In a week from now, Google will formally introduce its next slate of Pixel hardware. Like clockwork, almost everything has been spoiled, thanks to an unstoppable stream of leaks. The latest one all but confirms a supersized version of the Pixel Watch 3 — including one that could solve screen and battery anxiety in one go.
The folks over at Android Headlines (in collaboration with reliable leaker OnLeaks) have shared what looks like an official video advert for the upcoming Google smartwatch. The promo material suggests the wearable comes in two size variants — 41mm and 45mm — rocking a familiar round design with smooth curves. In March, 9to5Google also mentioned a new 45mm variant, citing an insider source.
The leaked video doesn’t exactly show any color options save for the all-black trim, but Android Headlines recently shared what looks like a screengrab of an online listing comparing the Pixel Watch 3 with its predecessor. That table listed a total of four color options, including blue, pink, and what looks like a shade of teal green. This time around, the biggest upgrade seems to be the display.
Aside from the obvious bump in size, it seems the bezels have also been shrunk, while the brightness has been doubled. The Pixel Watch 3’s OLED screen will reach a peak brightness of 2,000 nits, matching the Apple Watch Series 9 and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7, but still a healthy 1,000 nits short of the second-gen Apple Watch Ultra and the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra.
Battery capacity numbers are a mystery at this point, but the leaked material mentions 36 hours of functional life on a single charge in battery saver mode and 24 hours in regular mode. That’s not really an improvement over the Pixel Watch 2. What remains a mystery is whether Google will implement Wear OS 4’s notification offloading system, somewhat similar to the dual-silicon approach taken by the OnePlus Watch 2.
Google refers to it as a “bridged” approach to handling notifications, a system that lets users handle basic tasks like viewing and dismissing notifications without having to dip into the power-hungry main processor’s inventory. This technique keeps the main processor in a sort of hibernation and reduces the power drawn from the battery. Android Authority reports that the Pixel Watch 3 will, indeed, come equipped with a custom co-processor to handle less-demanding tasks, akin to the OnePlus Watch 2.
The Pixel Watch 3’s main processor is reportedly Qualcomm’s Snapdragon W5, marking the second time it appears on Google hardware following the Pixel Watch 2. According to the aforementioned report, the upcoming smartwatch’s bezel size has been trimmed from 5.5mm to 4.5mm.
Thanks to the thinner bezels, the resolution figures now stand at 408 by 408 pixels on the 41mm variant, while the 45mm version climbs up to 456 by 456 pixels. Another notable feature upgrade seems to be Ultra Wideband (UWB) support, which should theoretically improve the accuracy of location tracking and interacting with other devices, including digital car keys.
