Google - Pixel Watch Silver Stainless Steel Smartwatch 41mm with Chalk Active Band WIFI/BT - Silver/Chalk - GA03182-US - 840244600174

I am one of the people that have been waiting for this watch for years and, I have not been disappointed. Compared to earlier WearOS watches the UX is much more refined and the experience much faster - I don't think I have noticed any real stutters yet. All the advertised features also work well, the most impressive being the real-time heart rate monitoring. Furthermore this is the first smartwatch I have actually liked the design of and felt good wearing, the only other one that came close is the now discontinued moto360. However, being a first-generation product it does lack some polish. For instance it has a hand washing timer but it does not automatically start and sleep tracking but you have to manually put it into 'sleep mode'. I am hopeful this will be ... MoreI am one of the people that have been waiting for this watch for years and, I have not been disappointed. Compared to earlier WearOS watches the UX is much more refined and the experience much faster - I don't think I have noticed any real stutters yet. All the advertised features also work well, the most impressive being the real-time heart rate monitoring. Furthermore this is the first smartwatch I have actually liked the design of and felt good wearing, the only other one that came close is the now discontinued moto360. However, being a first-generation product it does lack some polish. For instance it has a hand washing timer but it does not automatically start and sleep tracking but you have to manually put it into 'sleep mode'. I am hopeful this will be improved upon with software updates - not getting notifications from apps on a work profile has already been fixed. The battery life is perhaps the poorest aspect of the watch, but I just put it on charge when I have a shower every day and this is enough to keep it going most of the time. The final piece of the puzzle is the Fitbit integration, and as a long-time Google Fit user, I am not sure how I feel about it. Fitbit is definitely a more complete ecosystem than Google Fit and overall I have come to really enjoy it. But, it has no integration with Google Fit, so I have essentially had to give up the last few years of data that Google holds, because my Google device is using a different (but still Google owned) fitness service? This confusion is amplified by the fact that my Google Pixel phone is integrated more with Google Fit. Here I kind of wished that they just picked one or the other, or at least made the two talk to one another.

The Google Pixel Watch is a gorgeous wearable smart device; aesthetically it is a home run. But despite being a jewel in appearance, there are some flaws in this diamond.This version is the LTE version, which can be configured with many different carriers to support its own LTE connection independent of your phone. It will also work just fine without it, just know you'll need your phone for fullest capability then.The watch is 41mm with an OLED screen. It's nice enough to be "dressy" and it's round form factor looks more watch-like than the squares of other smartwatches. The round screen does give a feeling of a "porthole" screen but I found it easier to deal with than I'd anticipated. A knock I have against it is that the default rubber watch band isn't the ... MoreThe Google Pixel Watch is a gorgeous wearable smart device; aesthetically it is a home run. But despite being a jewel in appearance, there are some flaws in this diamond.This version is the LTE version, which can be configured with many different carriers to support its own LTE connection independent of your phone. It will also work just fine without it, just know you'll need your phone for fullest capability then.The watch is 41mm with an OLED screen. It's nice enough to be "dressy" and it's round form factor looks more watch-like than the squares of other smartwatches. The round screen does give a feeling of a "porthole" screen but I found it easier to deal with than I'd anticipated. A knock I have against it is that the default rubber watch band isn't the nicest looking and it would be nice to be able to configure your desired watch band when ordering. Otherwise you end up with a band you may not like, and then have to buy one that you do.Setup wasn't too hard, but a little more complicated than a typical Google setup because of the Fitbit integration, so you have to sign into Google and Fitbit and get those apps. It seemed there was a lot of app updating to do. The Fitbit app I was familiar with from my old Fitbit Versa, while the Watch app was new. I greatly appreciated the Watch app as someone who now needs bifocals: every configuration of the watch--Tiles, watch faces, colors, configuration, etc.--can be done in the app on my phone. Much easier than on the watch screen and it all worked very well.Navigation around the phone is pretty easy. Swiping to the left/right takes through Tiles, which are customizable information screens like weather, heart rate monitoring, exercise tracker, sleep tracker, etc. Swipe down for the settings icons, which also includes the watch flashlight function. (I really liked that it included a red light option for preserving night vision!). Swiping up brings notifications. The crown on the side can be pressed to bring up apps, act as a back button, or can be rotated for navigation through notifications. It also serves as the ECG monitor, which worked fine in my testing (thankfully no Afib detected!). Above it lies a small button that if pushed brings up recently used items, while long pressing it brings up the Google Assistant, which also can be voice-activated. Google Wallet is supported so you can use it as a payment method, but it might be awkward to get your wrist placed on some terminals. (Just remember to enter your passcode first to keep the phone unlocked for this. The watch will remain in that unlocked state so long as you're wearing it.)Battery life is a little disappointing. This isn't a device that you're going to get multiple days of use out of on a single charge. I've gone more than a day without charging, but heavy users may well need to charge daily, which undermines its sleep tracking function. The included charging cable is a unique one for this device, with a Type-C connector on one end and a magnetic, rounded end that attaches to the bottom of the watch for charging.The Fitbit integration makes it feel familiar if you've used one previously--picking up from my previous FB settings it sets my step goal and reminds me to get up and move through my set active hours. The full set of exercise integration apps are still there as well.Overall, it's a good effort from Google to reestablish itself in the Android wearables market. I think the value proposition could stand to be improved, in particular with the bands. Despite using a relatively older Samsung SoC, it feels fluid and fast, but I wonder if a newer SoC might give better battery life. The aesthetics are impeccable, although with just the one size, those with beefy wrists may find the 41mm size diminutive on their arm, and the included rubber band is blah. But for most Android users, I think they'd overall be very happy to wear one. Recommended for Android users (Tested on a Samsung S20+ on Android 12/One UI 4.1).

The Google Pixel Watch is Google’s first leap into smart watches, and many Pixel/Android users have been waiting for years for this watch. I was excited to get it, as upon opening the box, the watch is pretty attractive, being a glossy black AMOLED display, round and dome shaped on the edges, and less “stand-outish” visually than some others out there. It’s available as a Bluetooth only model that connects to your phone wirelessly, or for a little more, a LTE version that works standalone but has an additional monthly charge via your mobile service.In the box, you get of course the watch, a standard and small watch strap, and a proprietary disk-shaped charger that charges the watch on the back via magnetic connection it’s a USB-C connection to a power plug if you ... MoreThe Google Pixel Watch is Google’s first leap into smart watches, and many Pixel/Android users have been waiting for years for this watch. I was excited to get it, as upon opening the box, the watch is pretty attractive, being a glossy black AMOLED display, round and dome shaped on the edges, and less “stand-outish” visually than some others out there. It’s available as a Bluetooth only model that connects to your phone wirelessly, or for a little more, a LTE version that works standalone but has an additional monthly charge via your mobile service.In the box, you get of course the watch, a standard and small watch strap, and a proprietary disk-shaped charger that charges the watch on the back via magnetic connection it’s a USB-C connection to a power plug if you have one. The watch itself has a crown you can use to scroll with, and a button used to go to apps you’ve had open, while a longer press on the crown opens Google assistant, where just like with an Android phone, you can make inquiries, commands, text, etc. Overall a similar-to-others layout that works to do what you need it to. One thing though… it’s small. At 41mm in size, it’s small compared to similar smart watches in that unlike others, Google does not offer a larger size – 41mm is it. Not bad on a child, many women, or some smaller men’s wrists, but if you have a large wrist, it does look a bit awkwardly small. A larger bezel around the watch screen also reduces the actual usable size of the screen itself, making it technically smaller than 41mm, and as such, REALLY small. The wrist band doesn’t fit wrists much larger than around 8 or so inches, and larger bands are not yet sold by Google or third party vendors, so there’s going to be a wait for comfort if you have a larger wrist. They are VERY tricky to slide on the watch, so patience is a virtue. It’s like a “slide and lift” action.In terms of the operating system, there’s a ton of workout activities you can keep track of and they look similar to Fitbit devices (Google now owns Fitbit) in the menu. You can pretty much keep track of anything fitness related and they work pretty accurately as far as watches go; of note though, the most advanced tracking options are part of a “Fitbit Premium” service that you get free only for six months with the watch – after that, you have to pay around $10 per month to keep using those (boo). The GPS seems accurate and stayed connected to my Pixel 5a via Bluetooth consistently. The heart rate monitor works well, though it seems to stay on ALL of the time (draining the battery a bit quicker). You can also take an ECG to possibly detect heart fibrillation issues. Sleep tracking is available to monitor your sleep quality, but it’s part of that premium package mentioned earlier. Google services like Assistant, Maps, Pay, Calendar, and Music are of course also in the OS. Scrolling or sliding your finger on the screen takes you through all of the apps, and is pretty standard and easy to do. The companion Pixel Watch phone app also allows you to more easily control the watch’s settings, watch faces, and options as well. A separate Fitbit app helps keep track of the fitness aspects, but unfortunately, you have to download yet another app to get the heart ECG readings. I was able to get and send texts with no issue using the watch, and receive calls though the 5a phone, though the volume wasn’t anything stellar even at max. Still usable, though.Battery life is so-so. If you don’t use the Always on display (AOD), fitness, sleep, or GPS features a lot you can make it through a full day, but when used reasonably heavy, the small watch body’s small battery just gives up and needs to be topped off.The Pixel Watch doesn't fail as a smart watch – what it does, it does pretty well, but to me (opinion), it definitely feels like a first generation device. If you are going to offer only one size, I think it should be around 43mm or so, not as small as this one. A smaller bezel is in order, better battery life, and a selection of larger wristbands out of the gate. Also, having so many separate apps is confusing and convoluted – it would be best if they consolidated all functions of the watch into one, centralized, app. It’s not a “bad” smart watch, and my 3 star rating isn’t meant to be bad. It’s good overall, but there’s enough irritants in this first version to not merit a higher rating (to me). I think Google will learn from this, and future generations will (or should) address these though. Plenty of people will still find use for this, especially if you own a Pixel phone – just be sure you know what you are and are not getting. Still recommended (but with reservations).