Google might stick a Tensor chip in the Pixel Watch 5

Starting in 2026, Google might go in-house with a custom Tensor processor for the Pixel Watch 5.

The rumor comes courtesy of Android Authority, which cites leaked documents from Google’s gChips division. According to the leaked plans, the wearable Tensor chip, codenamed NPT, sports a core configuration of an ARM Cortex A78 and two Arm Cortex A55s. These are older CPU cores, but that’s a fairly typical move with wearable processors. Other than that, details are scant and it’s currently unknown which process node technology the planned wearable Tensor chip might have.

Chips aren’t usually as heavy a focus for smartwatches as they are for smartphones. So long as performance is snappy, smartwatch makers tend to focus on ways to prolong battery life without sacrificing smart features. But this is a potentially interesting development given that chip stagnation has historically been a huge obstacle for Android smartwatches.

Long story short, Android smartwatches used to be beholden to Qualcomm chips — and Qualcomm took its dandy time making processors that could keep up with the competition. (The Snapdragon Wear 2100, 3100, and 4100 were not great, Bob.) It wasn’t until Google and Samsung teamed up to create Wear OS 3 in 2021 that Qualcomm really started to feel the pressure. That chip problem manifested in Google’s own Pixel Watch lineup. The first watch was powered an older Samsung Exynos chip before the Pixel Watch 2 switched over Qualcomm’s Snapdragon W5. However, Qualcomm last launched a new wearable chip in 2022 and it’s been crickets since.

So it’s unsurprising to see that Google may be mulling the advantages of going in-house. Doing so would allow it to be less beholden to third parties in developing newer features. That said, it’s possible Google could go another way entirely by the time 2026 rolls around. Perhaps more encouraging is that these leaked documents are from early 2023, meaning Google was already thinking ahead toward a Pixel Watch 5 back then. We’ll have to see how things shake out, but Google’s been steadily building up momentum in the smartwatch space. Hopefully this is a sign that it can keep it going.