I am still find out my style with the Pixel Watch . Until now , I ’ve been reliably wear aSamsung Galaxy Watch 4on my odd wrist joint to track my footmark and , most importantly , my stress levels . Before Samsung adopted Android ’s Wear OS , I was on a first - gen Galaxy Watch Active , which used Tizen but mix with Samsung ’s table service . The Pixel Watch will convert this function for me . After so many years of amass data within Samsung Health , I ’m hesitating to go back to the Fitbit ecosystem and commence all over with my logs .
The initial impressions the internet has of the Pixel Watch seem … middling . There are concern the assault and battery spirit is n’t as long - endure as hop , and its GPS capableness do n’t seem as on the mark as its competition ’s . The Fitbit — excuse me — the Google Pixel Watch is a good smartwatch , but after a few days with it , it ’s not inspiring me to ditch last yr ’s Galaxy Watch 4 .
I still have to put the Pixel Watch through its full stride for our recapitulation . But I wanted to get some of my first impressions of Google ’s first - party smartwatch on paper first .
The Pixel Watch, on a wrist.Photo: Florence Ion / Gizmodo
The watch design is the best part
When unboxing my Pixel Watch review article unit , I first thought to myself : “ I hope I like this . ” As much as I ’m a devotee of my Galaxy Watch 4 , it was n’t my first pick for design . I ’ve acquiesce mostly because it ’s been the only Android - based smartwatch worth grease one’s palms so far .
The Pixel Watch looks like a pebble — specifically , it reminds me of the Samsung Pebble , an mp3 player you probably do n’t remember . Whereas the Galaxy Watch 4/5 has this aluminum bumper on either side of the machine , the Pixel Watch keeps it simple with the domed display . The 1.2 - inch OLED CRT screen abide out smart in a dour room or outside in the sunlight .
I do like the crown on the Pixel Watch . It ’s as smooth as the Apple Watch Series 8 ’s , which I ’ve been wear every few daytime for the last month to familiarize myself with it , and it feel just as reactive . I ’m confused about what press it does , however — I translate it goes back , but I ’m used to the two - push mechanism on the Galaxy Watch 4/5 . There is also a button beside the dial that brings up the Recent apps covert . The same characteristic live on the Galaxy Watch but is launched through a crosscut in the app draftsman .
The Pixel Watch looks like a 3D-domed pebble.Photo: Florence Ion / Gizmodo
The stock watch shoulder strap on the Pixel Watch is the Active ring , and my review unit is in the color charcoal , a palatable gray . It feels like intimate material compare to the Apple Watch ’s stock Sport band ( Also , seriously ? What ’s with these names ? ) . They ’re both so nice and placid .
But I ’m annoying , and I like to go on Amazon ( it ’s an light position to find third - company accoutrement ) and buy the silly third - party watchband I can . On my Galaxy Watch 4 , I ’m sporting thisridiculous plastic racing shell . However , before I rule this one , I ’d amass several watchbands to fit on my Galaxy watches . And because the watch shoulder strap mechanism had n’t deepen between generation , I could practice them even after upgrading the Galaxy Watch .
I do n’t have that selection with the Pixel Watch , because it expend a proprietary strap mechanism . Rather than requiring you to pinch to remove screws on either side of the band , like on the Galaxy Watch and other Android smartwatches , there ’s a release button you press and then skid the band over ( kind of but not exactly like the Apple Watch ) . It ’s not super visceral , but it is easier than pinch and align the tiny screws . But I ’m not too knifelike on have to start collecting watchbands to check my outfits from scrawl . The Pixel Watch does have several other bracelet choices through Google , but they ’re $ 50 and up . Ouch .
The stock Active straps on the Pixel Watch are comfortable, but they use a proprietary connection mechanism.Photo: Florence Ion / Gizmodo
Health-tracking through Fitbit
Full revealing that part of why I postulate more time with the Pixel Watch before write a brushup is because I ’m desperately try on to refamiliarize myself with Fitbit . The app looks different than when I last used it , back in 2017 . As I observe , I ’ve been using Samsung Health , plus a third - political party app , to synchronize my stats with Google Fit and Strava . I have the most disjointed seaworthiness tracking site , but it works for me and insure I have logarithm backed up in multiple place . I love logs .
The Pixel Watch is undercoat with sensors . It has all the following : a gyroscope , altimeter , compass , ECG sensor , continuous heart pace monitoring , and an Sp02 sensor for blood oxygen monitoring . What ’s missing from this inclination ? A consistency temperature sensor . I ’m still ascertain the ability of the build - in temperature sensor on the Apple Watch Series 8 and waitress impatiently for Samsung to enable it in the Galaxy Watch 5 . But it seems glaring to expect for a $ 350 al-Qaida for the Pixel Watch and not have that detector bundled in when the competition already has it .
I did manage to take one of my usual afternoon post - work romp around the neighborhood . The Pixel Watch ’s step count and gasoline mileage counter were a little behind the Galaxy Watch 4 ’s , even though I ’d start up the walk cut through in the same spot on both watches . I need a little more prison term to try tracking a few routes around the neighborhood and liken the termination to the same trailing in Strava .
I’m not thrilled about having to use Fitbit over Samsung Health for a couple of days.Photo: Florence Ion / Gizmodo
The remote camera trick is neat
Let ’s get this out of the means : the Pixel Watch has a build - in camera remote control . I think it ’s cracking , and it help out if you ’re positioning the sound far away to attempt to take a full - body selfie or a group shot . It also doubles as a security arrest - in if you ’ve give your phone in another way of the house or office — not that I ’m endorsing you use it for this ground , but I know you were thinking it .
Finally, smart home controls on the wrist
The other thing I ’m enjoying perhaps too much is the ability to adjust the ignitor from my wrist . I never set up Samsung SmartThings to work in my voguish rest home , because I ’m already pretty square in the Google Assistant / Google Home app ecosystem , so I do n’t have the power immediately available on the Samsung scout . My house has smart speaker unit and other ways to relay the instruction . But there ’s nothing like tapping in from your wrist to get the mode lighting snuff it .
I go for that the difference in smart home control across Android ’s smartwatches is n’t a mystical exertion in fragmentation . It ’s befuddling why these smart home controls are currently only useable on the Pixel Watch . And while I can apprize that Samsung and Google are curating their own gimmick ecosystems , Android user are here because they hate this exclusivity .
There ’s still so much I need to test on the Pixel Watch . aright now , I ’m running down the battery . We ’re at about 58 % after I left the watch off the battery charger last night — it was at 80 % when I went to bed around 9 p.m. , but I also did n’t apply it for eternal rest tracking . Stay tune for our full Pixel Watch review , follow soon . And let us know if there ’s anything you ’re particularly interested in us checking out .
The camera shortcut trick is neat, okay? It’s hard to get this capability on the Samsung watch without a third-party app.Photo: Florence Ion / Gizmodo
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It’s very satisfying to turn off the lights with one tap from your wrist.Gif: Florence Ion / Gizmodo
