The time has finally come. Google has finally made its own smartwatch, aptly named the Pixel Watch. Android Wear/Wear OS has been around for years, but the platform could only be found on watches from other brands — until now, that is.
That hasn’t necessarily been a bad thing, as there have been some really great wearables in the past. But today is all about the Pixel Watch and Google’s vision of what a smartwatch should be. I was able to spend some time with the watch at the 2022 Made by Google Pixel event and wanted to give you some initial impressions of the device ahead of our review.
Google Pixel Watch: Price and Availability
Google’s first crack at making its own smartwatch comes in at a steep starting price of $349.99 for the Bluetooth/Wi-Fi model and $399.99 to gain 4G LTE. The price will also adjust based on band choices. Pre-orders are open today through Google and many other retailers like Best Buy, Walmart, Amazon, and more. We are keeping up with the best deals on the Pixel Watch for you, so you don’t have to.
The Pixel Watch is available in a 41mm stainless steel case offering three finishes — Matte Black, Polished Silver, and Champagne Gold. When purchasing the watch, the only option is the fluoroelastomer (rubber) Active Band in Obsidian, Chalk, Charcoal, and Hazel. But you can purchase other band styles and materials like woven, stretch, leather, and later two metal bands as add-ons.
Google Pixel Watch: Design and Build
Google has chosen to go with a classic round case instead of the now classic rectangular shape of the Apple Watch. I mention this because the Pixel Watch looks even more like a round Apple Watch in person, and I don’t think that’s a bad thing at all. The 41mm stainless steel case and scratch-resistant 3D Gorilla Glass melt together and look great in all three colors, though I personally prefer the Matte Black option.
The 3D Gorilla Glass protects a 320 ppi AMOLED display capable of reaching 1000 nits brightness with an ambient light sensor for automatic brightness adjustments. This should do well in making the screen usable when in bright lights, but we’ll have to wait until we get some more time with it to see how it holds up in direct sunlight. Seeing your smartwatch’s screen is vital to reading and interacting with it, whether by touch or using the haptic crown. There is also a side button sitting flush with the watch case used for accessing Google Assistant and recent apps.
When I was told that Google was using stainless steel for the casing, I was concerned that it would be really heavy, but the 36g is quite comfortable on my wrist. As for the single 41mm case, I have large wrists and enjoy watches like the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro and the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra, but I think the size is a good middle ground that should look good on many different-sized wrists.
At launch, Pixel Watch, you can’t pick your band style that comes in the box aside from its color when you purchase the watch. That band is the rubbery active band with two sizes for wrists 130-175 mm round or large for 165-210 mm around. They connect much like the Apple Watch has done since it launched. As for how these bands feel, they have a pleasantly soft feel and are overall quite nice. They don’t feel so thin that they’ll break easily or too thick and stiff.
The other band options are also quite lovely. I like the woven bands and how Google incorporated colors from the rest of the Pixel lineup into them, which the stretch band also does. I particularly love the Lemongrass band. The leather bands feel high-quality and like they will wear nicely over time. While Google did have the metal bands at the hands-on event and felt well-made, they won’t be available at launch. No official date was given when they would be up for sale.
The Pixel Watch sports a 294mAh battery that Google states will get you up to 24 hours of use per charge. When it comes to recharging the Pixel Watch, that is done via the USB-C magnetic charging cable. Google says that the watch can recharge from 0 – 50% in about 30 minutes and another 50 minutes to get the watch to 100%.
While the charging is quick, it is relative to the battery size. At 294mAh, it is 10mah larger than the 40mm Galaxy Watch 5 but smaller than all other Watch 5 models. It’s also smaller than the cell inside the new Apple Watch 8. Considering the Pixel Watch is only rated to get up to 24 hours, and Google has priced the watch at $329 is a bit disappointing considering many competitors can get at least 36 hours. Again, we’ll thoroughly test the Pixel Watch to give you real-world numbers.
| Google Pixel Watch | |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 41mm diameter, 12.3mm high |
| Weight | 36g without a band |
| Colors | Matte Black, Polished Silver, Champagne Gold |
| Materials | 80% recycled stainless steel case, Fluoroelastomer Active band |
| Display | 320ppi AMOLED, 1000 nits maximum brightness Custom 3D Corning Gorilla Glass 5, |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi b/g/n 2.4GHz, NFC, and optional 4G LTE |
| GPS | GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo |
| Battery | 294mAh, up to 24 hours of use |
| Processor | Exynos 9110, Cortex M33 co-processor |
| Software | Wear OS 3.5 |
| Storage | 32GB, 2GB SDRAM |
| Sensors | Compass, Altimeter, Blood Oxygen, Multipurpose electrical, Optical heart rate, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Ambient light |
| Interactivity | Touch, Side button, Haptic crown, Haptics |
| Speaker and Microphone | ✔ |
| Water resistance | 5 ATM |
The Pixel Watch is launching with Wear OS 3.5 with an Exynos 9110 SoC running the show. We’ll be putting this processor from 2018 to the test. That was last seen in the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3, an excellent watch for its time. The Pixel Watch comes with 2GB RAM and 32GB storage.
Google says the watch has “premium haptics,” and when I used the watch, the vibrations did feel purposeful. I asked one of the Googlers on hand about the haptics and was told that you’ll get different haptic feedback depending on what is happening on the watch. For example, when scrolling through a menu with the haptic crown, it is a short tap but something more noticeable for an incoming message.
As for sensors in the wearable, you’re getting a compass, altimeter, blood oxygen sensor, heart rate, and a multipurpose electrical sensor for tracking your health and fitness endeavors. So no temperature monitoring like on the Apple Watch Series 8 or the Galaxy Watch 5 series. Though Samsung’s feature isn’t yet active, the hardware is there and ready for use. The Pixel Watch has a 5ATM water resistance rating, so it’ll handle most encounters with moisture.
Google Pixel Watch: Software impressions
Google hasn’t always gone for the most powerful hardware in its devices. Instead of relying on software magic to stand out in a crowd. So, is the Pixel Watch following the same path? Of course.
The watch will have tight integration with your Google account and interact seamlessly with your other Pixel devices. But the smartwatch will work with any Android device running software version 8.0 and up. Sorry, no Pixel Watch love for the Apple fans. It’s unclear if there will be any special features or integration specifically with Pixel phones as Galaxy Watches do with Samsung smartphones.
As for Wear OS 3.5 and how well it does or doesn’t work? Well, for that, you’ll just have to wait for our full review when we have more time to spend with it. According to Google, “The new Wear OS experience is designed to feel fluid and easy to navigate, bringing you the information you need with a tap, swipe, or voice command. With a refreshed UI and rich notifications, see even more at a glance so that you can stay present at home, at work, or on the go.”
The Fitbit integration is unique in terms of software and the Pixel Watch. This was something that we have been waiting on for Wear OS ever since Google purchased the health and fitness wearable brand in January 2021.
Fitbit’s data chops will be in full effect on the Pixel Watch without mentioning if or how Google’s own Fit platform is involved. But as for Fitbit, your heart rate, blood oxygen, activity, sleep info, and more all filter into it, and the service will provide insight into your health. You’ll have 40 workouts to choose from for the watch to track, and Fitbit will provide you with a Daily Readiness score to help you get the most from your day.
The fitness and health info is continuously tracked, and Fitbit will use it to provide stats and progress so you can compare it against previous data to reach your fitness goals. The Pixel Watch will also let you record an ECG to monitor your heart health, and Fitbit will analyze the data to help detect atrial fibrillation.
According to Google, “Experts across Fitbit and Google Research and Machine Intelligence worked together to develop an innovative machine learning–based approach to heart rate tracking which informs key metrics from calories and Active Zone Minutes to Daily Readiness and sleep.”
Fitbit Premium is available if you want more health and fitness tracking and information from your Pixel Watch. But Google is throwing in a 6-moth trial of the service for free with the purchase of a Pixel Watch. If you’re unfamiliar with Fitbit Premium, check out our breakdown of the service. Still, in short, you’ll get deeper insights into the health data monitored by the watch with things like a Wellness Report, more detailed sleep-tracking info, and more. It also provides access to more workouts, more than 800 options, and over 200 mindfulness sessions.
There is still a lot to learn about Google’s first foray into smartwatches. But my first impressions lean positive. Of course, I’m not happy about the battery life only being rated at 24 hours, and we’ll have to see what the display looks like when using any watch face that isn’t black and how those bezels really look.
From a hardware and feature perspective, the Pixel Watch is pretty great. I love the overall look of it, and the Google-y software magic could really be a major differentiator from other wearables. Keep tuned to Android Central, as we will have lots of coverage for tips on using the watch, along with our review coming down the line.
