Google Pixel Watch specifications
price: $349 (LTE), $399 (cellular)
Colors: Matte Black, Silver Gold
Size: 41 mm
Weight: 1.26 oz
Delivery: Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi, NFC, GPS, LTE (optional)
Compatibility: Android 8.0 or above
storage: 32 GB
Water Resistant: 5 ATMs
Battery life: 24 hours
Google Pixel Watch seems to be the smartwatch that Pixel phone users have been waiting for. The good looks, smart software, and assistance that a particular company’s gainful fitness tracking features make has made the Google smartwatch debut in the record.
As a 1.0 release device, some skepticism about the Pixel Watch is a must. Separating the actual performance of the device from the mountain of anticipation that’s been built up over the years will serve as a balancing act for the final Pixel Watch review. For now, a brief hands-on with the Pixel Watch shows what it might be like to have the best of Google and Fitbit together.
The result is a wearable experience that’s different enough from the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 and similar enough to the Apple Watch Series 8. What do I mean by that? Wear OS on the Pixel Watch is surprisingly different from the software on Samsung smartwatches, in a way that mimics the intuition and connectedness of the Apple Watch. At least, that’s what I took from my initial time with the Pixel Watch.
Google Pixel watch price and release date
The Pixel Watch costs $349 to configure GPS + Bluetooth only, while the LTE-compatible version costs $399. This makes the Pixel Watch slightly cheaper than the Apple Watch Series 8 ($399) but more expensive than the Galaxy Watch 5 ($279) and the recently released Fitbit Sense 2 ($299).
The Pixel Watch release date is October 13, with pre-orders now available. Here’s our guide to Google Pixel watch pre-orders, if you’re interested in getting one on launch day.
google pixel clock design
The Google Pixel Watch is a simple looking smartwatch, I might even call it minimalistic. It comes in only one size – 41mm – and features a circular design with a 3D glass dome. This raised effect distracts from the thick bezel of the screen, but it doesn’t change the fact that a good portion of the screen is unusable. It does seem practical to accommodate a virtual bezel as in the Galaxy Watch 5, but unfortunately.
Instead, navigation is done with swipes or with the Digital Crown on the side that looks very similar to the Apple Watch’s Digital Crown. The crown button has some tactile grooves, which felt comfortable while I was working. Above the digital crown, the Pixel Watch has a small button that opens recently used apps, a convenience only seen on the Apple Watch’s side button this year.
In terms of style and customization, the Pixel Watch comes in three colors: matte black, silver, and gold. Google launches the Pixel Watch along with a set of interchangeable straps. There are seven complete types of bands in multiple colors, all of which are compatible exclusively with the Pixel Watch. Switching ranges does show a slight learning curve, as it’s a proprietary mechanism, but I learned that after a few tries.
Google Pixel Watch Fitbit Features
Fitness tracking on the Google Pixel Watch is powered entirely by Fitbit, which means users will get basic activity data as well as access to Fitbit Premium’s comprehensive health features.
The watch can track more than 40 types of exercise, count your steps and monitor your heart rate 24/7. With Fitbit Premium, which costs $9.99 per month, or $80 per year, you can unlock more advanced features like daily standby score, sleep tracking analysis, meditations, health reports and more.
Google is offering 6 months of free Fitbit Premium to Pixel Watch users, which is the standard promotion for all top Fitbit devices. I will say that it appears Fitbit Premium is becoming less optional, shutting down the more compelling health tools behind membership. You might not need it if you’re just looking at basic activity metrics, but I should see the full range of everything you do (or don’t do) with the Pixel Watch’s fitness tracking before I’m sure.
Google Pixel watch with Wear OS
As you might expect, the Pixel Watch takes advantage of Google’s suite of services with Wear OS, offering practically every software a person might use on a daily basis. This includes: Google Maps, Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Pay, Google Home, YouTube Music, and Google Assistant.
A number of the best Android smartwatches (old and new) run on Wear OS, but it’s different. From the experiences I can remember, these smartwatches offer only a few Google services—never offer the full range, there is no rhyme or clear reason for what is and isn’t supported. It’s time for Google to design a smartwatch that’s optimized for its wearable software.
As such, the Google Pixel Watch features the familiar tile-based navigation on Wear OS that moved as smoothly as you’ve seen before. It also has support for third-party apps with Google Play, which in theory makes the Pixel Watch a better companion for your needs. (That’s a huge benefit taken away from this year’s Fitbit smartwatch, but that’s a screamer for another day.
Another thing worth mentioning about the software specifically are the exclusive Pixel Watch watch faces. Google has created 19 customizable watch faces, including one that brings Google Photos to your wrist. Speaking of Google Photos, there is a camera remote feature that allows you to control the camera of a companion Pixel smartphone. I am so excited to test it out.
Google Pixel watch battery life
Google Pixel Watch battery life is rated as 24 hours of battery life. That’s probably a little less than I had hoped to see, especially with the Galaxy Watch and Apple Watch getting battery upgrades this year. However, 24 hours is not so who – which Unusual for a smartwatch with an always-on display; I wouldn’t consider it a hoax yet, but we’ll have to see how long the test actually takes.
For charging, the Pixel Watch comes with a simple magnetic pebble-shaped USB-C charger. Google estimates that 45 minutes of charging gets 9 hours of battery life.
Google Pixel Watch forecast
As for the Apple Watch Ultra, I can’t think of a smartwatch that was more expected than the Google Pixel watch. Now that I’ve tried it here, it’s hard to say if it lives up to the genre.
I think the success of the Pixel Watch will depend on whether Google services and Fitbit health tracking strike the perfect balance of connectivity and fitness tracking. At least, that’s the question I’ll try to answer when I get the chance to fully review the Pixel Watch.
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