The Google Pixel Watch is an uncommonly adorable smartwatch. It has a poured-in place of a synthetic look, with a sleek, clean flat face that curves to fulfill a similarly curvaceous stainless-steel frame. As a result, the introduction is close to seamless.
Because of that curve, there is more glass (Gorilla Glass 5) managing you than at the Apple Watch 8, which each provides the splendor and, we assume, hides one of the smartwatch’s shortcomings: a larger-ish black bezel surrounding the display.
Don’t get us wrong – that may be a bright, colorful, and responsive AMOLED show. However, it’s also notably smaller than the Apple Watch eight’s square face. Google does masses with the reduced display of actual belongings even though, in daily use, we in no manner found ourselves wishing for more excellent.
The Google Pixel Watch may display alerts automatically or by swiping up on the touch screen when coupled with the Pixel 7 Pro, Pixel 7, or any Android phone running version 8.0.0 or above. In addition, apps, maps, instructions, and smart home controls are available.
It’s also a good fitness and health wearable, but Fitbit integration makes it difficult. Fitbit, which has been spherical for years and was provided by Google last year, offers incredible workout and monitoring depth to Pixel Watch. We wish it didn’t seem to have a separate but equal existence inside the wearable.
Wearing the watch day and night, we became used to its exciting, appealing, and valuable watch faces. We found the operation comparable enough to the Apple Watch that we rarely had to be forced to find crucial features.
The band-converting mechanism, battery life, and bumps are all issues. However, those are minor issues for a wearable with a near-perfect Wear OS display.
GOOGLE PIXEL WATCH PRICE AND AVAILABILITY
At $350 / £340 / AU$550 for the Wi-Fi and GPS model, the Google Pixel Watch is $50 more inexpensive than the baseline Apple Watch 8. The LTE model of the Pixel Watch jumps to $400 / £380 / AU$650. However, we examined the LTE version and did not connect it to our mobile issuer.
Unlike Apple’s wearables, the Google Pixel Watch is available in handiest one duration: 41mm. Google representatives informed us that the shape of band patterns must make this mid-range duration excellent and wholesome for maximum humans (you get two band sizes within the box). After sorting out the wearable, we tend to agree.
Google unveiled its new smartwatch at its Google Pixel 7 occasion (formally titled Made By Google) on October 6, alongside the Google Pixel 7 and Google Pixel 7 Pro telephones. It’s available for pre-order now and could start shipping on October thirteen.
The Google Pixel Watch is priced at $350 / £340 / AU$550 for the Wi-Fi and GPS model and $four hundred / £380 / AU$650 for the LTE model. As cited, there may be one length and a massive range of band styles and shades.
The watch has a chrome steel frame, with holes for the microphones and a speaker.
Value score: 4/5
GOOGLE PIXEL WATCH DESIGN, MATERIALS, AND DISPLAY
Exquisite layout and build
The dome on the decrease returned would, in all likelihood, want to slim down.
Band connection takes a workout.
Google Pixel Watch’s metallic, chrome, and glass design is stunning. In addition, the diffused and supporting style lets the wearable’s 1.2-inch, 450 pixels x 450 pixels display shine.
It’s much smaller than the roughly 2-inch Apple Watch eight. In addition, the Google Pixel Watch has a large black bezel between the circular display and the metallic chassis, unlike Apple, which has been reducing its watch face bezel for seven years.
Pixel Watches have flat faces, yet the glass slopes down to the metal frame.
In frequent use, we barely noticed this urge. The glass curves make you think the gadget area is closer to the show than it is. When you get an SMS alert, such curves make the limited text the 320ppi display can show feel claustrophobic (the Apple Watch comes in at a barely denser 326ppi. However, there is additionally more excellent show display actual property).
Keep your finger on the screen until the watch face menu appears to access a few pre-loaded watch faces, some with valuable complexities that provide quick access to various features. Then, the Google Watch App and your phone can add more.
The watch’s rest matches the face’s subtlety. Despite seeing more of the stem than we’d like, the watch’s chrome crown is flush with the threshold. Apple Watch made its virtual crown flat and pressable.
The Pixel Watch button is concealed above the crown and requires a sense of spherical to use. However, we now press once to open Recent applications and twice to access Google Assistant.
The chrome steel frame contains many microphone holes and an enlarged speaker slot. The smartwatch is water resistant to 50 meters, though Google doesn’t call it that. No swimming with Pixel Watch.
The Pixel Watch has a flat display but a dome-shaped sensor-filled lower back. The Pixel Watch’s sensor bump is more significant than the Apple Watch eight’s, making it less pleasant for sleeping. We did, and it wasn’t comfortable.
Our watch came with a bendy, grey Active Band, but you can choose from several colors and materials. The only problem is learning to swap bands.
Google’s watch has two band channels like Apple’s. The wrist strap and watch pair well when connected. Changing the watchband is difficult at first.
Google placed the band launch buttons after the band for unknown reasons. Press the chrome steel button and slide the bar down over your finger to release it. Unlike Apple’s complete-channel slide-in, the attachment device slides left and pulled away.
Putting the band back on initially seemed like cliff diving to remove your Google Pixel Watch band. We had trouble pressing the band launch button while placing and inserting the band. However, we found a more straightforward way: we used the band to press the button and roll the band before sliding it into the proximity. We now detest this band attachment machine much less.
Design, materials, and display rating: 3.5/5
Setup, sensors, and fitness
Not all the sensors, but the ones you want
It’s a complete Fitbit tool
Fitbit integration may be tighter
Installing the Google Pixel Watch is easy. After multiple updates and account sign-ins, it worked well with Google’s Pixel 7 Pro phone. We anticipate easier pairing and setup with certain Android phones.
This is only sometimes a smartwatch. For example, Google Pixel Watches are Fitbits. This is usually accurate, but it may also feel like Google is keeping Fitbit integration at arm’s length. This is because all health and fitness-monitoring features are accessed through a Fitbit account, which Google requires you to install on your phone and create if you don’t already have one.
This can make your sports, health, and metrics seem more complicated than they are. For example, the workout is one of my top apps on the Apple Watch. However, on the GooglePixel Watch, Fitbit Exercise and All Exercises may exist. We liked that the app shows the current physical activities, so the one you want to use is probably only one level below the watch interface floor.
A left swipe on display is the best way to quickly access hobby information, fitness stats, and top sports events. Steps, heart rate, three sports (with a link for “greater”), sleep stats, schedule, climate, and instructions are all available here.
The watch comes with a six-month Fitbit Premium trial, which includes mindfulness counseling, on-call for athletic events, and improved sleep tracking. For completeness, we tried it, but you don’t need it to make the watch an exercise and fitness buddy.
Heart-rate sensing matches our Apple Watch’s eight numbers. ECG. To use this, we had to sit, lighten up, generally no longer flow into, and gently place our finger on the Pixel Watch crown without touching anything else. Our sinus rhythm was expected after 30 seconds.
Pixel Watch’s blood oxygenation sensor doesn’t operate.
Exercise options include walking and electricity training. Apple Watch-like start, stop and pause functions.
Setup, sensors, and fitness rating: 4/5
GOOGLE PIXEL WATCH PERFORMANCE AND SOFTWARE
Wear OS has been searching in advance for this
Makes the proper use of the dual-center Exynos 9110
Hands-unfastened Google Assistant
The Google Pixel Watch crown and Google Assistant button
Google Pixel Watch has Wear OS’s most sophisticated iteration in almost a decade.
Swiping unlocks new interactions. Swiping down accesses airplane mode, theatre mode, show lock, flashlight, Wallet, and more. The watch is pre-loaded with your home and work addresses if you registered them with Google. Swipe left for turn-by-turn navigation.
Swiping down shows notifications. Right swipe opens hobby, exercise, and health monitoring. The Apple Watch 8 enables you to glide from top to bottom to access Watch functions and left to right to change watch faces, which is best for this quick access to a world of capabilities.
Scroll Pixel Watch installation apps by pressing and flipping the crown. Agenda (your calendar and to-do list), Alarm, Assistant, Fitbit Exercise, Fitbit Today (a quick look at your activity metrics), the flashlight, Wallet (add credit cards to tap and pay with your Pixel Watch), Messages, YouTube Music (free trial with the watch), and even hand washing are on this list.
Google promoted its Pixel 7 Camera App in its Watch presentation. We found and installed this on Pixel Watch via phone. After starting the watch software, we could utilize its tiny display as a smartphone viewfinder. Cool? Sure. Software? Unconvinced.
You may now instantly download watch-specific apps from Google Play.
Pixel Watch Google Assistant integration works well.
Holding the button asks Google Assistant, “How can I help?” Mics pick up normal-volume inquiries. “Hey, Google” activates Google Assistant even while we’re using our hands (think going for walks out with weights). The Pixel Watch also answers internet-related inquiries.
Media control is clean. Because we’re rebels, we loaded Apple Music on our Pixel 7 Pro and used the watch’s crown to play, pause, skip, and adjust the volume.
We were surprised the Pixel Watch’s map couldn’t zoom out globally.
Google Pixel Watch band clasp
The Google Pixel Watch is simply a number of a nudger as specific wearables, reminding you to stand, stroll around and get all your steps in for an afternoon. The wearable nanny subculture is growing older, but for folks who need the reminders, the Pixel Watch has you blanketed.
We slept with Pixel Watch nearly every night time for according to week. Initially, we didn’t realize we needed to allow the Fitbit app to get the right of entry to our sleep statistics; however, even then, the watch did not miss monitoring our first night time of sleep. At the same time, the free model tracks how a bargain time you spend slumbering. Premium presents a snooze rating based on masses of sleep-associated metrics, time in deep sleep and REM, and dozing coronary heart rate.
The information is extra or much less on par with what you get with Apple Watch, although Apple might no longer offer a rating.
As we cited above, the Google Pixel Watch is much less snug. We awakened extra than as quickly as due to the reality we felt the Pixel Watch sensor bump urgent on our wrist.
Performance and software program score: 4/5
GOOGLE PIXEL WATCH BATTERY LIFE
The constant on-display is excellent to look at; however, it does eat into the battery lifestyles.
Google fees the Pixel Watch for 24 hours of battery existence. We had been given extra or less 26 hours while not using the usually-on-display, which the watch warns you could cut down on battery lifestyles. We do, even though, suggest the usage of the continuously-on-display because it drastically improves glanceability.
Managing your fee cycles is key to using a smartwatch as a nap-tracking device. For example, if you put on a smartwatch all day, you can’t wear it during a night of sleep.
It grows to be proper in advance than bedtime, and with the watch nearly out of electricity, we popped it on the charger that ships with the Pixel Watch (it is Qi-like minded, so will paintings with plenty of wireless chargers).
The excellent information is that the watch speedy-charged from empty to 24% in 10 minutes. We pulled it off the charger even as it became at 30%; Google recommends the Pixel Watch be charged to at least that level earlier than you sleep with it.
When we awakened, the watch became useless – even though, thankfully, it wanted to have petered out swiftly before we revived because most of our sleep facts for the nighttime time became intact. Even so, it seems you can wish for more than a 30% fee in advance rather than tucking in.
As expected, the use of the constantly-on display cut battery lifestyles down sufficiently so that we did now not have at least a 30% fee left before subsequent bedtimes, and we had to maintain in mind to do a 30-minute price before trekking into the mattress.
Battery life: 4/5
Takeaway
The Google Pixel Watch is a stunning piece of wearable hardware. It’s fascinating and, more importantly, functional.
It’s a brilliant associate for Google’s new line of Pixel 7 phones. And while we would need to look smoother Fitbit integration, the small hoops we had to bounce via (those jumps do not depend on our everyday step tally, lamentably) quickly faded into the historical past as we used the watch to degree walking out, taking walks, heart price, sleep behavior, and more excellent.
There are few things better than having Google Assistant on your wrist. Of course, we love our Apple Watch and Siri; however, Google Assistant is still more intelligent manner to Google’s massive statistics base.
The show screen is a piece at small component; however, as we mentioned above, you only phrase it an excessive amount once you’re analyzing textual content.
We’re now not enthusiasts of the big sensor hump at the returned, specifically while it presses into our wrist as we sleep; we discover the band connection and elimination technique awkward at tremendous; and we’ve some worries approximately battery life (Android Watch battery lifestyles is regularly measured in days, not hours, anyways). Keep in mind the most effective-duration-suits-all method is a deficit, but the 41mm case is a candy spot for a lot of wrists.
Overall, this is a first-rate smartwatch built on a global-elegance platform. It’s additionally barely more significantly low priced than some competition, and it looks as if a true competitor for the excellent Apple has to offer. However, the Pixel Watch might be unbeatable if Google can restore the band, rejigger, and upload a barely large battery.
