Pixel Watch Hands-On: Fitbit's Wear OS Debut Highlights Google's First Smartwatch - CNET

Google's $350 (£339, AU$549) Pixel Watch is the archetypal smartwatch to travel straight from the institution pursuing years of processing the Wear OS operating strategy that powers different smartwatches. It's besides the archetypal Wear OS smartwatch to diagnostic Fitbit's fittingness tracking, which has been agelong awaited ever since Google's acquired Fitbit. Making its debut astatine past week's Pixel autumn event alongside the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro phones, the ticker features a rounded design, acheronian menus and perchance besides constituent toward the absorption of future Fitbit and Android wearables.

The announcement comes aft Google teased the Pixel Watch successful May during its I/O developers conference. While Google antecedently revealed what the ticker would look similar and provided a preview of its software, it saved galore of the halfway details astir pricing, plan and functionality for the October unveiling. 

Aside from making the Wear OS smartwatch bundle that's utilized by Samsung, Fossil and Michael Kors, Google's mostly been absent from the smartwatch market. The Pixel Watch, however, is the archetypal to beryllium positioned arsenic a Google instrumentality nether its flagship Pixel brand. It comes arsenic the institution has been making a renewed propulsion into hardware to found itself arsenic a household sanction alongside Apple and Samsung successful the mobile instrumentality market.

The Pixel Watch has an elegant plan that separates it from astir Android-compatible smartwatches disposable connected the market. But coming 7 years aft the archetypal Apple Watch's launch, it has a batch of catching up to bash from an industry-wide perspective. Apple leads the smartwatch abstraction with 29% of the planetary marketplace arsenic of the 2nd 4th of 2022, according to Counterpoint Research. Samsung is the person erstwhile it comes to Android-compatible smartwatches with 9% of the market, a fig that trails acold down Apple. 

With its crisp looks and Fitbit health metrics, the Pixel Watch already seems similar a promising prime for Android instrumentality owners. But I could besides spot however the Pixel Watch could complicate however Fitbit's ain smartwatches acceptable into Google's merchandise lineup. The institution says the Pixel Watch is for those who privation Fitbit's wellness tracking on with further smartwatch features that Fitbit devices lack, specified arsenic optional LTE connectivity and Google Play Store apps.

The $300 Fitbit Sense 2, connected the different hand, includes further wellness and wellness capabilities specified arsenic tegument somesthesia measurements and the quality to observe imaginable signs of stress. Whether the Pixel Watch becomes a deed could beryllium an indicator of what consumers worth astir successful a smartwatch. 

Pixel Watch whitethorn beryllium the best-looking smartwatch yet

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Google said successful May it's positioning the Pixel Watch arsenic a premium smartwatch, and that attack comes crossed successful its aesthetic. The Pixel Watch has a domed, circular solid plan with scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla Glass 5 and a stainless alloy lodging that makes it look much similar a regular wristwatch than astir smartwatches I've seen. 

The ticker is water resistant up to 5 ATM, which means it should beryllium capable to withstand unit adjacent to a extent of 50 meters. It besides features an always-on show that tin amusement the clip and different accusation erstwhile the surface is idle, conscionable similar Apple's flagship watches and Fitbit's smartwatches. It volition beryllium disposable successful 4 decorativeness options: matte achromatic with an obsidian progressive band, polished metallic with a charcoal progressive band, polished metallic with a chalk progressive set oregon champagne golden with a hazel progressive band. 

There volition besides beryllium a assortment of set styles to take from, ranging from lightweight sports bands to breathable woven bands designed for slumber tracking to much ceremonial leather and metallic mesh options. The agelong set is amazingly airy and soft, and I could spot however it would beryllium perfect to deterioration to bed. It astir feels similar wearing a scrunchie connected my wrist. 

Swapping retired the bands is comparatively simple; it requires pressing a fastener wherever the set connects to the lodging and past sliding the set successful the aforesaid direction. It took maine a mates of tries to get the bent of it, but it's casual erstwhile you get utilized to it.

At archetypal glance, the Pixel Watch feels similar the Apple Watch's closest rival successful presumption of plan -- but it's circular alternatively than square. As a longtime Apple Watch wearer, the Pixel Watch's usage of premium materials and the look and consciousness of its straps has fixed maine immoderate deja vu -- but successful a bully way. There's besides a crown on the broadside of the ticker that doubles arsenic a fastener and a scroll wheel, overmuch similar the Apple Watch's integer crown. But the Pixel Watch's domed solid gives it a distinguished look that sets it isolated from astir wearables, adjacent the Apple Watch and high-end hybrid watches specified arsenic the Withings ScanWatch Horizon. 

Lisa Eadicicco/CNET

That said, I besides noticed the bezels framing the show are a spot wide, though they bash seamlessly blend into the remainder of the watch. The ticker itself is besides reasonably wide, but I'll person to walk much clip with it earlier I tin archer if these factors interaction the acquisition overall. 

Pixel Watch bundle is simply a operation of Google and Fitbit

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The Pixel Watch runs connected Google's Wear OS 3.5 bundle and inherits immoderate of Fitbit's wellness features. In the abbreviated magnitude of clip I've had to spot the Pixel Watch successful person, the bundle looks a batch similar the caller redesigned interface connected the Fitbit Sense 2. It besides feels accelerated and snappy. Compared to the Sense 2, I felt similar I was gliding astir the operating system, whereas there's sometimes a intermission earlier launching apps connected the Fitbit Sense 2. 

Similar to the Sense 2, the Pixel Watch has tiles for showing enactment data, bosom rate, the weather, workout shortcuts and different bits of information. Pushing the Pixel Watch's crown volition instrumentality you to your apps, akin to however pressing the Sense 2's broadside fastener pulls up your app list. You'll besides get Fitbit-specific metrics specified arsenic Active Zone Minutes, which gives you much recognition depending connected however precocious your bosom complaint is portion moving retired and a regular readiness score.

But the bundle doesn't look to beryllium exactly the same. Google is positioning the Pixel Watch arsenic much of a full-featured smartwatch, truthful it includes immoderate extras similar astute location controls, entree to the Google Play Store from your wrist and optional LTE connectivity (although the cellular mentation of the ticker volition outgo somewhat higher astatine $400). Emergency SOS, planetary exigency calling and mobile payments done Google Wallet volition beryllium available, too, and the ticker besides includes a compass for navigation. From what I've seen, the Pixel Watch's show besides seems snappier than Sense 2's, though I'll person to walk clip with the Pixel Watch to cognize for sure. 

Watch faces besides look similar a overmuch bigger woody connected the Pixel Watch; determination are 18 styles that Google says tin beryllium highly personalized. For example, you tin alteration the colour of the look and the dials and adhd complications. Again, this should each dependable acquainted to anyone who has utilized an Apple Watch.

Pixel Watch has Fitbit wellness tracking

Google

From a wellness tracking perspective, you could astir deliberation of the Pixel Watch arsenic a truly nice-looking Fitbit smartwatch. All of your wellness information volition unrecorded successful the Fitbit app (although Google says it volition proceed to enactment Google Fit, too). You'll beryllium capable to adhd the Pixel Watch to your Fitbit app conscionable similar immoderate different Fitbit device. That means successful summation to workout and enactment tracking, you'll get Fitbit-specific metrics similar your readiness people and slumber score. The Pixel Watch volition besides travel with six months of escaped Fitbit Premium, Fitbit's $10 monthly subscription that provides entree to further wellness metrics and workout programs. 

Google claims the Pixel Watch volition connection the company's astir close bosom complaint tracking yet acknowledgment to these sensors and its instrumentality learning algorithms, adjacent surpassing Fitbit's devices. 

It'll besides beryllium updated with the quality to instrumentality humor oxygen saturation measurements and tin instrumentality an ECG from the wrist, conscionable similar watches from Fitbit and Apple. Similar to the Apple Watch, the Pixel Watch volition enactment autumn detection and besides has built-in GPS for tracking moving routes. 

The large diagnostic missing from the Pixel Watch compared with the Fitbit Sense 2, Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 and Apple Watch Series 8 is simply a somesthesia sensor. That shouldn't beryllium a woody breaker, however, since somesthesia sensors are comparatively caller to smartwatches and companies are inactive figuring retired the champion ways to marque that information useful. Plus, Google sees that arsenic a differentiating origin betwixt the Fitbit Sense 2 and Pixel Watch.

Pixel Watch's artillery beingness and different details

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The Pixel Watch should past for 24 hours connected a azygous complaint and runs connected an Exynos 9110 processor on with a coprocessor, says Google. That should enactment its artillery beingness astatine astir the aforesaid magnitude arsenic the Apple Watch's, though we'll cognize much erstwhile we really get to trial the watch. The Fitbit Sense 2, connected the different hand, is rated to past for astir six days, according to Fitbit. Pixel Watch buyers volition besides get 3 escaped months of YouTube Music Premium, and there's a built-in talker and microphone for things similar taking calls and utilizing the Google Assistant. 

It's a spot astonishing that Google didn't make its ain Tensor processor for the Pixel Watch considering it's specified a large portion of the telephone experience. Google says the Pixel Watch's system-on-a-chip and coprocessor grip antithetic tasks to maximize powerfulness and performance. The coprocessor, for example, handles things similar measurement counting, GPS and inheritance bosom rate, portion the main processor drives Wear OS and LTE functionality. 

Pixel Watch aboriginal thoughts

When it comes to smartwatches, Android instrumentality owners person had to woody with a fragmented ecosystem of products from Samsung, Fitbit, Garmin, Michael Kors and others. Most of those watches specialize successful either fittingness oregon manner with small overlap. The Pixel Watch could beryllium the archetypal Android-focused smartwatch to alteration that, but the question is whether that unsocial volition beryllium capable to marque it a success.