GoKawiilThe Pixel Watch 5 is a refined version of its predecessor, which was already a favorite of mine. But its $50 price hike might be a tough sell when many of the new watch’s best features are coming to older models too.
I got to spend a few hours with the Pixel Watch 5 in a press briefing — just enough time to get an idea of how it’s changed from last year’s Pixel Watch 4. Walking into Google’s demo room was like stepping into a rainbow. Each station had its own vibe, matching the shades of the new lineup: the Pixel Watch 5, Pixel 11 and Fold phones, Pixel Buds and Pixel Tags. I saw stations in peach, lilac, olive, lime, black and my personal favorite, bright pink.
The parade of colors — especially the almost blindingly bright pink, which I couldn’t stop staring at — momentarily distracted me from the fact that, aside from new band options and a new metallic finish called pyrite (a gold-and-silver blend), the watch itself hadn’t changed in the slightest. At least on the outside.
Google’s Pixel Watch 5 starts at $399 and is available to preorder. It’ll be in stores starting Aug. 20.
Pixel Watch 5’s welcome, but familiar design
I love the minimalist, bezel-free circular display, with nothing interrupting the curved glass except the rotating crown and side button. It still comes in both 41-mm and 45-mm sizes, and the domed display makes it feel more like a statement piece than a tiny computer strapped to your wrist.
My biggest complaint also hasn’t changed. That beautiful curved glass isn’t especially forgiving if you’re accident-prone. I managed to scratch my Pixel Watch 4 when I took a tumble during a trail run in the first month of testing, and the Pixel Watch 5 has the same Gorilla Glass 5 protection and the same LTPO AMOLED display with 3,000 nits of peak brightness and 320ppi resolution.
Pixel Watch 5’s battery and processing power
Under the hood, the Pixel Watch 5 gets an updated Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 Gen 2 Accelerated processor, which Google says boosts CPU performance by 12% (over the previous generation). Google also bumps RAM from 2GB to 3GB (a 50% increase) and doubles onboard storage from 32GB to 64GB.
The Watch 5 also has a slightly larger battery than its predecessor: 465 mAh versus 455 mAh on the 45mm model. In practice, though, this shouldn’t translate to a longer battery life. Google says the battery gains mostly offset new AI capabilities like offline Gemini, and you can expect anywhere from 30 to 40 hours of use with the always-on display enabled.
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