Phew, Google Pixel Watch 5 is getting at least one interesting (and surprising) upgrade
And this is probably more important than you think
Quick Summary
The Pixel Watch 5 is set to come with an increase in RAM, hinting at more AI features powered by Gemini.
The rest of the watch is expected to have the same specification as the Pixel Watch 4.
The Google Pixel Watch 5 could be in for an upgrade, with a listing for the device pointing to 3GB RAM. That doesn't sound like a lot, but it's a 50% upgrade compared to the Pixel Watch 4 and it's also 50% more than Samsung packed in the Galaxy Watch 9 that's just been announced.
Google's leaning towards RAM is the only real upgrade for the wearable device seems to point to one particular feature – Gemini.
On-device AI functions need plenty of RAM to keep things moving along and while the design, processor and display are all expected to be the same as previous years, the functionality, aided by Gemini, is likely to take a step forward.
Unless you've been living under a rock, you'll probably be aware that there's a components crisis in consumer technology at the moment, with prices skyrocketing because of the demands that have been put on the industry by rapidly expanding data centres and other AI functions.
That's one of the causes of price increases across a number of brands, but also makes it more remarkable that the Pixel Watch 5 will get this increase.
The details come from 9to5Google, with the Pixel Watch 5 listed in the Google Play Console under the codename Godric. Additional details point to the new Pixel Watch powered by the same Snapdragon SW5100 that was used to power devices since the Pixel Watch 2.
However, while this Snapdragon platform comes in a number of iterations, the CPU and GPU appear to be the same configuration as the Pixel Watch 4. That suggests it might not have more power – and the lack of the Snapdragon Wear Elite chip as found in the new Galaxy Watch 9 might leave some disappointed.
The Pixel Watch is popular for its minimalist design and easy-to-use interface, while the battery life is a common point of criticism. The fitness tracking is generally well regarded, with accurate heart rate tracking.
But the best thing about Pixel devices, whether that's phone, watch or buds, is the clean software approach and access to Gemini. Google designs Gemini to add value to its hardware and it often works best on those devices.
So, while the Pixel Watch 5 isn't going to be hugely different to the Pixel Watch 4, you can be fairly certain that it will have greater Gemini powers thanks to that additional RAM.
