will pack a slightly different chipset than the Pixel Watch 4, perhaps with an upgraded co-processor of some sort.
Of course, Qualcomm has yet to unveil a Snapdragon W5 Gen 3 platform, and even if such a chip were to surprisingly appear out of nowhere next month, I highly doubt it would prove as impressively fast and frugal as the already official and aggressively advertised Snapdragon Wear Elite.
Will the Pixel Watch 5 beat the Galaxy Watch 9 in other departments?
As a matter of fact, yes, although I'm not convinced you're going to notice the 3GB RAM count of Google's next Apple Watch alternative in your day-to-day use, at least for the foreseeable future.
The Galaxy Watch 9 is likely to outperform the Pixel Watch 5 with relative ease. | Image by PhoneArena
Elsewhere, the Pixel Watch 5 will apparently sport a screen resolution of 426 x 426 pixels and a screen density of 320 pixels per inch, with the latter number perfectly matching what the Pixel Watch 4 offers in the same department while falling a bit short of the Galaxy Watch 9's 327 ppi density.
The rest of the specifications are more or less a mystery, but based on the ultra-high-quality product renders leaked just last week, very few Pixel Watch 4 characteristics are likely to (radically) change. The battery life could be improved... slightly, and alas, the price points are also expected to go up, making it virtually impossible for Google to turn the Pixel Watch 5 into a bigger hit than its moderately successful predecessor.
Six-month unlimited plan is now 57% off
$90
$210
$120 off (57%)
Mint Mobile is now allowing you to get whichever plan you like for either three, six, or 12 months for just $15/mo. If you go for the six-month unlimited service, for instance, you'll now have to pay just $90 upfront instead of $210.
Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
A discussion is a place, where people can voice their opinion, no matter if it
is positive, neutral or negative. However, when posting, one must stay true to the topic, and not just share some
random thoughts, which are not directly related to the matter.
Things that are NOT allowed:
Off-topic talk - you must stick to the subject of discussion
Offensive, hate speech - if you want to say something, say it politely
Spam/Advertisements - these posts are deleted
Multiple accounts - one person can have only one account
Impersonations and offensive nicknames - these accounts get banned
To help keep our community safe and free from spam, we apply temporary limits to newly created accounts:
New accounts created within the last 24 hours may experience restrictions on how frequently they can
post or comment.
These limits are in place as a precaution and will automatically lift.
Moderation is done by humans. We try to be as objective as possible and moderate with zero bias. If you think a
post should be moderated - please, report it.
Have a question about the rules or why you have been moderated/limited/banned? Please,
contact us.
Things that are NOT allowed:
To help keep our community safe and free from spam, we apply temporary limits to newly created accounts: