The Pixel Watch 3 Is a Google Smartwatch with a Fitbit Pedigree
Google acquired Fitbit in 2021, but it was only this year that the tech became fully incorporated into Google's wearables. Pixel Watches have always synced with the Fitbit app, but the Pixel Watch 3 is the first smartwatch to take advantage of all the high-level health and fitness tracking you'd expect from a Fitbit. It's a big step up, I'll go ahead and tell you that. But is it enough to convince an Android user to switch from a Galaxy Watch or to pick up the smartwatch lifestyle altogether? I tested it to find out.
The Pixel Watch 3 is a solid choice of Android smartwatch. If you have a Pixel phone, or other Google smart devices in your home, it's the only choice. As with any smart device, the robustness of the ecosystem is what determines your consumer decisions, and Google is as robust as it gets.
Two Sets of First Impressions
For this review, I spent hands-on time with the 45mm Pixel Watch 3, but Google also sent us the 41mm model. I gave that one to my Pixel-pilled partner. She is fully on the Google train, loves the phones, but had never used a smartwatch. I, on the other hand, have reviewed multiple smartwatches and smart rings in the past six months. This way, I could approximate the experience for both smartwatch veterans and newbies alike.
Her experience was largely the same as mine the first time I tried an Apple Watch. The instant obsession with tracking your body, the slow realisation that you never have to hear your phone buzz again, the distain for the default band—she experienced it just as I did. She even loves sleeping with it on. Thanks to the slim and more natural round form factor of the 41mm Pixel Watch 3, it's comfortable enough to wear to bed, something I don't typically do with my Apple Watch. It means she's deep down the sleep-tracking hole I was in when I first got an Oura Ring.
The features go beyond simple step tracking and heart-rate monitoring. With her Pixel 8a connected, the watch's bedtime setting automatically sets her phone to bedtime mode—which cuts the brightness and colour on the screen for wind-down viewing—at 11:00 each night.
What the Pixel Watch 3 has over Apple and Oura is the Morning Brief. For both of us, this is a standout-favourite feature. First thing in the morning, you get an update on how you slept, how you recovered if you logged a workout, the weather forecast, and more info to prepare you for the day. It sounds silly, because other devices can give you all the same info. But it's a really nice thing to wake up to, and the presentation is what makes it so impactful. It's infinitely better than getting on Twitter in the morning.
I, too, love the design and form factor. It's not as elegant as options like the Galaxy Watch6 Classic from Samsung. But after using an Apple Watch for nearly a decade, I've realised I prefer circular watches, even when a screen is involved. Google's WearOS optimises the screen space, making it feel big without overwhelming your wrist. My partner says the stock band looks a little too much like a hospital bracelet, and I have to agree. It's not as easy to find a simple Milanese loop or braided band for the Pixel Watch 3 as it is for Apple's or Samsung's offerings. We also both noticed that the watch doesn't notice when you stop working out the way an Apple Watch does—leading to logging an 18-hour treadmill session that was mostly spent sleeping.
Googling Through Life
I also had a good opportunity to demo the recently launched Google Home and other app integrations just before they launched—without even needing to own a home with a Nest Doorbell or Google TV. Using your watch to control your TV, Google Home speaker, or thermostat, all of that's nice—none of it's new.
Receiving Nest alerts on your watch and being able to actually look through your doorbell on your Pixel Watch 3's display is what just launched. It's an impressive feature that shows just how far smartwatch screens have come, but it's also practical for when your phone is controlling the party playlist and you don't want to interrupt the flow.
A Tale of Two Watches
The battery-life situation is where recommending the Pixel Watch 3 gets messy. Both versions can last for up to 24 hours without needing a charge, but the larger 45mm watch has noticeably better battery life. In practice, the 41mm Pixel Watch 3 has a battery life similar to an Apple Watch Series 10, while the larger watch can last an extra eight to ten hours on average. The watches are virtually identical otherwise, so that discrepancy is annoying. Especially when the larger one costs more.
When trying to review the product as one holistic unit instead of two separate devices, this difference causes issues. Ultimately, there's nothing I can do about it. The bigger, more expensive watch has better battery life. That's always how it'll be, and battery life is a big deal, especially if you're still using your watch a year down the line. Long-term, it's probably worth it to get the 45mm even if it doesn't fit you as well, and that sucks. There's no other way to put it. It sucks that if you're more comfortable with the smaller watch, you will wind up getting an inferior product.
Final Verdict
Google has released its best wearable yet with the Pixel Watch 3. It's not perfect, because it's impossible to set aside the disappointing discrepancy in battery life between the two sizes. But it feels finally competitive with Apple and Galaxy watches. If you're a Pixel or non-Samsung Android user, it's the easiest one to set up. Plus, Google has finally fully embraced Fitbit, bringing the Pixel Watch's sleep tracking and fitness features up to par. Give it another generation and Google will be taking up a large chunk of the smartwatch market.
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