The Pixel Watch 6 is likely a year away, but it's never too early to speculate about what Google could be cooking up for its next smartwatch. Of course, we'll take a look at what we might expect based on the current Pixel Watch 5, Google's latest smartwatch.
The Pixel Watch 5 may not bring many hardware upgrades; it comes with compelling software that should appeal to health-conscious and fitness enthusiasts. Even so, the Pixel Watch 5 may not be the upgrade consumers were looking for, which is where the Pixel Watch 6 could come into play.
Here's what we know so far and what we hope to see in the Pixel Watch 6.
Price and availability
The Pixel Watch has always been an expensive smartwatch, but Google raised the price for the first time in the smartwatch's history with the Pixel Watch 5. The watch starts at $399, which is $50 more than its predecessors. This may be due in part to rising memory costs resulting from the RAM crisis, which is expected to last through 2027 and likely into 2028.
That means we can expect the Pixel Watch 6 to start at $399, at least for the smaller Bluetooth/Wi-Fi model, while larger sizes and LTE models will cost even more.
Performance gains where they count
The Pixel Watch 5 features more or less the same chip as its predecessor, although the "Accelerated" chip promises a 20% boost in performance, which isn't nothing. This should help the Pixel Watch 5 run AI features faster, though we admit we were hoping for something a bit more "Elite" for a $400 smartwatch.
Qualcomm's Snapdragon Wear Elite already powers the Galaxy Watch 9 and supports powerful on-device AI, better power efficiency, faster charging, and enhanced connectivity options like 5G RedCap.
This is the type of chip we expect to see in Google's Pixel Watch 6. Even if it's already a year old by the time the Pixel Watch 6 arrives, it should still be more than enough and adequate for the types of AI experiences Google is trying to provide on its smartwatch.
I would like to see larger batteries in the Pixel Watch 6, although I can easily get two days of use per charge with the Pixel Watch 4, and the Pixel Watch 5 has a very slightly larger battery capacity, so I expect the experience to be roughly the same. If Google can figure out how to squeeze larger batteries into the watch, as OnePlus has, perhaps we could be looking at a 3- or 4-day battery life?
Wear OS and Android XR
The Pixel Watch 6 should arrive with Wear OS 8 in tow, although we don't yet know what to expect from Google's next major smartwatch update. Wear OS 7 is already pretty fully featured with new widgets (to replace Tiles), Gemini Intelligence, and improved health and fitness capabilities.
What we don't expect is a major visual overhaul, as Material 3 Expressive is still pretty new on watches. However, Google could update some UI elements, perhaps making widgets more customizable, as Samsung's One UI Watch allows users to stack multiple widgets in a single view.
That said, we expect a greater emphasis on AI, perhaps with more on-device AI, especially if the watch is powered by the Snapdragon Wear Elite.
Google is expected to roll out Android XR glasses with Samsung later in 2026, and with them will come Wear OS-specific features that allow the watch to connect to and even control the glasses. With Android XR becoming more widely available for consumers, I expect future versions of Wear OS to build on these experiences, although it's unclear how until we get the first batch of glasses out in the wild.
Pixel Watch Pro?
We've seen the same batch of Pixel Watches for years now, but we hope to see something akin to a Pixel Watch Pro in future models. Like the Pixel Pro series, this would offer higher specs and additional features not found on the base Pixel Watch 6, such as more storage and RAM.
This could also include a new design, perhaps something a bit more rugged than the current models. Google has proven it can make a beautiful watch, but the glass dome doesn't exactly inspire confidence in people who like to go hiking, rock climbing, or even diving.
Google should emulate what Samsung and Apple have done with smartwatches like the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, giving consumers a more rugged build, larger batteries, and features tailored to outdoor experiences.
