It’s not surprising that the Pixel Watch 5 is on its way. It has already been released in several methods (including one allegedly discovered at the bottom of the sea).
Google’s future flagship smartwatch has been filed to the FCC (Federal Communications Commission), although there is some misunderstanding.
The device’s regular appearance confirms that the Pixel Watch 5 will be released soon. It has been seen there under the model codes G25QD, G1XJ6, G0F3Y, and GFW3R, all of which are described as a ‘wireless device’, as previously confirmed by BIS.
That’s fine because we expect the standard four wearables: two sizes and a variety of connectivity options.
This is where the confusion arises, because the FCC listings indicate that all four versions include LTE (4G), Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. This means there will be no cheaper Wi-Fi and Bluetooth-only configurations as usual.
While there is considerable dispute over whether Google would release another Pro or Ultra model to accompany the Pixel Watch 5, I believe the situation is far less difficult.
Sorry for being boring, but this list is most likely owing to the fact that all Pixel Watch 5 versions will be built with the same internals. So, the circuit board contains a modem capable of 4G connectivity, but it is simply turned off at the firmware level before leaving the factory.
It’s similar to how certain automobiles leave the factory with a speed limiter according to their intended usage. It is still theoretically capable of reaching faster speeds thanks to the same engine below, but it has been tweaked.
There’s bigger news here
Perhaps the biggest discovery here is that the Pixel Watch 5 will not be updated to 5G to compete with the Apple Watch Series 11.
To elaborate, forthcoming smartwatches in 2026 will include the new Qualcomm Snapdragon Elite chipset, which has 5G RedCap. This might potentially power a crucial rival, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 series, but it is also believed to be limited to 4G LTE.
The most likely reason is that, in the midst of the memory crisis, which has caused the price of technology to skyrocket, the cost of upgrading these devices to 5G isn’t worth it, especially since the majority of the target market would not notice or recognize the improvement.
Instead, they may simply purchase a cheaper version to safeguard their profit margin. The Pixel Watch 5 will also see a price increase.
We shouldn’t have to wait long to find out, as the Pixel Watch 5 is planned to ship in August alongside the Pixel 11 phones, while Samsung is expected to unveil the Galaxy Watch 9 series, including the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, on July 22 at its anticipated Unpacked event.
