Google Pixel Watch reviewed

We look at the new watch from Google, the Google Pixel Watch, see more about it on their blog here.

Google Pixel Watch reviewed

This is the new offering from Google and their Pixel division, previously known for their evolving range of phones, the Pixel series. Now we have the first watch offering. This makes sense, Huawei, Apple and many more are looking to grow in this section of the market, therefore you can see why Google are keen to have a product, and a presence here. This offering is built around a lot of Fitbit functionality too. There are good reasons for this, many potential users are already familiar with the Fitbit brand and may well have used their products.

To power the Pixel watch, and get the most functionality out of this, you are recommended to use both the Google and Fitbit apps. This does sound a bit messy, or rather the user is going to quickly wonder why there isn’t just one app to deliver all the cool functionality. Except perhaps that this is a watch that gives you all the additional functionality that Google can offer, on top of what Fitbit can deliver. Going forwards you just figure that later iterations of this device will have a simpler, more elegant solution to this.

The design of the watch is pretty good. It looks nice, sleek, small, not too big, or heavy, being round rather than square also has its appeal too. The display is good, and our testers had nothing negative to say about that. Battery power will get you through the day, but when is the best time to charge it? If you do so while you are sleeping, then how do you capture all those vital statistics? That said it does recharge quickly, so this is probably going to be one of those issues that you work out the best solution based on your own usage patterns.

This is, and feels like a first generation watch, it is pretty good, though perhaps towards the higher end of the price point you might expect to pay for something like this. At the same time, if the developers iterate with this at a similar pace to the Pixel Phone range, it could be that the next versions of the watch are the ones that solve some of the bumps in the road with this one.

More about the watch

Designed with comfort and durability in mind, the Google Pixel Watch is sophisticated for a night out or a business meeting, can endure your activities and workouts, and is pleasant to sleep in. The bold, circular 3D domed glass blends seamlessly into the stainless steel body giving it a slim look on the wrist. It is both water-resistant (up to 5 ATM/50 meters) and scratch-resistant, meant to be worn all day and night. Inspired by a classic timepiece, the tactile crown controls on-screen scrolling, accesses shortcuts and initiates the app tray to get you the helpful information you need. The side button subtly above the crown opens your most-recently used apps, so favourites are just a click away.

Google Pixel Watch is powered with Wear OS by Google (Wear OS 3.5) and delivers the information you need at a glance, making tasks more convenient and providing help whenever and wherever you need it. Interaction is extremely smooth, responsive and easy to use. With tiles and watch faces you can easily customize to be full of information or minimal – the experience is uniquely yours to choose what you see at a glance.

With Google Assistant built in, your personalized help on the go is quick and hands-free. You can easily control your smart home devices through the Google Home app or just say “Hey, Google” to your watch to adjust the thermostat, turn on or off the lights, and get notifications from your Nest doorbell when a person or package is at the door (with compatible smart devices).

Check your notifications from Gmail and Google Calendar, make contactless payments in stores and at transit with Google Wallet, and get turn-by-turn directions with Maps, including an interactive view that makes it easy to see where you are and where you’re going. Enjoy access to over 100 million songs with YouTube Music Premium (three months included), and cache your favorite playlists using ample 32GB of on-device storage, or streaming phone-free over built-in 4G LTE-cellular. And access even more apps with Google Play Store right on your wrist, including Adidas Running, Calm, Spotify, MyFitnessPal and Strava.

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