TL;DR The Google Pixel Watch 4 is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon W5 Gen 2. Qualcomm’s new wearables platform is the first to sport satellite connectivity, as well as more accurate GPS tracking. The chip should also be slightly more power-efficient, but performance remains about the same. ​ It’s not often that we’re treated to new wearable processors, but the new Google Pixel Watch 4 has some new internals courtesy of Qualcomm. The new chip is the Snapdragon W5 Gen 2, though Qualcomm also has a Plus variant that we might see rolling out in other smartwatches soon. So what’s new with the Snapdragon W5 Gen 2 and W5 Plus Gen 2 platforms? Well, the headline feature is NB-NTN (Non-terrestrial network) support thanks to upgraded modem — or satellite communication to you and me. The sale pitch is simple: you can reach geo-stationary satellites to connect to emergency responders, share your location, and get assistance, even when outside of traditional network coverage — handy if you’ve left your phone in the car or don’t have satellite connectivity on your existing handset. When it comes to the core processor, the new SW5150 is only a tweaked version of the SW5100 in the W5 Gen 1. It still has the same quad-core Cortex-A55 CPU layout with the same clock speeds, so there is no major performance boost on hand here. However, the newly optimized radio front end is smaller, contributing to a roughly 20% reduction in size and lower power consumption compared to W5 Gen 1 and W5+ Gen 1. The Pixel Watch 4 is the first to standalone smartwatch to support emergency satellite comms, thanks to the W5 Gen 2. While that won’t make wholesale changes to device battery life, every improvement is welcome when it comes to helping our smartwatches through a full day of use and more. Speaking of power, Qualcomm notes that while satellite connectivity is demanding, its intended use is only for short bursts in an emergency setting, so it will not negatively impact device battery life. Perhaps more important for fitness fanatics, the W5 Gen 2 sports various machine learning enhancements to provide a 50% improvement to GPS positioning accuracy in difficult environments with poor signal. This could include navigating a run through high-rise city streets or riding your mountain bike through a deep canyon, ensuring that your recorded distances are as accurate as possible. Qualcomm Finally, the difference between the W5 Gen 2 and W5 Plus Gen 2 is simple: the Plus comes attached with Qualcomm’s QC5100 co-processor, which is entirely unchanged from the last generation. This microcontroller handles a few tasks in a very low power state, such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and sensor machine learning capabilities, to name a few. But it can be entirely replaced with a custom solution, which is what Google has done with the Pixel Watch 4, adding in some custom machine learning goodies while still retaining the platform’s core 4nm main processor, radio components complete with NB-NTN, and power management chips that make up the W5 Gen 2 platform. Don’t want to miss the best from Android Authority? Set us as a preferred source in Google Search to support us and make sure you never miss our latest exclusive reports, expert analysis, and much more. Will the Snapdragon W5 Gen 2 platform make a huge difference to the Pixel Watch 4 and other upcoming smartwatches? Well, certainly the introduction of satellite connectivity is an eye-catching new feature, and more efficient and robust connectivity is a win as well. But if you were hoping for more sweeping changes, such as faster performance or greatly enhanced machine learning smarts, perhaps we’ll have to wait for Qualcomm’s Gen 3 platform to roll around, but that might be a while. Google Pixel Watch 4 Google Pixel Watch 4 Emergency Satellite communications • Power AI on your wrist • Capable health and fitness tracking MSRP: $349.00 The best Pixel Watch to date. The Google Pixel Watch 4 series is available in 41mm and 45mm sizes, and Wi-Fi and LTE variants of each size. The Actua 360 Display is a domes AMOLED panel with 3,000 nits of brightness, and a large viewing area with greatly reduced bezels over previous models. Multiple-day battery life and quick charging power a wide array of health and fitness sensors to keep you informed on the go. See price at Amazon Follow