Google Introduced the second generation of the Pixel Watch in October 2023. The Pixel Watch was an attention-grabbing tech gadget because it has some upgraded features. It also has some downgrades and some failures. In this article, we will review the Google Pixel Watch 2 in depth.
Design
Google Pixel Watch 2 has the same design as the first Pixel Watch. The 41mm case is made of recycled aluminium while the first Pixel watch was made of stainless steel. It is 12.3mm thick and weighs 58 grams (with the watch band). Pixel Watch 2 is more comfortable to wear than the first Pixel Watch Because of this lightweight design. It is very important to wear the watch overnight to track sleep and wear it in the gym. You’ll have no worries about this if you are using a Google Pixel Watch 2. It is a comfortable and lightweight watch with a stunning and premium design.
Pixel Watch 2 has a circular case while most smart watches have square-shaped cases. This circular design still maintains the premium vibe of this design and it is easy to wear the watch all day with this design. Pixel Watch 2 has an IP68 water and dust resistance rating.
Display
The 1.2-inch display with a 320 ppi pixel density is good for everyday use. But it is much smaller than its competitors’ displays. Pixel Watch 2’s display can reach up to 1000 nits high brightness. This is very useful when you are using the watch for outdoor activities. The screen’s brightness level is good but the size of the screen is too small to capture things easily.
Performance
Google Pixel Watch 2 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 processor. Performance is good when this powerful processor is blended with the 2GB of RAM. It is smoother and faster than the first Pixel Watch.
There is a separate button to show recent apps. Pixel watch 2 has a more accurate heart rate sensor. It can also track skin temperature, stress and blood oxygen levels. Pixel Watch 2 can take ECG readings and send notifications if it detects irregular heart rhythms. There are some other sensors to track your health such as a gyroscope, accelerometer, magnetometer, barometer, altimeter and compass.
Software
Wear OS 4
Google Pixel Watch 2 runs on Google’s Wear OS 4. It is similar to Wear OS 3.5 but there are some improvements there. It is still easy to use with gestures and swipes. Sideway swipes show you the steps, weather, heart rate and calendar while the upward swipe shows you the notifications. You can access the settings by swiping down the screen. The powerful Snapdragon W5 processor works better with the Wear OS 4 but the small screen may disturb you to do things quickly.
Google Assistant is available in the Pixel Watch 2. You can access it by long pressing the side button or activating it with a voice command. But sometimes Google Assistant is not working properly on this watch. This is a downfact of this watch because Siri is working very well in Apple Watches. There are some new apps available to use in Wear OS and they look excellent because of the circular watch face. Using voice typing is a better way to type your messages than typing them from the virtual keyboard because of the small display.
Health By Fitbit
Fitbit is the fitness platform of the Pixel Watch 2. You want to download the Fitbit app to your phone and sync it with your Pixel Watch 2. There is a free version of the app that includes some health features. But if you want to get more fitness and health data, you must buy the premium version of the app. It costs US $10/month and the Pixel Watch 2 comes with six months of free premium access. This is another downside of this watch. Samsung and other competitive smartwatches give you all this health data for free while this Pixel Watch 2 adds more costs to the customer to get the same data by a third-party app.
Fitbit can track your sleep, workouts, heart rate, steps and other metrics. The Fitbit app is much easier to understand because of its simple UI. With the Fitbit premium membership, you can access the coaching programs and Fitbit’s Safety emergency features.
Fitbit has a new feature called stress management. It provides a daily stress score by tracking changes in your body. Now you can set your own heart rate zone. The Fitbit app will alert you when you reach that zone. This is a very useful feature for anyone who seriously cares about their health. If you have a premium subscription, you can see more sleep-tracking data than other health apps. Some of them are deep sleep stages and restorative time.
Battery and Charging
Google Pixel Watch 2 has a 306mAh battery that can last for 24 hours with the always-on display. This is a decent battery life and you don’t need to worry much about it because you can charge the Watch to 100% in just 75 minutes. Pixel Watch 2 comes with a redesigned charging puck that uses four quit sharps to connect to the watch. It uses a USB-C connection to get power. But this charger looks like a cheap charging deck while Apple and Samsung give a premium charging deck with their watches.
Price
Pixel Watch 2 has two versions. The Wi-Fi only model costs $349 and the LTE model costs $399. You can select a color from four different color combinations but you can’t customise your style like Apple Watches. There are three band options that you can choose. Pixel watch 2 only comes in a 41mm case size. You don’t have two options to choose from like Samsung Watches or Apple Watches.
By looking at these details, you can see that there are limited availability options for Pixel watch 2. If you want to customise your watch in more ways, this is not the choice for you.
Conclusion
Google Pixel Watch 2 is a premium smartwatch that can be your daily health and fitness partner. Fitbit health features give you more power to track and analyse your health data. But the extra cost of the premium subscription is a downside of this watch. Because you can get the same data from an alternative free app like Samsung Health. By the way, The battery life and display quality is decent but the screen size is too small for easy use. Overall, Pixel Watch 2 is far better than the first Pixel Watch but there are so many areas to upgrade.
