Original Pixel Watch now charges slower thanks to a firmware update

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While we are excited about the new Google Pixel Watch 2 for its new Fitbit features and colors, Google silently rolled out a firmware update for its predecessor, increasing its charging speed. 

The folks at the 9to5Google have discovered that Google has updated its Google Pixel Watch Technical and Device Specifications support page just after launching its second-generation smartwatch. 

The company has adjusted the average charging speed times for the original Pixel Watch.

So, what’s with the slow charging on the original Watch?

	0-50%	0-80%	0-100%
Original Watch Before Firmware Update	30 Minutes	55 Minutes	80 Minutes
Original Watch After Firmware Update	45 Minutes	70 Minutes	110 Minutes
Watch 2	30 Minutes	43 Minutes	75 Minutes

Before the new firmware update changed the charging time, the first-generation Watch used to go from 0 to 50% within 30 minutes. The company’s latest smartwatch achieves the same, but its predecessor has now been downgraded. 

Now, the first generation watch takes 45 minutes to charge 50%, while it takes 20 minutes more, i.e. 75 minutes to charge the watch to 80%. 

Meanwhile, reaching full power takes 110 minutes, 30 minutes more than before. In contrast, the second-generation watch takes 75 minutes to fully charge; that’s quite a difference. 

We know the new firmware update is to blame, and Google has also provided a statement. According to the tech giant, the “firmware update for Google Pixel Watches required us to review the charging times, the new times are what the average user will experience.”

Unfortunately, Google’s official statement didn’t reveal when this update came out, nor did they explain why reducing the charging speed on the Watch was necessary. 

We speculate Google reduced the charging speed to keep the watch from getting warm during charging. It could also be a step to help prevent battery health deterioration.

Hopefully, it’s not a way to upsell folks on the Watch 2. Nevertheless, it’s a bummer, and we must carry on with what we have.

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