Google Pixel Watch

Google Pixel Watch – Review

After making a smartwatch operating system for nearly a decade, Google finally decided to come up with its own smartwatch that it launched last year. It appears that the Pixel Watch was definitely worth waiting for, as the company seems to have done a good job of creating a true rival of the Apple Watch.

Design and Build

One of the most attractive aspects of the Pixel Watch is its design. It is quite beautiful, as the body is made from 80% recycled stainless steel and 3D Gorilla Glass 5 covers the front. In terms of colors, you can choose from Champagne Gold, Matte Black and Polished Silver. The smooth and rounded pebble-like design gives the watch a premium touch and the entire aesthetic is definitely stunning.

The box comes with two band sizes to ensure you can get the right fit. You can also buy additional straps from Google. At 12.3mm, you might think of the watch as thick, but it feels good on your wrist because it weighs just 36g. There is a speaker, digital crown, button and mic around the sides of the body.

Screen and Audio

Since the Pixel Watch is compact, it does mean that the display is small. While the size has not been mentioned, it is around 1.2-inch and the AMOLED screen comes with decent brightness and pixel density, making it colorful and crisp. The settings offer you three level of brightness to choose from and you can also find Cinema and Bedtime modes that can be used for certain situations.

As stated earlier, there is a speaker and microphone on one side of the watch. The mic is able to pick up your voice easily for dictation and commands, but the quality of the speaker is limited due to the size of the Pixel Watch. While you can use it for phone calls, you will not be able to use it properly if there is too much noise.

Software and Features

It is understood that the Pixel Watch runs the Wear OS, but it gives you the pure Android experience that you are unlikely to find elsewhere. You can use the main watch face for swiping up and down to check notifications and settings, respectively. The digital crown can be used for scrolling and is very satisfying and smooth with great haptic feedback. You can also do plenty of customization in terms of the widgets you can see on the screen. The watch lets you choose from eight faces and edit different elements.

It is also possible to reply to messages through the on-screen keyboard or via dictation. The entire interface is intuitive and neat and is integrated with Google services. You can also access the Google Assistant and there is also Google Maps available, along with a Google Wallet.

Since Google acquired Fitbit, the Pixel Watch has also become a premium Fitbit device, which means it is also handy for fitness and tracking.