That latter launch nearly went completely unnoticed, both because the wearable platform is... still not very popular around the world and because Google didn't have much to announce about what's new in Wear OS.
Ironically, Wear OS 5 is based on Android 14 rather than 15, and in those two paragraphs, the main idea is that the platform aims to improve your current and future smartwatch's battery life pretty substantially.
The Pixel Watch 2 (pictured here) should last significantly longer between charges on Wear OS 5.
That's definitely a noble and important goal given that most smartwatch users (regardless of their "ecosystem") have been frustrated with the running times between charges of their wearable devices since... these products have been created essentially.
Of course, you shouldn't expect the Pixel Watch 3 and Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 to go a week without hugging a wall all of a sudden. But if Wear OS 5 does pull off a 20 percent reduction in energy consumption in various outdoor running scenarios compared to Wear OS 4, that's clearly something many users will greatly appreciate.
The Pixel Watch 2 and Galaxy Watch 6 duo, mind you, have themselves managed to boost the battery endurance scores of their forerunners (a little) thanks to similar optimizations brought to the table by Wear OS 4 over Wear OS 3.
Although they're not mentioned by name (or by anything else), Google and Samsung's next-gen smartwatches are likely to become the first products to run Wear OS 5... at some point by the end of the year. The platform's battery life optimizations, of course, should then spread to current and previous-gen Pixel Watches and Galaxy Watches, as well as other devices from a few other brands via over-the-air updates.
A few other features are also (finally) coming to Wear OS this year
Speaking of brands, it's worth pointing out that Google found the time and space in its brief Wear OS 5 announcement to remind us all that OnePlus, Oppo, and Xiaomi have recently joined the platform. That proves that Wear OS is actually growing at a healthy pace, as does the expansion of its user base by a solid 40 percent in 2023 alone.
Of course, Google and its partners still have a long way to go before they can challenge Apple in both mainstream popularity and, well, ease of use and functionality. To highlight that latter point, Wear OS 5 is also gearing up to support "more data types like ground contact time, stride length, and vertical oscillation" in your go-to fitness apps.
The Galaxy Watch 6 Classic (pictured here) will gain a few valuable fitness tracking tools with Wear OS 5.
If those capabilities happen to sound familiar, that's probably because Apple Watches and even Garmin timepieces can already monitor them all... and more such stats designed to improve your running and general health.
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Hopefully, this is just a taste of a much more expansive list of features and enhancements set to come with Wear OS 5 in the next few months to some of the best smartwatches in the world (both existing and as-yet-unreleased).
Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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