More Pixel Watch 2 specs leak: Same screen size and UWB

Back in May, 9to5Google reported that the Pixel Watch 2 would switch to a Snapdragon chip, get over a day of battery life, and offer Fitbit’s cEDA and skin temperature sensor, while we later revealed the use of aluminum. Additional Pixel Watch 2 specs have leaked, like how Google will use the same size screen.

Android Authority added today that the Pixel Watch 2 will support UWB (ultra-wideband). The report only speculates what this could be for, but UWB would enhance the Digital Car Key experience. On phones today, NFC-based implementations require a physical tap. The phone can stay in your pocket with UWB and still unlock the vehicle door for a more seamless experience.

There’s also the possibility of proximity-based music transfer with the Pixel Tablet currently featuring an unused UWB chip. Like in Apple’s ecosystem, you could tap your watch near the tablet and have what’s on your watch play on the louder Charging Speaker Dock. Another use is a more accurate Find My Device range finding. 

AA’s report says the Pixel Watch 2 features the same 1.2-inch 384 x 384 OLED screen, but it’s now sourced from Samsung Display instead of BOE. As we speculated when we reported the switch to a slightly lighter aluminum case, this suggests the Pixel Watch 2 will look the same as the original. One reason for this is band compatibility, with one new strap already pre-announced, while the larger bezels are likely staying for another year as a result.

Other new things today include how the Pixel Watch 2 will ship with Android 13-based Wear OS 4, like the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5. Besides Dynamic Color, this will apparently make possible seamless updates. As such, the process of installing OTAs should just take as long as a regular device reboot. Android Authority also reported that the three model numbers are G4TSL, GC3G8, and GD2WG while reiterating the switch from the 10nm Samsung Exynos 9100 to the Qualcomm, specifically the Snapdragon W5, which we’ve also been able to confirm since our original report. Instead of the W5+ with Qualcomm’s own coprocessor, the Pixel Watch 2 will use its own component again.

Lastly, the battery life is reported to be 306 mAh (typical), which echoes what we heard in terms of capacity, only seeing a minor increase from 294 mAh today. We previously reported that Google is targeting over a day of usage on the Pixel Watch 2 with the always-on display (AOD) enabled.