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At first glance, you might think Google’s new Pixel Watch 5 was actually the Pixel Watch 4. That’s because it has the same “Actua 360 display” at an identical 320 PPI with up to 3,000 nits of brightness. And, just like the Pixel Watch 4, you can get the Pixel Watch 5 in either 41mm or 45mm models. If not for the new colors, you might think this year’s watch is just like last year’s watch.
It doesn’t help that many of the newest software features that Google announced along with the Pixel Watch 5 are compatible with older watches, too. Things like “Health Guardian,” which tracks trends in insulin resistance, blood pressure, and sleep breathing, will be available on Pixel Watch 4 when they launch, just as they will be on Pixel Watch 5. But while the Pixel Watch 5 is a small update to the Pixel Watch 4, it is an update: There are six new features exclusive to the watch that you won’t find on older models.
The Pixel Watch 5 comes with a new chip
The Pixel Watch 4 runs the Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 Gen 2 chip; the Pixel Watch 5 runs the Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 Gen 2 Accelerated chip. That might not sound like a big difference, and, indeed, we don’t have benchmarks at this time to say just how much faster the Pixel Watch 5 is than its predecessor.
However, according to Google, the Pixel 5’s “Accelerated” chip is powering on-device AI features faster than before. That includes Google’s “Raise to Talk” feature, which lets you interact with Gemini by raising your wrist. The company says these features on Pixel Watch 5 now process “instantly with low latency,” even when you aren’t connected to the internet.
The chip also powers Gemini Intelligence Proactive Suggestions (Google previously called this Magic Cue). These are new suggestions that automatically appear based on the context of what you’re doing: If someone asks you for your flight info, Gemini can use your Pixel Watch 5’s chip to dig through your apps to surface that info by presenting it as an option to share with a tap. Google says the Snapdragon W5 Gen 2 Accelerated chip has 50% more RAM than the previous generation, as well as a 12% CPU boost, which makes the whole chip 20% faster overall.
The Pixel Watch 5 has highly accurate GPS route tracking
Google has some bold claims for the Pixel Watch 5. Not only does the company claim that its newest watch has the most accurate GPS route tracking of any Pixel Watch (the company says it has double the accuracy of previous generations in the “toughest environments”), Google says its more accurate than Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Garmin Fenix 8 Pro. We’ll have to see how true those claims are when reviewers put the watch to the test.
To make these leaps in GPS route tracking, Google says it tapped into Google Maps to “trace satellite ray paths through 3D building models.” The company also explains how Pixel Watch 5 can connect to weather reference stations around the globe in real time to adjust for local atmospheric conditions. Google claims all these steps improve route precision.
What do you think so far?
The Pixel Watch 5 has improved sleep tracking
While Pixel Watch 4 shares many of the new health features Google is rolling out in coming months, the Pixel Watch 5 does win in certain categories. Google says the newest watch has 15% more accurate sleep stage detection, which should improve sleep tracking overall. In addition, your bedtime automation on the Pixel Watch 5 can pause audiobooks automatically when you fall asleep, and there’s now a dedicated bedtime watch face.
New watch faces and complications on the Pixel Watch 5
Google says Pixel Watch 5 comes with two new “stunning” watch faces, as well as 11 new “glanceable” complication styles. The company didn’t highlight what those looked like in their press releases, but 9to5Google has images of the faces (Weave and Chronograph). You can also use AI to generate new watch faces if the available options aren’t to your liking.
Pixel Watch 5 comes in new colors
Google says the Watch 5 has three new color options, though only two are available in both sizes. Those include Fog, Olive, and Canyon, though the latter is a 41mm exclusive. If you’re set on the 45mm model, you could instead choose the Stephen Curry Special Edition, as that model isn’t available in 41mm.
Breathing emergency detection (EU only)
One health feature exclusive to Pixel Watch 5 is “breathing emergency detection.” Google says the Pixel Watch 5 can use on-device AI to read its PPG, accelerometer, and barometer sensors all at once, in an effort to detect if you stop breathing. That could be from drug toxicity accidents, pneumonia, or choking. The company says if your watch detects a breathing emergency and you can’t respond, it will reach out to emergency services on your behalf, even sharing your live location. This feature is launching in Europe first.
