Pixel Watch to have 2 processors and more storage/RAM than any other Wear OS watch

One of the most exciting announcements to come out of Google I/O this year was undoubtedly the reveal of the Pixel Watch. So naturally, Pixel enthusiasts and curious technophiles alike became very interested and eager about the prospect of a Wear OS/Fitbit hybrid watch that bears the Pixel name. However, that enthusiasm quickly turned to doubt due to an unofficial report that the watch would be using an outdated processor.

The report came from 9to5Google via an undisclosed source, who confirmed that the watch would be using an Exynos 9110, instead of the Exynos W920 everyone expected. The W920 is the chip that Samsung’s newest watch (Galaxy Watch 4) uses, while the 9110 was first released in August of 2018 and is subsequently less efficient. This revelation was cause for concern for many who expected to acquire the Pixel Watch but worried that its performance would be lacking. A new flagship watch should get the latest specs, not a four-year-old chip.

However, 9to5 has learned since then through a second source that there is a lot more to report as far as specs go. The second source did confirm that the watch would use an Exynos 9110 but then added that it would be paired with a co-processor and some beefy RAM. According to the source, the co-processor “will work to offload various tasks away from the main CPU,” though no details were given on which specific processor would be used. For example, 9to5 cited the ultra-low power QCC1110 co-processor, which, when paired with the Snapdragon Wear 4100+, supports extra functions of the always-on display and relieves that burden from the main processor.

Additionally, the source confirmed previous reports that the Pixel Watch would have 32GB of storage, which is more than any Wear OS watch has right now, presumably for offline storage of media or Maps data. There were no specific numbers given for the amount of RAM, except that it will also have more RAM than “any existing smartwatch today,” even the Galaxy Watch 4, which has 1.5GB. Finally, 9to5 was able to confirm that the watch will have a heart rate sensor and hardware that supports blood oxygen and ECG readings, as the sensors are very similar to the ones found on the Fitbit Luxe and Charge 5, which have those same capabilities.

These latest developments can be seen as proof that specs on paper rarely tell the whole story. We don’t know the specifics of this new version of WearOS yet, nor do we know which co-processor the Exynos 9110 on the Pixel Watch will have. There could be some Tensor magic sprinkled in there for all we know. So unless more details leak from now until the watch goes on sale, which – let’s be honest – we probably will, all we can do is sit tight and wait for the official specs and initial product reviews.