The Pixel Watch represents Google’s vision for what a Wear OS smartwatch should be, but even in its third generation, the platform has plenty of room to grow. While the Google Pixel Watch 3 is a fan favorite among Android users, it still pales in comparison to Wear OS smartwatches from Samsung and OnePlus in key areas.

That’s why we’re looking forward to the upcoming Google Pixel Watch 4, which aims to address some of these pain points, potentially bringing the smartwatch into true flagship territory. The Pixel Watch 4 hasn’t been officially revealed yet, but early rumors and leaks give us an idea of what the next Google Watch might bring. Here’s a speculative breakdown of how the Pixel Watch 4 might improve upon the Pixel Watch 3.

Google Pixel Watch 4 vs. Pixel Watch 3: Pricing and availability

Why you can trust Android Central


Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.

The Google Pixel Watch 4 is expected to launch alongside the Pixel 10 series, which will debut at an August 20 event. For reference, the Pixel Watch 3 was announced on August 13, 2024, and became available as of September 10, 2024.

As for pricing, no current rumors or leaks point to a price change for the Pixel Watch 4. In fact, a recent leak suggests that the price will remain the same in Europe, which is good news. That would mean you’ll pay $349 for a 41mm watch and $399 for a 45mm watch, with optional LTE versions costing another $100 on top of that. However, these prices are unconfirmed and could certainly rise due to inflation and other supply chain factors.

The Google Pixel Watch 3 is currently available in two sizes: 41mm and 45mm, with prices starting at $349 and $399, respectively. Each size has three colorways: Matte Black and Polished Silver for both models, Champagne Gold as the 41mm exclusive, and Matte Hazel as the 45mm exclusive. The upgrade to cellular connectivity costs an extra $100.

Google Pixel Watch 4 vs. Pixel Watch 3: Design and display

Leaked Google Pixel Watch 4 renders might give us an early preview of Google’s upcoming smartwatch. Put simply, the Pixel Watch 4 appears to have a questionable design, of these renders turn out to be accurate. They depict the Pixel Watch 4 as being about 2mm thicker than its predecessor, and without rear charging pins visible.

These design changes could be divisive among Pixel Watch fans. A positive of this change is that the Pixel Watch 4 could switch back to a wireless charging puck for power, rather than the contacts and pins on the Pixel Watch 3. On the flip side, this would mean that the Pixel Watch has changed charging methods three times in four generations, which isn’t ideal for continuity.

Otherwise, the Pixel Watch 4 is expected to retain the same “waterdrop” design language as its predecessors. This time, the bezels might be even slimmer, helping make the newer model feel more modern. If the case size remains roughly the same, we could see the Pixel Watch 4 displays slightly grow compared to the 1.27- and 1.43-inch displays on the Pixel Watch 3.

The Google Pixel Watch 3 measures 12.3mm thick, so if these rumors are true, the newer model could be close to 15mm thick. That certainly isn’t great, because the current Pixel Watch 3 is actually on the thicker side of smartwatches already. The newly-announced Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 is only 8.6mm thick, and the Apple Watch Series 10 is only 9.7mm thick.

Still, there will probably be more similarities than differences between the Google Pixel Watch 4 and Pixel Watch 3. Both models will likely be offered in 41mm and 45mm sizes, and multiple colorways.

Google Pixel Watch 4 vs. Pixel Watch 3: Hardware and specs

In terms of hardware, we have been hearing rumors of a Snapdragon W5 Gen 2 processor, which hasn’t been officially announced yet but has started surfacing in rumors. That said, it seems unlikely given the timeline that it will be featured in the upcoming Pixel Watch 4.

Android Central’s own Michael Hicks interviewed Qualcomm VP of wearables Dino Bekis about Qualcomm and Google’s partnership, when he discussed the “feature-focused” and “AI-driven” Snapdragon Wear chipset coming “next year” (2025). As such, it’s still possible we see the Snapdragon W5 Gen 2 chip power the Pixel Watch 4, potentially bringing better speed, efficiency, and overall performance.

Even so, the Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 has proven quite capable, and it wouldn’t be a total loss if the Pixel Watch 4 retains this chip, as Google has been known to make the best of older chipsets in the past.

Other than that, we expect the Pixel Watch 4 to feature the same fitness and health sensors as the Pixel Watch 3. The highlight of the sensor assortment would be a multi-path optical heart rate sensor supporting ECG readings. The Pixel Watch 3 also supports blood-oxygen detection, skin temperature readings, and cEDA analysis, so those should carry over to the Pixel Watch 4 as well.

Google Pixel Watch 4 vs. Pixel Watch 3: Fitness and health features

The Google Pixel Watch 4 will most likely be powered by Wear OS 6, which brings the Material 3 Expressive design language to the smartwatch form factor. It’s a new-look operating system that will add things like more fluid scrolling, buttons, and notification cards, all of which dynamically adapt to user interaction and the Pixel Watch’s display size.

More importantly, Wear OS 6 will add proper support for third-party watch faces. The Watch Face Push API will let third-party faces sync with Pixel Watch models without needing to go through the Google Play Store, via apps like Facer.

Additionally, Gemini is replacing the Google Assistant on the Pixel Watch 4. The current Pixel Watch 3 will get all of these upgrades when Wear OS 6 rolls out, but it’s possible the Pixel Watch 4 will get some first. Additionally, the Pixel Watch 4 might offer a longer software support window.

A recent rumor suggests that Google is enhancing its strength training capabilities, featuring tools such as a workout builder and real-time guidance. This may include more advanced post-workout analysis and form insights, catering to weightlifters and bodybuilders.

Google Pixel Watch 4 vs. Pixel Watch 3: Is it worth waiting for?

Right now, there are too many unknowns to say for sure whether the Google Pixel Watch 4 will be the slam-dunk upgrade over the current Pixel Watch 3. Current rumors paint a clear picture: the Pixel Watch 4 might be better than the Pixel Watch 3 in some areas, and worse in others. Specifically, the Pixel Watch 4’s rumored thicker chassis may be a non-starter for some users — the Pixel Watch 3 was already on the thicker side of smartwatches.

With that being said, a potential chip upgrade, Wear OS 6, and slimmer bezels are just a few reasons the Pixel Watch 4 might sound incredibly appealing. That’ll be especially true if the Pixel Watch 4 indeed retains the same pricing structure as the Pixel Watch 3.

For now, we’ll have to wait for Google’s official unveiling of the Pixel Watch 4 to know exactly how the upcoming model will compare to the current one.

What you need to know

• A recent Galaxy S25 FE leak suggests the phone could see a 45W charging upgrade that mirrors the flagships.
• A related rumor regards the alleged Galaxy Tab S10 “Lite,” which might see 25W charging support.
• The Galaxy S25 FE was recently reported to have received Qi2 wireless charging support; however, that listing failed to state its strength.

Rumors suggest Samsung is turning its attention toward its affordable market, and these whispers purport charging details.

The latest leaks about the upcoming Galaxy S25 FE come from SammyGuru, who spotted an interesting new TUV listing. According to the listing, the S25 FE is supposedly preparing 45W fast charging support. What’s unfortunate is that this leak doesn’t expand on the phone’s alleged battery capacity, so we’re still left wondering in that regard.

The publication continues, stating the expected Galaxy S25 FE was joined by Samsung’s supposed Galaxy Tab S10 “Lite.” However, as the post notes, the latest leaks aren’t clear.

The recent TUV listing supposedly claims the tablet will offer a minimal 25W charging, but another listing from the FCC alleges 45W. With things so unclear, it’s best not to make any hasty decisions early on.

Balancing FE & ‘Lite’

Funnily enough, there was a leak last week that suggested the Galaxy S25 FE would feature Qi2 wireless charging support. The device was reportedly spotted moving through the World Power Consortium (WPC) for certification purposes. There, the Qi2 wireless standard was noted; however, the listing failed to detail its charging strength. The flagship Galaxy S25 series boasts 15W wireless support, so maybe we’re looking at that here, too.

Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S25 series is also where it seems to want to bring its Galaxy S25 FE closer to—charging-wise, that is. The series, specifically the S25 Plus and S25 Ultra, features 45W wired support. Latest leaks claim the S25 FE will hop over the base S25 in terms of charging, just like last year’s S24 FE, which only had 25W.

Early rumors from April alleged Samsung was creating a Galaxy Tab S10 “Lite,” which is seemingly an even more toned-down variant, under its FE line. While it might also see two-year-old Samsung tech—the Exynos 1380 SoC—a report claimed the company had started testing it with One UI 7. It suggests the device has “progressed” in its development cycle, as rumors purport a fall launch alongside the main Galaxy Tab S11 lineup.

What you need to know

• Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra reportedly raced through Geekbench’s performance test with MediaTek’s Dimensity 9400 Plus SoC.
• Despite the stronger chip, the tablet supposedly score “lower” than phones; however, it features 12GB RAM and Android 16 (One UI 8).
• Previous Tab S11 series leaks claim Samsung will return the base model and drop the Plus, while also giving the Ultra a slightly bigger battery.

Amid all the Samsung leaks as of late, a recent one claims that the company’s upcoming Ultra tablet has appeared in a benchmark database.

Spotted by the folks at Gizmochina, the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra has reportedly run through Geekbench for its performance test checks and balances. This appearance was likely for its rumored chip, which the leak claims is MediaTek’s Dimensity 9400 Plus SoC. Strangely, the publication reports the tablet scored “lower than smartphones” with MediaTek’s flagship chip.

The Geekbench listing reportedly states the S11 Ultra achieved a score of 5,312 in its multi-core test and 1,420 in the single-core run.

There were some smaller specs posted in the listing, like the existence of Android 16 and 12GB of RAM. Still no word on its internal storage; however, there’s a chance Samsung could pop 256GB in it to match that 12GB of RAM, like the Tab S10 Ultra.

An Ultra Look

The latest Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra leaks bring new information forward while also switching up the narrative on a key specification: its SoC of choice. In a previous leak, the tablet was rumored to receive MediaTek’s Dimensity 9400 SoC from late last year. This chip was the company’s flagship response to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite. However, what this alleged Geekbench listing purports is the brand’s updated (and upgraded) variant.

The Dimensity 9400 Plus offers a Big Core design with one Arm Cortex-X925 core at 3.73GHz. The company was adamant during its launch that this chip could “propel” users’ experience with Android UX. What’s more, the chip is paired with the 12-core Arm Immortalis-G925 GPU for “PC-like” graphical features on Android phones.

The SoC launched in April, and it seems Samsung could opt for this leveled-up version of MediaTek’s flagship prowess.

Other Galaxy Tab S11 series rumors claim Samsung will drop the Plus model in 2025, bringing back its base model, which was absent last year. While the base model could see a familiar 8,160mAh battery, the Ultra model might jump 500mAh to ~11,374mAh.

Speculation claims Samsung might hold onto its next flagship tablet series until after its summer Unpacked. This means we might not see them until the fall at the latest.

For more news and information on Samsung’s upcoming foldables, check out our Ultimate Guide.

It’s not often that we see a new entrant in the mobile chipset industry; that’s why it’s exciting to see Xiaomi roll out its Xring 01 platform. Qualcomm and MediaTek effectively have a duopoly in this regard, and although Samsung is still chugging along with its Exynos designs, it isn’t anywhere close to what the other two chip vendors manage to deliver on a consistent basis.

Google is doing a decent job with its Tensor portfolio, but these products are customized to focus on AI and not necessarily deliver the best power. That isn’t the case with the Xring 01; Xiaomi is clearly positioning it as a rival to the best that Qualcomm and MediaTek have to offer; the chipset built on a second-gen TSMC 3nm node, and comes with a 10-core CPU and 16-core Arm Immortalis-G925 GPU.

Xiaomi is using Arm’s v9.2 cores, and the 10-core design gives it a distinct edge over its rivals, which have stuck to an octa-core configuration for a while now. The Xring 01 uses two Cortex X925 cores clocked at 3.9GHz, a quartet of Cortex A725 cores at 3.4GHz, two additional A725 cores at 1.9GHz, and two Cortex A520 cores at 1.8GHz. The manufacturer is leveraging Arm’s CoreLink Interconnect system to make the most of the tri-core architecture.

Similarly, thanks to 16 shader cores in the Immortalis-G925, Xiaomi is able to claim a definite win over MediaTek — which uses 12 cores in its Dimensity 9400. That’s not all; it gets Xiaomi’s own ISP (now in its fourth generation), and a 6-core NPU with 44 TOPS — similar to what Qualcomm is offering on the 8 Elite. Xiaomi notes that this is just the start in a decade-long investment that’s set to exceed 6.9 billion USD, with 2,500 engineers working in its chip division.

Xiaomi dabbled in custom chip design with the Surge S1 back in 2017, but that was aimed at the budget category, and it isn’t anything as ambitious as what the manufacturing is doing now. In fact, Xiaomi is so confident about what it has achieved that it slotted in the Xring 01 in its latest products: the Xiaomi 15S Pro and Pad 7 Ultra tablet.

The 15S Pro is identical to the 15 Pro that debuted at the end of last year, with the only key difference being the switch to the Xring 01 silicon. The phone has a new design and comes with 512GB of UFS 4.1 storage as standard (instead of 256GB), and Xiaomi is limiting it to China.

The Pad 7 Ultra is of greater interest to me, as the tablet gets an oversized 14-inch OLED panel — a considerable upgrade from the 11.2-inch LCD-toting Pad 7 and Pad 7 Pro. It also has a massive 12,000mAh battery, and I’m excited to get my hands on it to see what the Xring 01 is able to deliver in a device of this size.

I’m interested in testing two things with the Xring 01: how the modem holds up, and battery efficiency. Xiaomi doesn’t have an integrated modem, and is instead using an external MediaTek T800 modem that’s built on a 4nm node. The use of an external modem usually affects battery efficiency, and it will be interesting to see how it runs in real-world scenarios against Qualcomm and MediaTek rivals.

I haven’t gotten my hands on the 15S Pro yet, but Chinese YouTuber Geekerwan did extensive testing of the Xring 01 (the video is in Mandarin, but it has English subtitles) and found that it does better than the Dimensity 9400. Interestingly, the CPU has energy efficiency in line with what Qualcomm and MediaTek are delivering, and that’s an achievement in and of itself.

However, testing the battery efficiency showed that the use of an external modem affected battery life, with the Qualcomm-based model lasting 40 minutes longer in the same test. Ultimately, Xiaomi needs to make its own 5G modem, and given how difficult that has proven to be for anyone other than Qualcomm, MediaTek, and Samsung, we’ll just have to wait and see how the Chinese manufacturer does in this area.

In addition to the Xring 01, Xiaomi unveiled the Xring T1, a smartwatch platform that will see a decent amount of use on the brand’s wearables. The timing of this announcement is interesting as it comes just a week after Xiaomi and Qualcomm released a joint statement extending their 15-year partnership, and confirming that upcoming Xiaomi flagships will continue to use Qualcomm silicon.

While it’s entirely possible that Xiaomi uses Qualcomm for phones it releases globally, it’s clear that the brand is positioning its own designs for devices that are exclusive to its home market. That’s a significant shift in strategy, and at least based on the hardware the brand has detailed thus far, it’s clear that the Xring 01 is able to hold its own against the Dimensity 9400 and Qualcomm’s flagship silicon.

What you need to know

• The AYANEO Pocket S2 will be officially announced on March 17 during GDC 2025.
• This is the successor to the AYANEO Pocket S, which debuted in late 2023 before being released in June 2024.
• Specific details are scarce, but we do know that AYANEO is again partnering with Qualcomm for the chip.

If you’re in the market for a new flagship Android gaming handheld, you won’t have to wait long. Earlier today, it was confirmed that the AYANEO Pocket S2 will make its debut on March 17 at the Game Developers Conference (GDC). This comes almost a year after the original Pocket S was released, which was the first device to launch with the Snapdragon G3x Gen 2.

In the announcement post, AYANEO explains that it’s “once again partnering with Qualcomm,” but doesn’t reveal anything else. Towards the end of the post, AYANEO tipped everyone off to a new chip, stating the S2 “will make its global debut alongside Qualcomm’s newest gaming platform.”

AYANEO Pocket S2: The New Flagship Android Handheld is Coming Soon – YouTube

Watch On

There hasn’t been much in the way of rumors for the AYANEO Pocket S2, which frankly comes as a bit of a surprise. It’s only been six months since the AYANEO Pocket EVO was released, which is powered by the same Snapdragon G3x Gen 2 as the Pocket S. However, besides the internals, the Pocket EVO is a completely different device with its OLED 165Hz display and ergonomic design.

That being said, we aren’t exactly sure what to expect from the Pocket S2. I wouldn’t be surprised if AYANEO kept things simple, and didn’t alter the overall design very much to keep it in line with the Pocket S. However, I’m also hoping to see a screen with at least a 120Hz refresh rate, even if AYANEO sticks with an LCD display as opposed to moving to OLED.

Another big question is just how much will the AYANEO Pocket S2 be priced at. AYANEO largely stands alone when it comes to flagship and premium Android gaming handhelds. Pricing for the Pocket S starts at $589, while the Pocket EVO is currently $529 for the base model. Even the recently announced Pocket Micro Classic, a stick-less version of the Pocket Micro, can be currently pre-ordered for $179.

On the bright side, AYANEO traditionally offers a bit of a discount during the pre-order phase that usually takes place on Indiegogo. The only difference has been the Pocket Micro Classic which can only be pre-ordered directly.

Thankfully, we don’t have to wait much longer for AYANEO to spill the details about the Pocket S2. GDC 2025 kicks off on Monday, March 17, meaning we only have to wait a couple of days before everything is revealed.