Google’s Pixel Watch 5, which is expected to be launched this year, seems to continue the design language of the previous generation, and the latest related listings also show that this “unchanged appearance, internal fine-tuning” strategy may extend all the way to the hardware platform. according to Report by 9to5Google, a device codenamed “godric” appeared in the Google Play Management Center, which is the internal codename of Pixel Watch 5. What’s even more striking is that the hardware platform listed in the list is exactly the same as the Qualcomm chip used by Pixel Watch 4.
Pixel Watch 5 specs leaked, same chip but bigger memory
The listing shows that the Pixel Watch 5 is powered by the Qualcomm SW5100 platform, which includes four 1.7GHz Cortex-A53 CPU cores and an Adreno 702 GPU clocked at 1GHz. These specs are the same as the processor in last year’s Pixel Watch 4, meaning Google isn’t using a newer processor architecture in this year’s watch.
From a technical perspective, this chip is most likely the second generation Snapdragon W5+ released in July 2025. Although it is considered a new processor, its CPU and GPU architecture are basically the same as the first generation Snapdragon W5+ from 2022. The main improvements of the second-generation chips focus on satellite communication capabilities, improved GPS accuracy, and better energy efficiency, rather than a huge jump in performance.
This choice is in stark contrast to Samsung. Galaxy Watch 9 uses the updated Snapdragon Wear Elite platform, which is more efficient. Especially in an era when smart watches are gradually adding more device-side AI functions, additional computing power may become the key to differentiation. When the AI model needs to be calculated directly on the watch, the performance bottleneck of the processor will be more obvious. Google’s continued use of the old platform on Pixel Watch 5 inevitably makes people curious about its strategic considerations.
What is more concerning is the price. Previous leaks indicate that the Pixel Watch 5 may be priced higher than the Pixel Watch 4. If the price rises but the processor remains unchanged, Google will inevitably need to provide sufficient upgrades in other aspects to make consumers feel the value. One of the more substantial updates comes from memory.
The Pixel Watch 5 will be equipped with 3GB of RAM, which is a significant increase from the 2GB of RAM that Google has been using since entering the smartwatch market. Additional memory is important for Wear OS 7 and Gemini Intelligence, providing greater multitasking space, smoother interface operations, and more complete device-side AI feature support. As Google gradually integrates more smart features on Wear OS, improvements in RAM may directly improve the user experience more than the processor.
The listing also includes a product image that is consistent with previously leaked renders, as well as a new analog watch face using Google’s neural expression design language, indicating that the Pixel Watch 5 will also have some new interface presentation. Google is expected to officially release the Pixel Watch 5 on August 12, along with the Pixel 11 series of phones. Overall, Pixel Watch 5 seems to be a product that “focuses on adjustments rather than major changes”: the appearance continues, the processor remains unchanged, the memory is improved, and the interface is updated. As for whether such a combination can gain a firm foothold in the highly competitive smart watch market, it remains to be verified by actual experience after the official release.
Source: KOCPC Chinese