Google releases its first smartwatch

It’s been 10 years in the making, and Google has finally released the GPS smartwatch Android users have been waiting for. The Google Pixel Watch features an eye-catching design, and easy-to-use software and has tons of potential at first glance. Google has struggled to establish itself in the fitness-tracking market, but with the acquisition of Fitbit in 2021, they have integrated Fitbit’s health-tracking features and have addressed previous watches’ shortcomings with this new model.

The design

The Google Pixel Watch display is simplistic and gorgeous. The face is a plain, round, traditional watch face with what appears to be a thick bezel base holding the curved wide-glass screen. The Google Pixel Watch catches the light at some angles in a way that makes it look elegant and jewelry-like.

I found the watch to be very light on my wrist during workouts. When I first took it out of the box, I could not get over the smooth glossy finish of the screen and how simple, yet luxurious, it looks. Since I’ve begun testing the watch, I have received many questions while running and walking, asking “What type of watch is that?”

Unfortunately, the Google Pixel only comes in one size–41 mm. I have a smaller wrist, but some might find the display looks small. 

Battery life and performance

Before the watch launched, Google promised a 24-hour battery life in smartwatch mode, but I’ve found I start receiving low power warnings after 18 to 20 hours of use, which includes one 40-minute GPS-tracked run. This would be fine for someone who’s not using it to track their sleep, or for casual runners running once or twice a week. However, charging from zero to full takes less than an hour, which is great.

Running and fitness tracking

Syncing the watch with Fitbit was a game-changer for Google. Fitbit became one of the world’s most popular fitness trackers in the mid-2010s, offering a watch that synced to your mobile device via Bluetooth to log your fitness activities and set daily and weekly goals for steps, calories burned and consumed and distance walked. 

Fitbit is one of the few companies in the space that makes sure to incorporate rest and recovery, giving you a readiness score based on your sleep and stress. By being a pioneer in the fitness tracker industry, Fitbit has comprehensive knowledge of how to translate user behaviour and heart-rate info into useful insights and features.

Something I noticed during my first run with the watch was the accuracy of the heart rate readings, based on my perceived effort and experience. The Google Pixel Watch exceeds expectations in this area. It does an excellent job where sleep tracking, stress and recovery are concerned; it can also take an electrocardiogram, which is an excellent feature for health tracking. 

But while the Google Pixel Watch benefits from Fitbit’s expertise, it also suffers from the syncing issues that plagued the company’s older devices. Although you will be able to see the distance and steps, I’ve found the run takes several hours to sync from the watch to the app. 

Even though Fitbit is one of the most user-friendly fitness apps out there, Google has paywalled many of its features. A Fitbit premium subscription is $105 per year and gives you access to challenges and adventures, personal insights, customized programs, advanced sleep tools and thousands of unique workouts. It also allows you to see the details of the health metrics dashboard, which shows you your resting heart rate and heart rate variability.

My verdict

I like the Pixel watch, but I would recommend it mainly for casual or beginner runners due to its lack of training data and relatively short battery life. The watch does have a lustrous appearance and is a perfectly capable smartwatch to do regular things modern smartwatches now do, but only the recovery and sleep tracking data are what stand out for me. I am not sure how are you supposed to collect sleep data from a watch that only has 24 hours of battery life. When are you supposed to charge it? 

The Pixel Watch is designed to appeal to the widest possible market in terms of looks, size, band styles, features and price point. At $350, the Pixel Watch is relatively affordable and accessible for those who need a basic running watch that looks nice and generally does a great job with health and fitness tracking.