Google will use its own Tensor chip in the next generation of Pixel Watch smartwatches, which will be released in 2026. This became known thanks to a large data leak from the gChips division, Android Authority reports.

Unfortunately, Google’s silicon technology roadmap contains only very basic information. The chip is codenamed NPT. The planned release date is 2026, as in the case of Tensor G6. However, the document is dated in early 2023, so the release date may still be changed.

The core configuration is also known – 1x Arm Cortex-A78 + 2x Arm Cortex-A55. The choice of processor cores here may seem strange – they are both old, with Cortex-A55 dating back to 2017. However, Samsung and Qualcomm seem to be following the same path of using old cores on modern processors. For example, Qualcomm’s recent Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 uses Cortex-A53 cores dating back to 2012 on a relatively recent 4nm process. The NPT configuration is similar to Samsung’s recent Exynos W1000, which has 1x Cortex-A78 and 4x Cortex-A55 arms.

As for the process technology, this question remains unanswered. But Android Authority suggests that since the Tensor G6 will be built on a 3 nm process, the same can be expected from the watch chip.

Another mystery is the modem. Smartwatch chips typically come with built-in modems to reduce power consumption, but Google, as far as we know, does not currently have a modem for integration.

As a reminder, the Pixel Watch series had a somewhat unfortunate start. The first generation came with an outdated Exynos SoC, which was slow compared to competitors at the time. In subsequent generations, Google switched to Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 chips.