Google’s new Pixel Watch 5 can detect breathing emergencies and automatically call for help
Google unveiled its latest Pixel Watch 5 at the company’s Made by Google event in New York City on Wednesday. While the new watch comes with a new processor, increased memory and smarter Gemini, the highlight of the show here is a new health feature.
The latest Pixel Watch comes with what Google terms the Health Guardian feature, which is meant to catch subtle shifts in the user’s health and wellness before they turn into bigger issues.
Among the highlights of the new tool is a potentially life-saving feature called breathing emergency detection. The feature uses multimodal sensors on the watch such as PPG, accelerometer and barometer, along with on-device AI, to continuously monitor the user for ‘severe, persistent drops in oxygen saturation’ that can lead to severe pneumonia or choking. If the watch detects a breathing emergency, it can automatically call emergency services and send the user’s location.
Google, however, said in its blog post that the feature would first be rolled out in Europe before coming to other regions.
Apart from breathing emergency detection, Google is also adding support for monthly health summaries for chronic health trends like blood pressure, sleep breathing quality and insulin resistance.
The feature works by using Google’s Health foundational models to identify subtle changes in cardiovascular, respiratory and metabolic health. Google says the new monthly health summaries will begin rolling out soon, with the first detailed report arriving after the user has worn the watch for one month.
What’s new with Pixel Watch 5?
The Pixel Watch 5 comes with an Actua 360 LTPO AMOLED display with a 60Hz refresh rate and 3,000 nits of peak brightness. The new smartwatch also comes with 11 new glanceable complication styles and two new watch faces. Google is also adding the option for AI-powered watch faces that can be customised to match the user’s personal style.
Watch 5 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 Gen 2 Accelerated processor and Cortex-M55 secondary processor, which is said to deliver 20% better performance than the last generation. Google also says it has increased the RAM in Watch 5 by 50% while doubling the storage to 64GB.
The Pixel Watch 5 also gets improved fitness tracking, with Google claiming 2x more accurate GPS route tracking compared to previous generations. The company says the watch uses 3D building models, satellite data and real-time information from weather stations to improve GPS accuracy in challenging environments.
Google is also adding a new Strength Training workout experience to the watch. It will provide step-by-step guidance through sets and rest periods, while allowing users to log their weights and reps directly from the wrist. The feature is coming soon.
