Google announced a lot of new hardware products this year, and although we reviewed the Pixel 9 phones very early on, we’ve taken our time with the Pixel Watch 3. The new watch is designed to add an even greater focus on fitness, and testing that out takes time.
Now, after using it for a couple of months, I am ready to put my thoughts on paper, so to speak.
The Pixel Watch 3 arrives in two sizes, unlike previous versions, 41mm and the new 45mm size. Not only is there a bigger version, but the actual usable areas of the displays are bigger thanks to much smaller bezels.
Google sent us the bigger 45mm version to test out, which features a screen that is 40 percent bigger than that of the Pixel Watch 2 thanks to the 16 percent smaller bezels.
The new Actua 320ppi AMOLED display is not just bigger but also brighter, boasting an impressive 2,000 nits peak brightness and a Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) that can drop the refresh rate down to 1Hz. This is a game changer for Google and their Pixel Watch, and the end result is a vastly improved battery life – something they have been criticised for in the past.
The Pixel Watch 3 is once again powered by a Qualcomm SW5100 chipset but this time a lot of the less intensive tasks are handed off to a Cortex M33 co-processor (lower power), aiding the processing power of the CPU and also decreasing power usage.
The chipset(s) provide a snappy experience throughout the entire watch interface, including installed apps. Let’s face it, smartwatch apps aren’t the most demanding of apps, so it is no real mean feat, but if you were an early adopter of WearOS (or Android Wear as it once was), you’ll know the pain of a slow watch interface. This is definitely not that.
The right side of the watch houses the digital crown and a standard button that is flush with the watch. Turning the digital crown is one way to scroll through lists/messages on your watch – personally, I just scroll on the display.
Smartwatches are getting more and more functions every year, but the bulk of us just use them for communications, checking and replying to messages, etc. The Pixel Watch 3 excels at this with a great way to display various notifications and offer easy ways to respond to them.
There are smartwatch apps for all of the main social media and email services, as well as all the usual activities. I really don’t use all that many myself, although I do use Todoist on the watch to help keep track of my tasks for the day. It’s a simple interface that offers a quick glance view and the ability to interact with the app and the notifications.
Google has also included Ultra-wideband (UWB) support in the Pixel Watch 3 giving the watch the ability to operate smart home products such as controlling your Google TV, and integrating with your Nest cameras (if you have them). The UWB support also means it can be used as a digital key for compatible cars – eventually, once support on the car end is added.
Offline Google Maps are now also available on the watch itself, allowing you to navigate with ease without having to worry yourself with data at the time. You download the required maps to your watch using the watch or using your connected phone making management a breeze.
Camera control from a smartwatch is nothing new, but the functionality of the Pixel Watch 3 is excellent. You can switch from selfie to normal camera, from photo to video and also switch modes such as night mode and more, all from the Pixel Watch 3.
You can also initiate “Find my Phone” from your Pixel Watch 3 now which is handy because I often forget where I put my phone.
One more notable feature inclusion is Google’s Pixel Recorder app, available in near full use, all from your wrist. You can start and stop a recording, back it up to a Gmail account and then play it back on your watch or phone. If you want to view a transcript, you’ll have to play it back on your phone and tap the transcript button to generate a transcription.
To track all your health metrics, the Pixel Watch 3 includes a large number of sensors, including a compass, altimeter/barometer, gyro and accelerometer, heart rate sensor, blood oxygen sensor, echo meter, surface temperature sensor and cEDA sensor.
The cEDA sensor is the last sensor to tie all the others in to give you an overall measure of how you are mentally and physically. Just how many of use actually need this is debateable, but there are enough that do – have a look at serious athletes’ wrists, so many of them use a Whoop band with no watchface – these are the superduper fitness tracker designed for peak performance.
This is what Google seems to be aiming for with the Pixel Watch 3, which is featured as their Daily Readiness Score. This is an indicator of just how ready you are to take on a particular workout. For those focused on performing to the best of their ability, it is something they should pay attention to to prevent overtraining.
A lot of Google’s added functionality this year is focused on running. Apparently, a lot of folks love to run. I have no idea why, but it’s definitely a thing. The new Pixel Watch 3 is not only for advanced runners but for beginners as well.
The watch includes AI that can be used to generate a running program for you, focused on your goal and to help you achieve it – be it running 5km, 10km or even a marathon.
It takes into account not just all your health metrics and how you should train based on your current stress and health levels but can also help you with your running form such as your stride length, step cadence and vertical ratio.
Alongside these strange running measurements, the watch will also capture other stats such as calories burned, pace, max and average heart rate, distance covered, and elevation gained.
The watch will actually notify you if your metrics drop outside of where they should be for you to keep you motivated to keep going.
As much as I hate running, except on the basketball court, I took one for the EFTM team and went for a run to test some of these features out. I set off for a pace, and given my lack of conditioning, I was quickly flagging with the watch telling me to pick up the pace with a quick ping at me.
While running, the heart rate sensor was able to keep a fairly accurate track of my metrics. Google has said that the heart sensor in the Pixel Watch 3 is their most accurate heart rate sensor ever, thanks to the use of improved algorithms. Sounds like wizardry to me.
The Pixel Watch 3 comes with 6 months of Fitbit Premium, which you do need if you really want to take full advantage of Google’s latest smartwatch. To get the Google AI running plans and Daily Readiness Score, you do need access to Fitbit Premium, something to keep in mind if you are a serious runner.
Fitbit Premium is about a lot more than running though so you do get a lot of additional workout material and programs. If you are interested, we recommend you test out the free trial of Fitbit Premium in its entirety before purchasing it.
While the big ticket item this year is the new running and wellness sensors, the Pixel Watch is once again able to offer detailed analysis of your sleep patterns. It is able to offer total sleeping time and then a breakdown of the sleep stages you were in and how long for each stage, the oxygen variation (an estimate of how much the oxygen levels in your blood change while your watch detected sleeping), and then finally an overall Sleep Score.
The battery life on the Pixel Watch 3 is vastly improved over that of the Pixel Watch 2, but that is a very low starting point. I was able to get around 36 hours of continuous use out of the watch, while wearing it for all activities, including sleeping. That was one full day and two nights.
Unfortunately, its battery life is still not at the level of a Fitbit device, but very few smartwatches offer more than a day or two of battery life (my Mobvoi Ticwatch Pro 5 Enduro offers five to six days of battery life on my normal usage).
Google has done a great job improving the battery life because the last version struggled to last a full day. Now that is easy and most of us have to charge our phones every day, so why not charge your watch at the same time?
If you live in the Andorid smartphone ecosystem, there aren’t a lot of compatible smartwatches available to you. there is of course the Samsung Galaxy Watch varieties but quite a bit of their functionality is hidden behind the Samsung wall so if you do not have a Samsung phone you are out of luck getting full use of the watch.
All other Android-based smartwatches available here run old software and are frustratingly slow, aside from one — the Google Pixel Watch. With this uyear’s Pixel Watch 3, Google has improved the battery life, the functionality and made it larger so more suitable for male wrists (IMO).
The improvement over the Pixel Watch 2 is significant enough for me to recommend selling your Pixel Watch 2 and investing in the Pixel Watch 3. The battery life is better, the display is better, there are more health sensors, and it can do a hell of a lot more. What more could you ask for?
If you are in the Android ecosystem, I highly recommend purchasing the Pixel Watch 3 if you are after a smartwatch — even if you only want it for basic notifications which is does exceptionally well.
The Pixel Watch 3 starts at $579 (RRP) at the Google Store, JB HIFI, Telstra, Optus, Harvey Norman and Officeworks. On the 41mm size, it’s available in Hazel, Obsidian, Porcelain and Rose Quartz. On the 45mm size, it’s available in Hazel, Obsidian and Porcelain.
Scott is our resident open technology expert. If you can mod it, or want to use it your way, Scott has probably done it. From Laptops to phones, headphones and game consoles, he’s played with it and wants to see the next generation.
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