The Google Pixel watch is out now, and despite its warm reception, there seem to be some issues lurking beneath the surface. Although this is quite typical when launching new products, including the Pixel 7 and iPhone 14, you may want to take note.
The main thing that you should worry about is keeping your Pixel Watch safe from damage. Small devices such as smartwatches are not necessarily known to be easy to repair, according to repair professionals at iFixit (Opens in a new tab) The Pixel Watch is no different.
The other issue is that despite having years of experience with the Fitbit app, the watch seems to overestimate the number of calories users burn.
Keep your Pixel watch safe from damage
The iFixit Pixel Watch hasn’t given a repairability score yet, but the design of the watch has some good and bad points when repairs are brought to the table. One major issue is that getting to the key components can be a challenge, with iFixit referring to it as a maze within Google’s first watch.
Getting to the screen and battery was tricky, especially since iFixit didn’t have repair guides to work with. It was also noted that the crown and side button would not be easily replaceable, since they are on the same cable with a test port that appears to be permanently attached to the case.
To make matters worse, iFixit said the Crown is “cheap looking” and that the “display advertises itself with questionable durability”.
However, it was pointed out that the original Apple Watch was in a similar shape, and things have improved a lot over the past few years. The site described the condition of the Apple Watch Ultra by announcing it.Repairability at hand. “So the Pixel Watch is an embarrassing ‘too cool’ device, and that means there’s plenty of room for Google to improve future Pixel Watch generations.
And another win in repairability is that the Pixel watch’s back glass is held in place by a kind of “liquid gasket” that provides an airtight seal and clean opening – with virtually no residue in the process. iFixit doesn’t know what those residues are, but they’re hoping to get some given the obvious benefits over traditional glue.
Don’t trust the calorie count
If you’re trying to watch what you eat, knowing roughly how many calories you’ve burned can be very helpful. But Reported users (Opens in a new tab) (Across Android Police (Opens in a new tab)) that tracking Fitbit in the Pixel Watch seems to overestimate this number, sometimes by as much as 50%.
Stephen Schenk of Android Police put this to the test, wearing the Pixel Watch and Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 on opposing wrists to see just how big the difference is. Samsung clocked walking for an hour burning 369 calories, while the Pixel Watch recorded 585 calories, a 58.5% increase.
It is important to note that fitness trackers and smartwatches are not able to directly measure energy expenditure. It’s not like counting steps or heart rate. Instead, the number you see is the product of algorithms and mathematics, computed using a set of different data points. This includes heart rate, steps, speed, height, age, gender, etc.
No two platforms will have the same formula, so no two platforms will give you the exact same final look. But in this case the contradiction is very sharp and places this problem firmly in the “large” area.
Android Police notes that the Watch team is aware of the problem, and it is likely that they are working on a fix. The team was asked to restart their watches to try and fix the problem, but that doesn’t seem to fix the problem. Likewise, users on Fitbit forums It was said to do the same (Opens in a new tab)just to go back and report that nothing has changed.
We don’t know if and when a fix will arrive, but hopefully it won’t take long. At the very least, this should be a warning not to take your fitness tracker readings as gospel truth — especially when they are not directly measured. It’s helpful to have, and compare it to previous exercises, but don’t stop at it being 100% accurate.
With that in mind, if you’re looking for a smartwatch, check out our collection of the best smartwatches you can buy right now.
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