Google Pixel Watch 3 review

Google Pixel Watch 3

Rating: 4 Stars

The Google Pixel Watch 3 is finally available in two sizes — but on top of that it boasts better fitness features and a larger display.

Skip To Our Expert Review

Rating: 4 Stars

Skip To Our Expert Review

Pros

• Two sizes!
• Larger displays
• Helpful fitness features
• Well-designed software
• Good performance

Cons

• A little expensive
• AI locked behind Fitbit Premium

Buy From	List Price	Sale Price
	$349.99	$349.99	See It

The Pixel Watch is (finally) ready to appeal to a wider audience. The original Pixel Watch and Pixel Watch 2 weren’t bad devices by any means, but with only one smaller size option, they were slightly limited in their potential audience. I personally found both devices to look a little too small on my wrist — especially given the fact that I generally prefer a bulkier device like the Apple Watch Ultra. But, regardless, the Google Pixel Watch 3 changes that. The device is finally available in two sizes, including one size that’s the same as the Pixel Watch 2 and one that steps the size up a little for those who want a little more screen real estate.

Of course, size alone isn’t enough to make a smartwatch worth buying, and previous-generation Pixel Watch models suffered from other issues too. Is the Pixel Watch 3 finally the Galaxy Watch and TicWatch competitor that Pixel fans have always wanted? I’ve been using the 45mm Pixel Watch 3 for a while now to find out.

Google Pixel Watch 3 specs

The Pixel Watch 3 starts at $349.99 for the 41mm model, however you’ll pay $50 more for the 45mm model. Additionally, if you want cellular connectivity, expect to shell out $100 more, on top of the base price of whatever model you’re going for. The most you can spend on a Pixel Watch is $499.99, for the 45mm cellular model.

The same design, but finally two sizes

The Pixel Watch 3 may get a new size, but size aside, it keeps the same overall design as previous-generation models. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing by any means, but it does mean that the Pixel Watch avoids the trend of going rugged and bulky, like the Apple Watch and Galaxy Watch.

While I usually prefer a bulky device, I certainly get the appeal of a sleeker, more refined-looking wearable. The watch looks minimalistic and very sleek, and there’s definitely room for that in the market. Maybe one day we’ll see a rugged Pixel Watch Ultra, but for now, I’m glad Google is taking a different approach to design than the competition.

Image source: Christian de Looper for BGR

Like previous Pixel Watch models, you’ll get the health sensors on the bottom, and a crown on the right side. The crown rotates, and rotating it actually controls software, unlike on a device like the Galaxy Watch Ultra, which basically just uses the crown as an extra button. There’s also a secondary button that opens recently used apps.

The build quality of the Pixel Watch 3 is solid. It feels relatively strong, however it still uses Gorilla Glass 5 on the top, instead of a stronger glass like the newer Gorilla Glass Victus 2. That’s a bit of a shame — the Pixel Watch’s design is already prone to glass damage, and a stronger glass would have helped. But, I didn’t experience any issues with the strength of the glass personally, and the rest of the build feels good.

That’s true of the bands too. The band mechanism takes some getting used to, but after you attach and remove bands a few times you’ll learn how to do so quickly. It might have been nice for the device a more standard strap mechanism but, of course, that would have impacted the design quite a bit — and there are still a decent selection of third-party watch straps available.

Generally, I like the overall design of the Pixel Watch 3. Google fixed the biggest issue with the design of its smartwatch by adding a second size. It can make other improvements in future generations. Bonus points for an actually functional crown.

A bright and dim screen, all in one

While the overall design of the Pixel Watch remains the same for the third generation, turn the device on, and you’ll notice a change — a bigger display. That’s not just on the device with the bigger screen, by the way. On the 41mm model, which is the same size as the Pixel Watch 2, you’ll get a display that’s 10% larger than before, minimizing those black bezels. I never really minded the bezels on the Pixel Watch 2, especially given how the software helps hide them, but a bigger screen is never a bad thing. On the larger model, the screen is 40% larger than the Pixel Watch 2. You likely won’t buy a device based on its screen size — more for its body size. But, the larger screen is nice.

Image source: Christian de Looper for BGR

The screen looks great too. On both sizes, the display can range up to a peak brightness of 2000 nits, which is helpful outdoors. And, it can range all the way down to 1 nit — which is helpful at night. Google notes that the low brightness can come in handy in environments like a movie theater, but as someone who gets distracted easily in a theater, I suggest you still turn on theater mode, which turns the screen off completely and is thankfully still present. The screens range from 1Hz to 60Hz, too, so they can preserve battery when the device is simply sitting on your wrist. 60Hz is easily enough on a smartwatch — you don’t need a high refresh rate on a watch.

Regardless of how you use the screen, it’s crisp, bright, and detailed.

Solid performance and helpful fitness-tracking features

The Pixel Watch 3 is powered by the Qualcomm SW5100 chip, and it performed very well. It felt responsive, and I never felt like it stuttered or skipped.

More important than the actual processor, of course, are the features — and most important for a smartwatch are usually the fitness-tracking features. The Pixel Watch 3 offers a range of fitness and health features, making for a decent overall tracking experience.

There are all the basics, of course. You’ll get heart rate monitoring, an ECG, a skin temperature sensor, and a blood oxygen sensor (unlike any Apple Watch you buy right now).

But the sensors are one thing — what the watch can track with those sensors is something completely different. Google continues to lean into the Fitbit brand for health-tracking, and in the Fitbit app, you can now track a Daily Readiness score that’s aimed at helping you keep track of when might be a good time to exercise — and when you should rest. This score is calculated through your resting heart rate, heart rate variability, and your sleep.

Image source: Christian de Looper for BGR

There’s also another score — your Cardio Load score. This is built to help you better keep track of your training, through tracking your heart exertion and intensity during activity. Fitbit will keep track of trends for this score too, which is nice. Last is the Target Load score, which is built to give you a goal for your day. It’ll take into account your other scores, and balance training and recovery. Both the Daily Readiness score and Cardio Load score require you to wear the watch for a while to calibrate — and for the Daily Readiness score, you’ll need to wear the watch at night to track sleep.

I quite like the addition of these scores. Smartwatches and other health trackers are collecting more and more data — and that’s a good thing. But, it can be hard to know what to make of that data, and scores like this can help give you a better idea of how and when to exercise. This is something I could Apple could do better at, but it seems to be trying with the new Vitals app. On top of adding new scores, Google is also making them more accessible — by removing the need for Fitbit Premium to access them. That’s hugely helpful.

The Pixel Watch 3 has better tools for runners built into it, too — namely through new tools that can help runners plan and execute a run, complete with goals for distance, pace, or heart rate zones. I run but I’m not too into planning my runs, so I tried it for the sake of this review but likely wouldn’t use this tool in normal life. You can have AI recommend daily running routines. That’s locked behind Fitbit Premium, though you do get six months of Premium with the watch.

As far as accuracy goes, I found the Pixel Watch 3 to be generally in line with what my Apple Watch Ultra tracked. That included sleep — which was tracked at a similar amount each night, and showed similar sleep stages through the night. And, there’s a new AI feature that can help recommend running routines for you

Generally speaking, the Pixel Watch 3 offers a great selection of fitness and health-tracking tools, and the insights provided by Fitbit are genuinely useful.

Well-designed software and a long-lasting battery

The Pixel Watch 3 comes with Google’s Wear OS 5, which is the latest and greatest version of Google’s wearable operating system. The software worked well — at this point, Android wearable software is mature enough to not feel like it’s miles behind Apple.

From your watch face, you’ll swipe down to access quick settings, up to access notifications, and to the side to scroll through a carousel of different tiles, which you can customize. There’s a solid selection of watch faces, including some informationally dense ones and some more minimalistic and simple ones. And, they’re easy to customize.

Image source: Christian de Looper for BGR

The battery life on the larger 45mm Pixel Watch 3 was quite good. Towards the beginning of testing, I was stuck at home with Covid, so I didn’t really test fitness-tracking features much — finding that the device lasted two days or so without issue. Once I did start using fitness-tracking features more often, the watch did start needing to be juiced up more often, at least when I wanted to use all features at all times. But even then, I think many users will be able to get through two days of use, with sleep-tracking in between. That likely wouldn’t be true for the smaller model, though.

Thankfully, the device has a new Battery Saver Mode that can extend battery life by up to 36 hours, which is helpful. I never really worried much about battery, but like any smartwatch, if you use sleep tracking, you’ll need to find a time to charge at some point.

Conclusions

The Google Pixel Watch 3 has a few helpful improvements that help solidify it as a device that can go up against the best. The new health-tracking features are helpful, and I’m always in favor of smaller bezels, but the headline change is obviously the addition of the 45mm model. Also, with the Pixel Watch 3, it really doesn’t feel like you’re making compromises compared to other Android-based smartwatches.

The competition

The biggest competition to the Pixel Watch 3 comes in the form of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7. The Pixel Watch 3 is a little pricier than the Galaxy Watch 7, and they offer distinctly different design approaches. The Galaxy Watch 7 does offer some extra health features, like a body composition tool and the new sleep apnea detection feature. That said, I prefer the Fitbit approach to how health data is handled and presented, and generally, the Pixel Watch seems to be a little more accurate too.

Should I buy the Google Pixel Watch 3?

Yes. It looks good and boasts helpful features.