Google Pixel Watch buying guide: everything you need to know Digital Trends Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

Google Pixel Watch buying guide everything you need to know

October 6, 2022 Share . Contents

Google Pixel Watch design

The Pixel Watch features a round dial with some unsavory thick bezels around the periphery. The case is made out of stainless steel and comes in three colors – matte black, polished silver, and champagne gold. The retail package comes bundled with a soft-touch silicone strap, aka the active Band. Depending on the case color, you will get the active band in obsidian, charcoal, chalk, and active colors. A lemongrass option is also on the table, but it will be sold separately. Google says the strap material is “fluoroelastomer with soft-touch coating,” and it is sweat- as well as water-resistant. It comes in two sizes: small (for wrists measuring 130mm to 175mm around) and large (for wrist measurements in the 165mm to 210mm range). Next in line is the woven band, which is made out of recycled plastic yarn. It is offered in a single size (for wrists measuring between 137mm and 203 mm) and will be sold in coral, lemongrass, and ivy colors. The leather band, which is crafted from Italian hide, will be up for grabs in ivy and obsidian colors, with two sizes to choose from. We also have form-fitting stretch bands that are made out of polyester and spandex yarns. Pixel Watch buyers can choose between linen, rose, and obsidian shades for this style. It comes in extra small (starts at a wrist size of 130mm around), small, medium, and large (up to 200mm around) sizes.

Pixel Watch software

Before we dive deep into the software, let’s get the compatibility part out of the way. The Pixel Watch is only compatible with phones running Android 8, or a later version. It won’t pair with phones that boot Android Go, or iOS. The Pixel Watch runs Wear OS 3.5, the latest version of Google’s smartwatch OS. Wear OS 3.5 comes with a UI refresh for improved at-a-glance fitness information, a reworked weather app, deeper integration with smart home devices from the Home app, and newer functionalities for third-party fitness apps. Contactless payments via Google Pay (and Wallet) are also part of the package. There’s also a focus on safety and wellness. The Pixel Watch ships with an emergency calling feature that will allow users to call the 911 helpline when they’re not feeling safe. It is location and LTE-dependent, though. Next in line is a fall detection system that will also alert the emergency contacts if the user doesn’t respond within a stipulated time frame after the mishap. However, it isn’t available right out of the box and will be rolling out within the next few months. The Fitbit app is at the heart of the Pixel Watch’s fitness capabilities. Google is offering six months of free Fitbit Premium subscription to buyers. It lets you analyze your sleep score, keep a tab on a unified health metrics dashboard, and check the daily readiness score for workouts. Pixel Watch users will be able to pick from over 40 workout modes and get personalized activity recommendations based on factors like heart rhythm, breathing rate, and other useful metrics. If you’re deeply invested in the Fitbit ecosystem, the Premium package lets you access expert guidance covering over a thousand workouts and more than 400 mindfulness sessions. Needless to say, you will have to pay for it once the freebie expires.

Pixel Watch hardware

Google has armed the Pixel Watch with an OLED screen that measures about 1.6-inches, offering a pixel density of 320 ppi. The screen can reach a peak brightness of 1,000 nits, matching that of the . Under the hood is Samsung’s Exynos 9110 chip, paired with a Cortex M33 co-processor. Google has paired the silicon assembly with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of onboard storage. Battery capacity is rated 294mAh, which Google claims is good enough for 24 hours of usage. Google didn’t really call it fast charging, but claims that 30 minutes of charging is good enough for taking the battery from empty to 50%. But those figures have been achieved using an 18W charger, which Google doesn’t bundle in the retail box. You will have to buy a charging brick separately, and based on its wattage, the charging speed will also vary. The retail box only includes the smartwatch, the active band in small and large sizes, a USB-C magnetic charging cable, and some paperwork. Moving on the sensor side of things, there’s no surprise element here. The Pixel Watch comes fitted with a heart rate sensor, a blood oxygen measurement sensor (which only works in select markets), and a multipurpose electrical sensor for taking ECG measurements. Nothing fancy like a temperature or blood glucose sensor array is to be found here. Connectivity is handled over Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, 4G LTE, NFC, and UMTS. Navigation duties, on the other hand, are assigned to GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, and Galileo. Google claims that the Pixel Watch offers 5 ATM water resistance, which is only good enough to survive up to 50-meter depth. Plus, it should only be exposed to shallow water activities and not scenarios with high-velocity or high-pressure water movement. Covered under the ISO 22810:2010 standard, Google warns that the Pixel Watch’s water resistance will erode over time. Plus, scenarios like dropping the smartwatch will also have a detrimental impact on the water resistance capabilities.

Pixel Watch alternatives

The Pixel Watch isn’t really the best value-for-money smartwatch out there, especially with a starting price tag of $350. If you already have an iPhone in your pocket, the two best options in this budget are the Apple Watch Series 8 and the . These two offer polished hardware married to the best ecosystem of fitness-centric services. However, if you’re not a fan of Apple’s ecosystem restriction and prefer Wear OS, the best option would be the . If you prefer an added dash of ruggedness, the is one of the best in its class. You can also take a look at the Fitbit Sense 2, which starts at $300. In his review of the , Digital Trend’s Andy Zahn mentioned that “if you’re looking for the best fitness and health-focused smartwatch, this is the one to buy.” If you want to explore further, the Mobvoi TicWatch E3, Skagen Falster Gen 6, Fossil Sport, and the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra GPS should be on your shopping radar.

Google Pixel Watch price and release date

The Pixel Watch comes in a single size and will set you back by $350 for the Bluetooth-only trim. However, if you seek cellular connectivity, you’ll need to spend $400 on the LTE version. Also, if you plan to pick up the LTE model, make sure to check the carrier compatibility first, especially in markets outside the U.S. , and regular sales kick off on October 13. Google will be selling its first smartwatch in the U.S, the U.K., Canada, Australia, Japan, Taiwan, and a few EU countries.

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