Pixel Watch 4 arrives August 20 with brighter screen & new coprocessor
Mark August 20th in your calendar folks. This is when Google is expected to unveil the Pixel Watch 4, alongside its new Pixel 10 phones. Shipping and pre-orders are tipped to begin about a week later, around August 27-28.
That time of year usually brings something fresh from Google or Fitbit. They tend to show up at IFA in Berlin, which takes place in early September. This time around, the Pixel Watch 4 is set to be their headline wearable.
A fresh co-processor
The new watch appears to double down on Google’s current formula rather than reinvent it. According to Android Headlines, the Pixel Watch 4 will stick with the Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 chipset. This is the same SW5100 platform seen in the previous two generations. But what’s changing is the addition of a fresh co-processor, the M55, which aims to handle AI workloads more efficiently. It should allow Gemini integration to run smoother and more consistently without draining the battery as quickly.
That’s probably where things get more interesting. The Pixel Watch 3 only just picked up Gemini support through Wear OS 5. With this new co-processor deemed crucial to running Gemini on-device, the obvious question is how the Watch 3 will cope going forward. Google hasn’t said whether Gemini’s full potential will be limited by older hardware, but if AI features become more demanding, Watch 3 owners may start to notice lag or battery issues. No such reports yet.
Display upgrades
As before, the Pixel Watch will come in two sizes: 41mm and 45mm. The display on both will be what Google calls an Actua Display. It’s a high-brightness AMOLED LTPO screen that tops out at 3,000 nits. That puts it right up there with the Apple Watch Ultra and Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Watch 8 in terms of outdoor visibility. The resolution works out to a dense 320 ppi, with an adaptive refresh rate between 1Hz and 60Hz to help manage battery life.
Better battery and side-dock charging
Battery life seems to be getting a welcome bump too. The smaller 41mm model is rated for up to 30 hours with the always-on display enabled, and up to 48 hours in battery saver mode. The larger 45mm variant pushes those numbers to 40 hours and 72 hours respectively. Capacities come in at 325mAh for the smaller one and 455mAh for the larger.
Battery life is a stumbling block of all Pixel Watches. So any extension, no matter how small, is welcome. Back in April we saw leaked renders of the upcoming device. This shows a thicker design, probably to accommodate the bigger battery.
There’s also a new side-charging feature. The watch can be propped up in a dock and used as a bedside clock while it charges.
Familiar sensors, updated OS
Sensor-wise you’re still getting a full suite: optical and electrical heart monitoring, SpO2 via red and infrared sensors, ECG compatibility, barometer, gyroscope, altimeter, compass, ambient light, magnetometer and even ultrawideband. No doubt some of these will be upgraded to a newer generation.
On the software front, Google will ship the Pixel Watch 4 with Wear OS 6. No surprise there. The latest version of the operating system could bring better app responsiveness, and more Gemini AI features. But that’s something to watch out for once release notes and hands-on reviews land.
That’s the picture for now. We’re about a month out from the official launch. Fitbit hasn’t shared any hardware news so far this year, and there’s still no word on whether that will change. With Google now seeming to have picked up the mantle when it comes to smartwatches, any new hardware from Fitbit is more likely to land in the fitness tracker category.
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