Leaving your phone at home to head off on wilderness adventures is about to become a lot less risky for your health. Qualcomm’s new generation of smartwatch chipsets let you send and receive emergency messages via satellite, directly from your wrist, even when you’ve got no Wi-Fi or cellular coverage – and they’ll last longer per charge, too.
The Snapdragon W5+ Gen 2 and W5 Gen 2 are the first of their kind with support for satellite specialist Skylo’s Narrowband Non-Terrestrial Network (NB-NTN), which is already keeping the current crop of flagship smartphones connected when you go truly off-grid.
Compatible smartwatches will be able to signal for assistance even when they’re out of range of your smartphone, and receive a reply confirming help is on the way. It’s something the latest Apple Watch generation can’t do, as they rely on being connected to a satellite-ready iPhone in order to send out an SOS.
Other handy upgrades over the first-gen W5 duo include up to 50% improved GPS positioning accuracy, which should put an end to squiffy workout records. Tweaks to part of the chipset that handles radio frequencies has helped lower power consumption, and should mean smartwatch makers are able to come up with smaller, more tightly packaged wearables.
The new chips are still made using the same 4nm architecture as the first-gen W5 duo, with the W5+ Gen 2 keeping the 22nm co-processor that handles low-level tasks for extra efficiency.
Google is the first wearable brand to get in on the action, with the freshly-unveiled Pixel Watch 4. With the Snapdragon W5 Gen 2 onboard, battery life has seen a welcome hike from the previous generation: expect up to 40 hours on the 45mm model now, and up to 30 on the 31mm.
They’re going on sale in early October, with prices set to start at £349 for the 41mm Wi-Fi model (£399 if you want LTE) and £399 for the 45mm version.
Expect a full contingent of wearable rivals to appear in the coming months with their own W5 2nd gen-powered watches.
There’s some good news though. At a Climate Week NYC panel, focused on repairable technology—hosted by Back Market and moderated by One5c—Nicole Azores, a manager of Government Affairs and Public Policy at Google, said on Tuesday that the company is thinking through the design of the Pixel Watch to make it more repairable.
“Watches and wearables are still fairly nascent, and we are thinking through how to make this repairable,” Azores said on the panel. “We’re thinking about repairability on a broader scale, not just on phones and tablets, and we want to make sure that all of our products eventually become repairable. I think watches being so new as a category, there are some design elements that need to be considered on how we make them repairable.”
When Can You Fix It?
Azores did not provide any additional information, including a timeline. Consumer tech products typically have a two- to three-year development time. But it’s unclear whether this more-repairable framework will show up in the Pixel Watch 4 next year or even later than that. Google has stuck with the same design for its Pixel Watch over the past three generations, though the Pixel Watch 3 launched in two sizes for the first time.
This is the first time the company has publicly commented on the irreparability of its smartwatch. Until now, Google representatives have typically said the company has nothing to share when repairability concerns are brought up.
The Pixel Watch is a latecomer in the world of smartwatches, but the software it runs—Wear OS—has been around for a decade (formerly called Android Wear). Google managed the operating system, as manufacturers like Fossil and LG made the smartwatches themselves. That changed in 2022, when Google released its very own smartwatch, following its effort to jumpstart the waning platform alongside Samsung and Fitbit.
Google reportedly captured 8 percent of the wearable band market share in the fourth quarter of 2022, the timeframe of when the first Pixel Watch launched. Research group Canalys says the company shipped 880,000 Pixel Watches in that period (the rest are Fitbit devices).
Just the Starting Point
Lack of repairability will doom many of these watches as electronic waste to the landfill, which according to a recent UN climate report has already reached a crisis point. In 2022, there were around 137 billion pounds of e-waste, and less than a quarter was recycled. By 2030, e-waste is expected to grow by 33 percent, outpacing the recycling rate.
There are ongoing efforts to enforce repairability in tech. Last year, the European Union passed regulations requiring smartphones and tablets to have longer-lasting batteries or easier methods for users to replace batteries using common tools beginning in June 2025. While it doesn’t have to comply with this legislation, Apple’s new iPhone 16 debuted a new adhesive that makes the battery inside easier to remove,
Whether it’s in the Pixel Watch 4 or Pixel Watch 5, this design change is a win for consumers. Now Google needs to focus on improving the repairability of Fitbit’s wearables. Despite the prevalence of its trackers, the company doesn’t have any repair centers to send your device in for fixes.
I never thought I’d see the day I’d become a “wearables” person, and it’s because I’ve spent so long on the Android side of things. For years, Android users waited in vain for manufacturers to make smartwatches that fit nicely and didn’t peter out after a mere eight hours off the charger. It wasn’t until these last few years after Samsung launched the Galaxy Watch 4 that Android-based wearables offered feature parity to one of the most popular wearables, the Apple Watch.
Hands-On With Meta Quest 3
Thankfully, there is plenty more choice for wearables, not just between Apple and Android. Although some companies have left the connected wearables game—RIP Fossil and your delightful hybrid watches—plenty more remain, including mainstays from the fitness industry. Here’s a look at some of the latest smartwatches we’ve covered and which ones are worth buying if you’re shopping for one. iPhone users, you already know which one we’re going to suggest.
The Apple Watch Series 9.Photo: Florence Ion / Gizmodo
I’ve said it before, and I’ll repeat it: you should have an Apple watch if you use an iPhone. Other smartwatches work with the iPhone, particularly for those of you who want more of a training device rather than a remote accessory for your smartphone. But for everyone else wielding an iPhone, the Apple Watch is it.
The Apple Watch has maintained a consistent price point throughout its lifetime. The Apple Watch Series 9 currently costs $400 for the 40mm size and $430 for the 45mm size. There’s also the Apple Watch SE, a pared-down version of the flagship Apple Watch, and the Apple Watch Ultra 2, meant for rugged types who spend time outdoors or don’t mind wearing a bigger watch for the battery life.
The battery life of Apple Watches and the best ones for Android users is about the same. You’ll almost get two full days of notifications and time-telling, mainly if you use energy-saving modes. Apple has also done some work between generations of the Apple Watch. Siri’s common commands are available offline on the Series 9—something Google is still working on with Wear OS.
It took two generations, but Google finally delivered on its smartwatch promises with the Pixel Watch 2. The watch is comfortable for most wrists and pairs well with any of the dozens of available Android devices. Google also offers several different watchbands and finishes. The only downside is that the watchband employs proprietary connection mechanisms. Finding quality third-party watchbands is not as easy, and some of the Google Store’s offerings are pretty pricey.
The Fitbit app is what makes the Pixel Watch 2 a worthy wear. Its robust offerings include a daily readiness score, overnight body temperature tracking, sleep coaching, and stress monitoring. (Some features require a Fitbit Premium subscription, though they can be bundled in with Google One if you’re an all-in Android user.) The only drawback is that even with Health Connect, Fitbit doesn’t sync up with many popular third-party wellness suites without the help of a few other additional apps. I’m still trying to figure out how to count my Peloton workouts toward my weekly stats on Fitbit without manually entering the data.
Battery life is pretty average among most smartwatches available right now. Most of today’s Android-compatible smartwatches last as long as the Apple Watch—about a day and a half with the always-on display off. You can set the watch to a power-saving mode to eke out more time with it. But generally, smartwatches the size of the Pixel Watch 2 won’t make it two full days off the charger.
I used a Galaxy Watch 4 with a Pixel smartphone and the OnePlus 8, which was fine. However, the latest Galaxy Watch 6 has exclusive capabilities available only to Samsung smartphone users, including blood pressure and ECG monitoring, facilitated by apps available only through the Galaxy app store.
Like the Pixel Watch 2, the Galaxy Watch 6 can detect irregular heartbeats, track your sleep, measure your skin temperature as you sleep, and track your sleep patterns. It offers a larger display than the Pixel Watch 2—1.3 inches on the Galaxy Watch 6 versus 1.2 inches on the Pixel Watch 2—with less bezel. The Galaxy Watch 6 also uses a universal clasping mechanism so that you can buy watchbands anywhere.
My favorite part of Samsung Health is the new medication reminder offering, which simultaneously blasts the phone and smartwatch to hold me accountable for my pill. It’s louder than Apple Health and the Apple Watch’s quieter medication notifications. It functions like an alarm, and if you don’t take a second to mark whether you’ve taken your medication, it will nag you until you dismiss it entirely.
The OnePlus Watch 2 is a decidedly better smartwatch than the first-generation OnePlus Watch. But it is a big watch, and it is only available in one size. If it looks too big for you from the picture featured here, that’s because it is. However, if you think this honker of a wearable is something you’d sport after all, let me tell you the best part of the OnePlus Watch 2: it has the best battery life I’ve seen in a Wear OS watch in a long time.
With the always-on display off, the OnePlus Watch 2 lasts up to 100 hours off the charger. OnePlus employs two processors: one to handle the smartwatch’s lighter loads, like step counting and touch input, and one to take on the heavier loads, like apps and workout tracking. OnePlus’s health suite isn’t as robust as a Pixel Watch 2 with Fitbit or the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 with Samsung Health. But at least it syncs up with Health Connect.
The number of smartwatches on the market is staggering. I’ve tested models from Tag Heuer, Citizen, Montblanc, and many other fashion brands, but most of them are simply too expensive for what you get. Here are a few options I like.
Apple Watch Series 8 for $329: If you can find the 2022 Apple Watch Series 8 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) for a good deal less than the Series 9 (under $300), you should snag it. It’s nearly identical to the latest model, especially the health features. Save your cash!
Samsung Galaxy Watch5 for $229 and Watch5 Pro for $380: The 2022 Galaxy Watch5 and Watch5 Pro (7/10, WIRED Recommends) are still great, just make sure you pay less than the price of the new Galaxy Watch6 models. They match the Apple Watch’s accuracy in several health and fitness metrics, from SpO2, sleep, and heart-rate tracking to electrocardiogram measurements (though the latter is exclusive to Samsung phones). The Watch5 Pro is larger and has a battery that lasts roughly two full days, whereas the Watch5 lasts around a day and a morning. The Pro also adds GPX, meaning you can download hiking routes to the watch. They have sapphire crystals protecting the screen, but the Watch5 Pro’s crystal is even more durable, and it has a stronger titanium case versus the standard Watch5’s aluminum.
Casio G-Shock Move DW-H5600 for $299: Want a G-Shock with a heart rate monitor? The DW-H5600’s measurements lined up well with the Apple Watch, but if you’re serious about tracking your health, I think you’re better off buying something from our Best Fitness Trackers guide. The buttons are a bit tough to press, and there aren’t a ton of workouts you can track (running, walking, gym workouts). You can sift through a good amount of data in the app, though I was left wanting more, and battery life lasted me roughly three days with continuous monitoring. It can recharge via solar, but you will need to use the bulky charging clip every few days. I still enjoyed wearing it, even if I didn’t find it as useful as our above picks. You can use it to track different time zones, your movements via the GPS during a workout, and even sleep.
I tried to wear the OnePlus Watch 2 for a short weekend workout but couldn’t. The watch is too big for me and too dense. It’s not just me, either; I asked my partner if his wrists would be interested in trying on the smartwatch, and he rejected it after seeing the relatively ginormous 47mm display. “That’s way too big for me. You know that’s why I hate wearing a watch.”
OnePlus Open is the ‘Phablet” We’ve Been Waiting For
The Watch 2 is OnePlus’s second attempt at a smartwatch, and while it’s so much better than the first-generation release, there’s still plenty of room for improvement. For one, the OnePlus Watch 2 is too large and cumbersome for daily carry—especially if you want to wear it to take advantage of all the new health and fitness tracking capabilities. It’s also missing some features that should be standard from wellness-centric watches, including fall detection and an LTE connection on the go. At least this time, the OnePlus Watch runs actual Android software: this is the first OnePlus smartwatch to feature Wear OS.
How big is the OnePlus Watch 2?
How big exactly is the OnePlus Watch 2? Hopefully, the photo I’ve provided comparing it with two other major Android smartwatches gives you an idea. The watch is more significant than the Pixel Watch 2 and Galaxy Watch 6 in 42mm, which I typically wear.
In terms of dimensions, the OnePlus Watch is 47mm x 46.6mm x 12.1mm, which makes it a little bigger and a little thicker than the larger variant of Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 6 Classic. Surprisingly, the listed specifications say the OnePlus Watch 2 is a few grams lighter than the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic. Note that these weights do not include the watchbands.
The Google Pixel Watch 2 (left), the OnePlus Watch 2 (middle), and the Galaxy Watch 6 (right) all crammed onto the author’s tiny wrists.Photo: Florence Ion / Gizmodo
A great second attempt
I have yet to test the OnePlus Watch 2 beyond wearing it and pawing at the software, which I’ll address shortly. I’m still looking for a way to sport it for a walk around the neighborhood. It’s so big on me that it doesn’t fit under my sleeves.
If you’re into the masculine, almost tactical aesthetic, this watch could have a place on your wrist. It comes in two colors: Black Steel and Radiant Steel, the latter of which OnePlus sent over. The sage greenish hue of the Radiant Steel watchband helps cut through some of the heaviness of the smartwatch’s exterior trimmings.
There are two side buttons on the OnePlus Watch 2, just like on other Android watches. If you’re wearing the watch on your left hand, the button on the right-hand bottom side is a regular push-button, while the top is supposed to be reminiscent of a dial. The rotating dial is legitimate; it’s just not enabled by the software for whatever reason. Thus, the top button is merely a fancy-looking push button to help the watch look more like a timepiece than a wrist display. I wish it worked like the dial on the Pixel Watch.
Admittedly, OnePlus isn’t a brand I think of when I’m making a resolution to track my health, but the OnePlus Watch 2 can do so through its OHealth app. The app can track over 100 types of movement, including “leisure” activities like tug of rope. It can also track sleep, stress levels, heart rate, and blood oxygen levels. The runners in my life have also mentioned the watch’s ability to track advanced running metrics, like ground contact time and VO2 max. I’m burnt out on deciding if Apple Health on the Apple Watch or Fitbit on the Pixel Watch is my favorite “wellness” aggregator, which makes it hard to get excited about starting over with a new health suite.
Inside, the OnePlus Watch 2 takes a hybrid approach to how it does processing. The company compares it to a hybrid sports car: one engine to take on the hefty loads and one to take care of everything else. In the case of the OnePlus Watch 2, it’s two disparate chipsets: the Qualcomm Snapdragon W5, which takes care of wellness and body tracking, and the BES 2700 MCU, a background processor that’s always on to handle things like calls, notifications, step count, and features within power saving mode. It’s not the first time an Android smartwatch has done this, but OnePlus could help set a precedent for others in the category who may be struggling to deliver on battery life and performance as promised. If only Fossil had enough runway to explore this route before shutting down its smartwatch division.
Welcome, Wear OS 4
Why does the application drawer on the OnePlus Watch 2 look like the Apple Watch? Photo: Florence Ion / Gizmodo
The biggest caveat about the last OnePlus Watch is that it ran homebrewed software when other smartwatches in the ecosystem were transitioning to Google’s rebranded Wear OS. OnePlus’s take on the Wear OS 4 interface is fine—it’s the first to usher in Wear OS 4’s new ability to offload notifications to the co-processor. But its app drawer is reminiscent of a watchOS-wannabe, which is grating. The panning app drawer works with the Watch 2’s larger display, but I’d rather OnePlus does what Samsung does with its app drawer, which splays apps across the screen and allows me to scroll up and down rather than every which way.
What I’m trying to say is this: I’m on an Android device. Why does it look like I’m in the Apple ecosystem?
The best battery life
The last thing to note about the OnePlus Watch 2 is that it’s lauding up to 100 hours for its smartwatch as long as you use it in “smart mode.” This mode turns off the always-on display and limits GPS activity to half an hour. Even if you proceed with the AOD, the OnePlus promises at least 48 hours, which is already better than what Samsung and the Pixel Watch purport. And since OnePlus made SupeVOOC a thing, it’s on the smartwatch, too: the proprietary charger can charge the device fully in an hour.
I tested the charging speed of the OnePlus Watch 2—it’s faster than what I’d get waiting for the Pixel Watch 2 to reload before I head out on the town. I’ve yet to test the battery’s total capacity and will report in the full review.
Struggling to feel it paired against the claws, but I will for science. Photo: Florence Ion / Gizmodo
I plan to follow up with a full assessment of the OnePlus Watch 2 as soon as I can figure out how to wear it comfortably. Namely, I’m curious about the data sharing between OHealth and the rest of the Android ecosystem. Google’s been reconfiguring how it syncs data through Health Connect, and I’m seeing its benefits within Fitbit and some of the third-party equipment I have on hand.
You, too, can have your own RCS chat with Google Gemini. Image: Google
Android is becoming the platform of AI fever dreams. At this year’s MWC, an overseas tradeshow where Google typically has a booth to remind the world that its mobile platform is global, the Android maker has announced new ways to interact with Gemini from inside Google Messages as if Gemini were just another buddy.
No Google AI Search, I Don’t Need to Learn About the “Benefits of Slavery”
Beginning this week, Google will roll out the ability to access Gemini right from within Google Messages on any Android device. It’s called Chat with Gemini, and like a chatbot in apps like Slack, you’ll be able to dialogue with it to draft messages, plan events, and pin ideas. You won’t have to install the Gemini app to access this feature.
Even if you don’t plan to interact with Gemini, more AI infusions are coming to an Android device near you. For those who use Android Auto behind the wheel, your car can summarize long texts and noisy group chats. The AI will also talk you through possible replies and other things you can do as you keep your eyes on the road. But speaking from experience, I hope this won’t be one of those interactions that require you to enunciate directly.
Lookout on Android, a built-in feature geared toward blind and low-vision users, will now offer auto-generated AI descriptions of photos and images that come through with messages. There’s also enhanced screen reader support for Lens inside Maps, so when you point your AR camera at a building or storefront, TalkBack will dictate what’s ahead and its entry into Google Maps.
Android watchwearers, first, let me say it’s nice to have you here. You should know that Google will allow you to access tickets, passes, and other necessary wallet staples from your wrist in the next Wear OS update. Transit directions will also be available soon, making it much easier to recall the train or bus you’re supposed to catch without taking out your phone.
Health Connect is the last portion of this mini-news maelstrom. This latest update pipes in all your third-party health data from apps like AllTrails and MyFitnessPal and aggregates them into the Today tab in the Fitbit app. I’m curious about what’s going on with this particular data-sharing suite since Google rolled it out last year. I’ll be testing this more closely as it rolls out.
