The Pixel Watch 2 vs. the competition: A more robust wearable
Here's how Google's newest smartwatch stacks up against other wearables on the spec sheet.
Google officially announced the Pixel 2 on Wednesday during its ‘Made by Google Event.’ Perhaps, the most exciting change is that the wearable will run on a Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 chip and use a Cortex M33 co-processor. That new coprocessor specifically should be able to handle less demanding tasks, like driving the always on display (AOD) more efficiently. The Pixel 2 can hold more charge at 306 mAh, up from the first Pixel watch’s 294 mAh charge capacity. This slight bump in battery capacity, combined with more efficient processors should extend the time between charges. While the official Pixel Watch 2 specs list the battery life at 24 hours, the same as the original Pixel Watch, that is with the AOD enabled.
Another welcome change? Improved durability. Aside from the Gorilla Glass crystal encasing on the face, the watch has an IP68 rating now, meaning it can survive dust and being dunked in up to 1.5 meters of water for 30 minutes. The new Pixel’s casing is also completely made of recycled aluminum, making the wearable slightly lighter. But, in tandem with the thinner domed glass cover on the face, the new wearable boasts a sleeker design.
In the landscape of smartwatches that have a wealth of tracking capabilities, the Pixel 2 is running up against Apple's latest Watch Series 9 and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6. While specs aren’t the only way to discern which watch is right for you, it helps to know how they compare on things like battery life and screen size. So, don’t base your purchasing decision purely on the table below, but here's how the Google Pixel 2’s hardware stacks up.
Google Pixel 2 | Apple Watch Series 9 | Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 | |
Pricing (MSRP) | $349 for Bluetooth/Wi-Fi | 41mm Aluminum: $399 | 40mm: $299.99 |
Dimensions | 41mm: 12.3mm height | 41mm: 1.61 x 1.38 x 0.42 inches | 40mm: 1.53 x 1.59 x 0.35 inches |
Weight (approx.) | 41mm: 1.09 ounces (without the band) | 41mm Aluminum: 1.13 ounces | 40mm: 1.02 ounces |
Case material | Aluminum | Aluminum or Stainless steel | Aluminum (Stainless steel on Galaxy Watch 6 Classic) |
Display Size | 41mm: 1.2 inches | 41mm: 1.69 inches | 40mm: 1.31 inches |
Display resolution / pixel density | 320 ppi | 41mm: 430 x 352, 326 ppi | 40mm: 432 x 432, 330 ppi |
Display Type | AMOLED display with DCI-P3 color | LTPO OLED | Super AMOLED |
Display brightness | Up to 1,000 nits | Up to 2,000 nits | Up to 2,000 nits |
Chipset | Qualcomm SW5100 | Apple S9 (dual-core) | Exynos W930 (dual-core, 5 nm) |
Storage | 32 GB eMMC flash72 GB SDRAM | 64GB | 16GB |
Battery life (claimed) | 24 hours with always-on display | Up to 18 hours / up to 36 hours in Low Power Mode | Up to 40 hours with always-on display (AOD) off / up to 30 hours with AOD on |
Wireless charging | No | Yes, via proprietary standard | Yes, via WPC-based chargers |
Water resistance | IP68, 5 ATM | Up to 50 meters, IP6X dust resistance | IP68, 5 ATM |
GPS | GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo, QZSS | GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo, QZSS | GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo |
Health features | Multi-path heart rate sensor, red and infrared sensors for oxygen saturation (SpO2), ECG app, skin conductance (cEDA) for stress tracking, skin temperature sensor, sleep tracking, irregular heart rhythm notifications | Optical heart rate sensor, blood oxygen measurements, temperature sensor, ECG app, sleep tracking, irregular heart rhythm notifications | Optical heart rate sensor, blood oxygen measurements, temperature sensor, ECG app, sleep tracking, irregular heart rhythm notifications, bioelectrical impedance analysis sensor |
Wi-Fi | 802.11 b/g/n | 802.11 b/g/n | 802.11 a/b/g/n |
Bluetooth | v5.0 | v5.3 | v5.3 |
NFC | Yes | Yes | Yes |
OS | Wear OS 4 | watchOS 10 | Wear OS 4, One UI 5 Watch |
Case colors | Matte Black, Polished Silver, Champagne Gold | Aluminum: Pink, Starlight, Midnight, Silver, Product Red | Graphite, Gold |
Other features | Always-on display, 4G LTE, altimeter, accelerometer, gyroscope, fall detection, emergency SOS, 6 months of Fitbit Premium included | Always-on display, ultra-wideband chip, fall detection, crash detection, emergency SOS, optional 4G LTE (standard with stainless steel model), altimeter, accelerometer, gyroscope | Always-on display, fall detection, emergency SOS, optional 4G LTE, altimeter, accelerometer, gyroscope |
