san francisco It took Google seven years to launch a counter-model to the Apple Watch. That changes with today’s market launch of the Google Pixel Watch.
The watch comes in two variants on the market: An entry-level model with WLAN support and Bluetooth costs 379 euros. An extended variant with LTE mobile communications costs 429 euros. They are available from retailers in Germany from today, Thursday.
Beforehand, I had the opportunity to try out Google’s first smartwatch for a week. I noticed the following things.
The Pixel Watch has a pleasant design. It is round with a very softly rounded surface. This makes it very similar to classic watches. For me, therefore, it felt comfortable to wear. For me personally, this design is superior to the rectangular design of Apple’s smart watches.
I also don’t understand why Apple hasn’t released a watch to this day that is based on the tried and tested, round shape of wristwatches. I would prefer the Pixel Watch to the Apple Watch on this point.
However, the round design also comes with a price: the display is relatively small. Text in particular can only be displayed within a smaller area. I noticed this especially when I read the news on the small display. However, longer texts on any smartwatch are too exhausting for me to read – regardless of whether they are round or square. On the other hand, the Amoled display with 1000 nits is so pleasantly bright that I was able to use the watch comfortably even in sunlight.
Google compulsion
Unfortunately, Google has copied Apple in one very important respect. Similar to the iPhone group, Google’s clock is tied to its own product environment. As soon as you switch it on for the first time, it requires a smartphone with the Google Android operating system in order to be able to operate it. Setup is not possible with an iPhone.
That’s a shame and also a break with the tradition of the fitness specialist Fitbit, which Google bought for $2.1 billion in 2021 and whose services have largely flowed into the watch. Fitbit trackers have traditionally worked across different devices – both Android and Apple smartphones.
With the Google Pixel Watch, that’s over. Google is still making new devices available under the Fitbit brand. However, it is quite possible that the company will focus on products under the Pixel brand in the future.
fitness options
The watch’s fitness features come from the Fitbit.
(Photo: Stephan Scheuer)
The defining feature of the Pixel Watch is said to be its connection to Fitbit’s features. “The connection between Google and Fitbit has never existed before,” the Google manager responsible, Sandeep Waraich, told me in advance at a product presentation. The purchase of every Pixel Watch also includes six months of use of Fitbit’s premium service.
Google is in the process of merging Fitbit with the rest of the group’s systems. The operating system for smart watches, Watch OS, was developed by Google in its latest form together with the Fitbit team and with Samsung. If you buy a modern smartwatch from Samsung, you get a very similar user experience as with the Pixel Watch.
In practice, however, Google and Fitbit do not yet go together smoothly. I needed a Google account to set up the watch. In order to be able to use the watch for sports, a separate Fitbit account was required. Although Google has announced that it will make Google accounts mandatory for Fitbit devices in the future, it has not got that far yet.
I had to select sports such as running, cycling or inline skating via the Fitbit app on the Pixel Watch for the tracking to start. My impression was that tracking worked reliably, especially when jogging. The fitness data collected by the Pixel Watch largely matched the tracker that I have been using while jogging so far.
battery life
The smartwatch’s battery lasts about a day.
(Photo: Stephan Scheuer)
The Pixel Watch gave me a good day of battery life. Often there was still capacity left at bedtime – but the watch would not have lasted for two days. Similar to most Apple Watch generations, the Pixel Watch must also be charged daily so that it can reliably provide its services in everyday life. The battery performance of the Pixel Watch is given as 294 mAh. For comparison: the value for the Apple Watch 8 is 308 mAh.
navigation
One feature that particularly interested me was the navigation. I ride my bike a lot. Google Maps is one of the solid map providers. And navigation is one of the services that Google particularly advertises for its Pixel Watch.
However, I did not find the watch to be a particularly great help when navigating by bike. The directions for turning are often too imprecise to know which of the two small streets I have to turn into. Although a road map can also be displayed on the watch, it can hardly be studied while driving.
voice control
Unfortunately, I didn’t really get along with the voice control on the Pixel Watch. So far, my personal experience is that Google’s speech recognition is far superior to Apple’s. While I keep encountering big misunderstandings at Apple, the voice recognition at Google is so good that I was able to have interviews transcribed in real time with the new Pixel 7 Pro smartphone without any problems.
But I failed with the Pixel Watch. An input that was easily understood with the Pixel smartphone only repeatedly led to errors on the Pixel Watch. I couldn’t figure out what it was until the end.
Pixel Watch in the test: verdict
From my point of view, the Pixel Watch is a solid device without a clear target group. The smart watch market is highly competitive. Apple sells as many devices as all other manufacturers combined. Google needs to be able to differentiate itself from the competition. But a convincing function is missing. The Google watch can do everything the competition offers.
But it is not outstanding in any aspect. And even in terms of price, Apple has a device on offer from 299 euros with the Watch SE entry-level model – i.e. cheaper than the cheapest variant of the Pixel Watch. I’m afraid Google won’t reach a mass audience this way.
More: Google launches clock and new smartphone.