The Pixel Watch 3 is the primary Put on OS gadget I might use over an Apple Watch

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Pixel Watch 3

The Google Pixel Watch 3 builds on the earlier mannequin, introducing a brand new 45mm dimension together with the unique 41mm watch. Each choices function a bigger show with double the brightness. It gives loads of runner-centric options together with extra connectivity with Google’s ecosystem. 

Professionals

• Nice-looking design
• Smoooth software program expertise
• Refined total expertise

Cons

• Put on OS 5 can typically be glitchy
• Pin-based charging may be finicky
• Software program design can look child-like typically

Value, availability, and specs

The Pixel Watch 3 begins at $350 ($450 for the LTE model) for the 41mm model and $400 ($500 for the LTE model) for the 45mm iteration. For the smaller mannequin, colours embrace polished silver and a porcelain Energetic Band, champagne gold with a hazel Energetic Band, matte black with an obsidian Energetic Band, and polished silver with a rose quartz Energetic Band. However, the 45mm Pixel Watch 3 solely is available in polished silver with a porcelain Energetic Band, matte black with an obsidian energetic band, and matte hazel with a hazel energetic band. You may solely buy the Pixel Watch 3 with an Energetic Band, with extra straps needing to be bought individually.

The Pixel Watch 3 contains a 320 PPI AMOLED show that is able to hitting 2,000 nits of brightness, Qualcomm’s W5 chip (the identical processor as final 12 months ) coupled with a brand new power-efficient Cortex-M33 co-processor that handles particular much less intensive duties to avoid wasting extra battery life. Different specs embrace 2GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, IP68 (waterproof in contemporary water to a most depth of 1.5 meters for as much as half-hour, and dirt resistant), and as much as 35 hours of battery life with the brand new Battery Saver mode.

Pixel Watch 3 design

This 12 months Google’s smartwatch contains a barely sleeker look

The Pixel Watch line has all the time jogged my memory of Pebble’s Time Round. I imply that as a praise; the round model of that ill-fated smartwatch is one among my favourite watches ever. The Pixel Watch 3’s curved show is elegant, and because of the 16 p.c smaller bezels, the general design evokes a extra trendy look than the Pixel Watch and the Pixel Watch 2.

They’re nonetheless there, although. Will probably be fascinating to see how the Pixel Watch 3’s show compares to the Apple Watch Series 10’s expansive display screen. The facet of the smartwatch options an Apple Watch Digital Crown-like spinning dial to navigate menus and a button that provides you fast entry to lately used apps. The crown spins fluidly and feels nice, whereas the button has a satisfying tactile click on to it.

The 45mm Pixel Watch 3 contains a 40 p.c greater display screen when in comparison with the 41mm Pixel Watch 3. Whereas Google did not ship me a 45mm Pixel Watch to evaluate, within the transient time I spent with the wearable at the company’s Pixel 9 launch event, my key takeaway was that it felt monumental. Usually, the 45mm seems somewhat ridiculous on my skinny wrists, just like the 49mm Apple Watch Ultra, but when ample display screen house is what you are after, you will need to go for the brand new greater model of Google’s smartwatch.

The roughly 2x brighter show makes viewing the Pixel Watch 3’s always-on display screen simpler underneath direct daylight. It impressively matches the Apple Watch Sequence 10’s 2,000 nits of peak brightness (the Galaxy Watch 6 beats it at 3,000 nits, nonetheless). I might even go as far as to say I choose the look of the Pixel Watch 3 over the Apple Watch and Samsung’s chunky Galaxy Watch line. The rounded aesthetic seems way more like a daily watch than the squared Apple Watch.

Sticking with the show, the always-on display screen can now drop to only 1 nit in darkish environments and dynamically refreshes between 1 and 60Hz, relying on what you are doing with it. This protects battery life and ends in a smoother expertise in comparison with the Pixel Watch 2’s typically choppy-looking 30hz, significantly when quickly scrolling by means of menus.

When it isn’t in your wrist, the Pixel Watch seems somewhat thick, however that disappears while you’re carrying it (it’s nonetheless a bit thicker than the Apple Watch). Nonetheless, when you had been hoping Google would shrink the Pixel Watch 3’s thickness, you will be disillusioned with the brand new smartwatch’s design. Talking of the look, the again of the smartwatch is chrome steel and the place its a number of sensors are positioned, whereas the entrance contains a sleek-looking brushed aluminum.

I am nonetheless not keen on how Pixel Watch’s band snaps into place. You must slide the strap underneath the facet with the button after which push it in firmly. As soon as you’ve got performed it as soon as, it is smart, but it surely took me about 10 minutes to determine the primary time, regardless that I personal a Pixel Watch 2 (I by no means took the strap off after initially setting it up).

At this level, Google cannot change the clasp design, or it’s going to destroy backward compatibility with earlier Pixel Watches, however that does not change the truth that the mechanism is complicated in comparison with the Galaxy Watch and the Apple Watch. The Energetic Band jogs my memory of the Apple Watch’s Sport Band, which suggests it is a respectable, sweat-resistant on a regular basis strap that is very sturdy however not tremendous snug. Sooner or later, I will probably purchase a Woven Band for the Pixel Watch 3 since I discover cloth watch bands way more snug.

My evaluate gadget is a matte black watch with an obsidian band — I am a giant fan of its understated coloration and design. It feels refined and glossy, however I am not sure the way it’ll face up to scratches and scuffs.

Pixel Watch 3 sturdiness

Google’s newest smartwatch seems prefer it may take a success

In relation to smartwatches, sturdiness is essential. In any case, you are theoretically almost all the time carrying a smartwatch no matter what you are doing. Over time, I’ve scratched almost each Apple Watch and Galaxy Watch I’ve ever owned, main me to typically use less-than-stellar display screen protectors. Whereas I am unable to communicate to the Pixel Watch 3’s show sturdiness given I’ve solely spent somewhat over every week with the smartwatch, it feels prefer it may take a success. Nevertheless, just like the Apple Watch, I am nervous its curved show will simply scratch towards tough surfaces.

The Pixel Watch 3 options IP68 certification, which implies that it is waterproof at a most depth of roughly 5-feet (about 1.5 meters) for half-hour, and it is protected against mud. In consequence, it might deal with dips within the water with confidence. General, the Pixel Watch 3 seems like a premium, very strong wearable that is a reduce above the Pixel Watch 2 and each Fitbit I’ve used, together with the Sense line. It would not fairly really feel as premium because the Galaxy Watch 6 or Apple Watch Sequence 9 (I have never used the Sequence 10 but), but it surely’s strikingly shut. It is nice to see how far the Pixel Watch line has are available such a brief interval by way of total construct high quality.

Pixel Watch 3 software program options

Put on OS 5’s easy design can typically take issues too far

Look, I get it. Google’s tackle Android is playful, foolish, and easy. The truth is, regardless of being a long-time Apple Watch and iPhone person, I acknowledged that I prefer the Pixel 9 Pro series’ version of Android 14 in my current evaluate of the flagship smartphone. It is simply simpler to make use of and would not function the abundance of pointless menus iOS has gathered over the previous couple of years. Whereas I do not thoughts the look of the Pixel Watch 3’s Put on OS 5 it might at instances look quite infantile because of its shiny, saturated colours and simplistic menu design. On the plus facet, this makes it simple to navigate and perceive how you can use, so there are advantages to this stripped-back, unrefined method to a smartwatch person interface.

On one other word, there aren’t many watch faces I truly like. I discovered myself sticking with Basic, On a regular basis, or Index as a result of they strike a good stability between exhibiting problems with extra info, and truly letting me inform the time simply. The extra animated or difficult watch faces, like Digital Daring or Journey, for instance, simply aren’t my vibe.

The general Pixel Watch 3 software program expertise is fairly strong, and I have never encountered many cases of slowdown or lag. Nevertheless, I would not say it is as easy because the Apple Watch or a current Galaxy Watch. I bumped into just a few stutters when utilizing the Strava Put on OS app, for instance, and when launching sure apps, together with even Google’s Fitbit ECG app. On the plus facet, Put on OS third-party app help has come a good distance over the previous few years. For those who use a notable health app, there’s probably a Put on OS model.

It is value noting that updating apps with the Pixel Watch 3 or along with your linked Android gadget is way from intuitive and requires digging by means of a number of menus. This is not a giant deal, but it surely’s noteworthy sufficient that it is value mentioning.

Pixel Watch 3 well being and health options

‘Goal Load’ appears surprisingly helpful if you do not know a lot about exercising

Diving deeper into the smartwatch’s {hardware}, the Pixel Watch 3 can monitor steps, energy, and train minutes like its predecessor, however now the wearable may hold tabs in your coronary heart price, take an ECG, create customized exercises, and extra, bringing it as much as function parity with different equally priced smartwatches. There’s additionally the brand new “Morning Temporary” that provides you a “Readiness” and sleep rating (which is now free for all customers) when you put on the Pixel Watch 3 in a single day for a number of days. Different new software program options embrace a deal with two metrics: “Cardio Load,” which goals to trace how arduous your coronary heart is working all through the day, and “Goal Load,” which gives a advice about how a lot exercise try to be doing primarily based in your Cardio Load, different exercise and your Readiness rating. This contains recommending particular exercises and suggesting relaxation days. This looks like a pleasant change of tempo from the way in which health options sometimes all the time bug you to push more durable.

The latter function makes use of an algorithm to make exercise suggestions to you, but it surely wants to collect knowledge for a number of days earlier than your rating and proposals present up, so I have never had the prospect to strive it out but (once I do, I will replace this evaluate). Given I am fairly clueless relating to health, I’ve a sense this function can be very helpful because it gives tangible recommendation and metrics to work in the direction of. The important thing can be if I keep it up. Different options like Day by day Run suggestions and courses which are behind Fitbit Premium’s paywall ($9.99/month or $79.99/12 months), although you do get six months free with the Pixel Watch 3.

The above options aren’t actually for me given I primarily use smartwatches for notification triage and fundamental train monitoring, however for people who felt the Pixel Watch 2 fell behind the competitors when it got here to exercise customization, these are nice additions. Like with the Apple Watch, connecting the Fitbit app to Strava is a one-click, simple course of. That mentioned, I did not understand Google’s Match platform is within the strategy of being killed off, so I spent just a few days utilizing it with the Pixel Watch 3 and encountered just a few oddities, like the lack to export a Match exercise to Strava (I ultimately switched to utilizing the Fitbit app completely).

Pixel Watch 3 battery life

All-day battery life after which some (relying on what you are doing)

Google says the Pixel Watch 3’s battery life is available in at about 24 hours. In my expertise, that quantity appears fairly correct, with the watch lasting all through the day and night time however requiring a cost within the morning. Nevertheless, I wanted to high up battery life just a few instances within the night when doing a variety of health monitoring. Whereas I did not strive the 45mm Pixel Watch 3 myself, Google claims it might hit 36 hours with Battery Saver enabled, which is spectacular and pushes it into the Apple Watch Extremely 2’s vary. I solely briefly used Battery Saver with the 41mm model of the smartwatch when my battery was dangerously low, and it managed to push its life span nicely over 24 hours and into the next day. On paper, Google says the 45mm Pixel Watch 3 contains a 35 p.c bigger battery when in comparison with the 41mm Pixel Watch 2.

On one other word, I discover it wild that the Pixel Watch 3 nonetheless contains a PIN charger in 2024 and never Qi or some type of proprietary wi-fi charging. The pins are troublesome to line up, and on a couple of event, the smartwatch simply did not cost in a single day as a result of it was barely off its magnetic dock. It is odd that Google has caught with this archaic charging type, and I hope the corporate modifications this with the Pixel Watch 4. On the plus facet, each variations of the Pixel Watch 3 provide 20 p.c quicker charging total, amounting to getting from 0-100% in 60 minutes from for the 41mm 0-100% in 80 minutes from with the 45mm model.

Do you have to purchase the Pixel Watch 3?

Once I say the Pixel Watch 3 is the Apple Watch of the Android world, that is not hyperbole. It is no secret that I am primarily an iPhone person, and a part of that lock-in has been how a lot I just like the Apple Watch. I exploit it for just a few notifications, together with Ring Sensible Doorbell notifications, telephone calls, and at-a-glance info just like the climate and monitoring the occasional bike trip or run. And, in fact, I additionally use it to inform the time and admire its easy design (certain, I may use a Galaxy Watch, however I’ve by no means been a fan of its chunky design).

Whereas the Pixel Watch and Pixel Watch 2 had been valiant efforts at providing an Android equal to the Apple Watch, each generations featured notable shortcomings. With the Pixel Watch 3, Google’s smartwatch has lastly hit a degree of polish and performance that carefully rivals the Apple Watch and no less than for my functions, surpasses Samsung’s Galaxy Watch line, each relating to design and performance.

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Pixel Watch 3