introduction
Last year, Google and Samsung joined forces to release a unified version of Wear OS, which is more capable, polished, and which will remain exclusive to Samsung Watch devices for nearly a year. Now, with only a handful of smartwatches running Wear OS 3.5, Google's Pixel Watch will be considered the gold standard for Wear OS smartwatches.
The Google Pixel Watch is the first wearable Google Pixel offering, promises a smooth and smooth experience and hopes to be considered the "Apple Watch of Androids". The Pixel Watch also brings the future of Wear OS as a platform, and many will be watching to see if it will bring any progress to the operating system.
The Pixel Watch introduces the features that Wear OS had before Wear OS 3.5, but the operating system has been completely redesigned with more polish and better attention to detail in animations and sound. Watches are made to be comfortable to wear all day long and to look attractive and useful.
Google Pixel Watch Specifications
Body: Dimensions and weight (without strap) 41 x 12.3 mm, 36g; Matte or polished stainless steel case (80% recycled stainless steel); Fluoroelastomeric Active Band with soft touch coating
Display: 1.2" AMOLED, 450 x 450 round display, 320ppi pixel density, 1000 nits peak brightness, dome-shaped 3D Gorilla Glass 5
Strap: Detachable proprietary fastener; Includes both small and large Active Band straps - fits wrists approx. 130-175mm or 165-210mm
Features: 5ATM rating (IP68), Continuous heart rate monitoring, Sleep tracking, Stress monitoring, Sports and fitness tracking, Step Counter, Notifications, Idle reminder, Phone Finder, Weather, Calendar, Music control, Google Assistant, Music streaming, calls, and Notification Sync via LTE, Wear OS app, Fitbit fitness (default)
Sensors: Compass, altimeter, Blood oxygen sensor, Multipurpose electrical sensor (ECG), Optical heart rate sensor, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Ambient light sensor
Software: Use OS 3.5, pair with Pixel Watch app
32GB eMMC; 2GB SDRAM
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi b/g/n 2.4GHz, NFC, LTE and UMTS (LTE models only), compatible with Android 8.0 or later
Battery and charging: 294 mAh; USB-C magnetic charging cable (50% in 30 minutes), 5W . charging
Color: Obsidian, Charcoal, Lime, Lemongrass, Hazel
The new Fitbit integrates on Wear OS and debuts on the Pixel Watch with a more comprehensive feature set for health and fitness tracking than Google Fit. Pixel Watch comes with Fitbit Premium for six months, offering advanced health tracking features and access to an entire library of exercise videos and mindfulness content like guided breathing and meditation.
The Google Pixel Watch starts at a pricey $349 in the US ($399 for the LTE model) which makes it $50 cheaper than the Apple Watch, which starts at $399. However, at its price point, Google is setting up its customers with high expectations of the Watch.
Unpacking
The Google Pixel Watch comes with a USB-C magnetic charger, and a spare Active Band for smaller wrists. The big one comes pre-installed on the Pixel Watch.
Google sells another type of wrist strap. There are Stretch Bands, Woven Bands, Crafted Leather Bands, and Two-Tone Leather Bands.
Design and comfort
For the Pixel Watch, Google goes for an understated and minimalistic look. The watch is round, with a protective layer of glass shaped into a dome that elegantly wraps around the Pixel Watch. Meanwhile, the watch case is made of stainless steel, which is made up of 80% recycled materials.
Showing
The Pixel Watch sports a sharp and vibrant circular AMOLED display and the 3D dome that protects it is made of Gorilla Glass 5. It measures 1.2 inches and has a resolution of 450 x 450 px - this results in a pixel density of around 320ppi.
The Google Pixel Watch supports up to 1000 nits brightness boost, and even supports the DCI-P3 color space with deeper colors and higher contrast. The display supports adaptive brightness Even though it's small, it's super bright and easy to see outdoors.
Performance and connectivity
The Google Pixel Watch is powered by the Exynos 9110 which is built on a 10nm process. It's the same chipset as the Samsung Galaxy Watch, Watch Active, and Galaxy Watch 3. On the Pixel Watch, it's paired with the Cortex M33 co-processor, handling low-power tasks like always-on screen updates and background heartbeats. . tracking.
The Exynos 9110 is a dual-core chipset clocked at 1.15GHz, using a Cortex-A53 core. Graphics are handled by the Mali-T720. The LTE modem supports 150Mbps and below and 75Mbps and above. There is also support for GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, and Galileo.
Pixel Watch software and apps
Use OS 3.5 "
Pixel Watch runs Wear OS 3.5. If you've used any Wear OS smartwatch in recent years, it should all feel familiar. From the main watch face screen, pull up for notifications, pull down for the quick settings panel, but Google Assistant no longer has a dedicated feed page - it doesn't need one anyway - so swiping left or right will flip through the Watch Tiles.
Voice input works better than previous versions of Wear OS, and works more reliably than ever before. However, it won't add all the punctuation for you, as in Tensor-backed Pixels with Assistant voice typing. This means that when paired to a Pixel 6 or 7, the Pixel Watch will require you to speak the punctuation gesture verbally while your smartphone does not.
Wearing OS 3.5 on the Pixel Watch didn't bring any drastic changes, but it did modernize the UI with the necessary overhauls over the years.
The dial works smoothly and makes navigating the watch easier, but we found that it didn't work in some third-party apps.
Pixel Watch App
The Wear OS app no longer exists. Starting with wearables running Wear OS 3.5 and later, each manufacturer will have its own companion app. In the case of the Pixel Watch, this is the Pixel Watch app.
Fitness tracking
There are 40 workout modes, and the Watch's built-in GPS can track modes that involve mileage such as running or cycling. We tested it mostly with cycling, walking and yoga.
Battery life and charging
The Google Pixel Watch comes with a 294 mAh battery, regardless of whether it's the LTE model or the Wi-Fi/Bluetooth variant. Google advertises the Pixel Watch can last "All day", which is another way of saying it won't last more than a day.
indictment
The Google Pixel Watch is an attractive and sleek Wear OS watch with a lot to offer. At $349, the price point is steeper than the entry-level $249 Apple Watch SE. While the Pixel Watch is priced in the premium bracket, the experience feels like entry-level in its current state.