The smartwatch sector has already reached a level of maturity in which it is difficult to be surprised by important news and you have to get used to it, as has been the case with smartphones for quite some time, to incremental if not subtle improvements, which is what we have with the new Pixel Watch 5. Google has turned it into a watch more intelligent and proactive, but visually it is almost impossible to distinguish from its predecessor. The most relevant news is concentrated in software and health featureswhile the hardware advances just enough to improve the experience without marking a true generation change.
The design preserves the sizes of 41 and 45 millimetersthe circular aluminum case and the domed screen Act 360. It also keeps the panel AMOLED LTPO of 3,000 nitsthe glass Gorilla Glass 5 and the same 12.3 millimeters thick. It is a good base, but Google has not improved the resistance and has not yet created a more robust version for athletes.
The internal improvements are small but reasonable to extend the life of the watch. He Snapdragon W5 Gen 2 Accelerated offers a 12% more CPU performance and the whole is a 20% faster, according to Google. The memory RAM goes from 2 to 3GB and storage doubles up to 64GB. This is all very well on paper, but during the few days that I have been able to test it There is no clear difference from its predecessor.
The battery grows slightly until 332mAh in the small model and 465mAh in the big one, but official autonomy continues in 30 and 40 hours with the screen always active. He GPS promises a more useful improvement by combining dual frequency with three-dimensional building models, atmospheric data and subsequent corrections. Google assures that this system records the route traveled with twice the accuracy of the Pixel Watch 4especially between tall buildings, under trees or in areas with poor GPS reception.
The news of Gemini They have more immediate utility for the average user. The main thing is that now the assistant works on the watch offline and allows you to manage timers, alarms and workouts by voice even if there is no internet access or your mobile phone is far away, but a little more slowly. It also shows suggestions related to the content of the messages and places information about flights, routes or exercises at the bottom of the sphere. The AI generated spheres They are fun, although they seem more like a curiosity than a reason to buy the watch.
He sports tracking It incorporates guided strength and high intensity routines with repetitions, weights, rests and prompts from the wrist. For a broader audience they will be more useful smart alarm, sleep automations, morning summary and announced 15% improvement in identifying sleep stages. The new nighttime breathing metric shows trends related to rest, but does not detect apnea.
The most striking health functions should be interpreted with some caution. The detection of respiratory emergencies You can call for help if you identify a severe and persistent drop in oxygen. Its potential value is enormous, although it does not guarantee detecting all episodes, it depends on connectivity and will also arrive on the Pixel Watch 4 in certain European markets.
For the blood pressure trends and insulin resistance The device records pulse, movement, sleep and other indicators for weeks. Nor show blood pressure or glucose values, sIts usefulness is to warn of a sustained change so that the user reviews their habits, uses a blood pressure monitor or consults a professional. Besides, They will be available on Pixel Watch 3 and 4.
The Pixel Watch 5 starts in Spain from 419 euros with Wi-Fi in 41 millimeters and 449 euros in 45 millimeters. Compared to the Pixel Watch 4, the small one increases 20 euros while the large one maintains its price. This difference reinforces the attractiveness of the previous model now that it is not difficult to find it from 300 euros in third-party storesespecially because it shares the screen, autonomy and many health news.
The provisional conclusion is not favorable for those who already own a Pixel Watch 4. The new model offers more memory, better GPS and more complete Gemini integration, but we are facing an incremental evolution. For those who buy their first Google watch it will probably be the most complete option. For the others, the Pixel Watch 4 may be the most sensible purchase.