Google Pixel Watch: initial impressions

On Oct 6, 2022

Google Pixel Watch Intro

Well, it’s here folks! Technically, not yet, but we do have all the data on the new Google Pixel Watch. Scratch that — the first Pixel Watch ever! Google has just announced the wearable alongside its new Pixel 7 phones.

So, what’s it all about? The Pixel phones try to be the iPhones of Android, will the Pixel Watch be able to become the Apple Watch of Android? Tough task, especially considering how popular Samsung’s Galaxy Watches are.

Well, let’s break it down bit by bit. See what the Pixel Watch has to offer and develop some sort of… initial understanding of what the Google Pixel Watch is going to be good for.

What’s special about the Pixel Watch?

Round pebble design, looks minimalistic and stylish
WearOS developed in partnership with Samsung (has Tizen DNA)
Should work seamlessly with Pixel phones

Table of Contents:

Google Pixel Watch – what’s in the box?

Typically, we are critical of today’s smartphones that launch without a wallcharger in the box. However, it has been customary for smartwatches to not have one forever now. The Pixel Watch will come with the watch, band, and USB C charging puck in the box. Everything you need to get started.

Google Pixel Watch Specs

The rumor mill was pretty generous leading up to the Pixel Watch release, letting us know what the specs of the device would be well before the official announcement. The biggest mystery here is the Exynos 9110 SoC — the processor that powered the 2018 Galaxy Watch up to the 2020 Galaxy Watch 3. It was also found in the Galaxy Watch Active and Active 2 along the way.

Specs	Apple Watch Series 7
Models (Size, Weight, Prices)	41mm, in GPS + Wi-Fi or GPS + Wi-Fi + Cellular versions
Processor, RAM, Storage	Exynos 9110 with Cortex M33 co-processor
Software	Wear OS
Battery and Charging	Up to 24 hours of operation. Recharges 50% in 30 minutes.
Sensors	HR, blood oxygen, altimeter, ECG

Smartwatch operating systems are not super-demanding, so it’s not a huge deal if the device sticks with an old processor — the Apple Watch Series 8 still hums with the same chip that powers the Watch Series 6.

However, it seems that the Exynos 9110 may be nearing its limit, as Google found the need to expand it with an additional Cortex M33 co-processor. We are plenty sure that it will run smoothly right now… but we wonder how it will do a couple of years from now.

Google Pixel Watch Design, Models & Sizes

The Round Apple Watch

A very clean, pretty look, with a spherical pebble look. Yes, you will see a lot of comparisons to the Apple Watch — that exposed, curved glass on top is not something you see on many watches or even smart watches. It’s a delicate build that looks lovely, minimalistic, and clean, but definitely puts your screen glass in harms way more often than it should. In any case, that top is covered by Gorilla Glass 5 for enhanced shatter and scratch resistance.

A very nice-looking crown button is placed on one side, obviously to enhance navigation across the Watch OS UI.

Interestingly enough, the Google Pixel Watch does not come in multiple sizes. There’s only one — the 41 mm model. That’s a bold choice — we guess Google finds it to be universal enough to fit multiple wrists. Though, it will decidedly look more like a fitness tracker when strapped over large wrists.

That said, at least we will have a choice of a few different color options — the Watch itself can be had in black, silver, or gold. But, at launch, Google is also dropping a wide variety of cool-looking bands to pick from! A total of 7 design options, each with multiple finishes

Google Pixel Watch Software & Features

Making sure we stick the landing

We absolutely did not expect Google to try and introduce anything new or crazy with its first smartwatch. Just being able to hit the ground running and offer all the features that its competitor have would be an impressive enough feat for the Pixel Watch 1.0.

And lo and behold — Google did not disappoint. The Pixel Watch has a heart rate sensor, ECG, blood oxygen tracker, detailed sleep tracking, and step-by-step navigation. Of course, the Google Assistant is on board of course, ready to take voice prompts for messages, calls, or any queries about weather or workouts.

Speaking of workouts, the Pixel Watch is fully integrated with the Fitbit suite for workout tracking, including the rich dataset of Fitbit Premium. If you buy a Pixel Watch now — you get the Premium subscription for free over the next 6 months, so that’s a cool way to test it out.

The heart rate tracking also deserves a mention, because it’s pretty impressive — it can track heart beast once per second. Google utilized some heavy machine learning and AI chops here to isolate noise and false readings, and Fitbit brought in their tracker expertise. As a result, we have the industry’s first smartwatch that can track heartrate in the background once per second, for super-dense readings.

Then, it also has the necessities like Emergency SOS as well as crash detection, here’s hoping you never have to test this one out. And Fall detection will be coming some time in early 2023.

By all means, the Pixel Watch looks like a competent, competitive smartwatch, and its unique design may be enough to draw some people to the Google side. We have no info on whether it will work with iOS, but we do know that it will sync to any Android 8.0 and above phone.

Google Pixel Watch Battery and Charging

Pretty standard, but charging is hasty

Google promises 24 hours of battery life with the Pixel Watch, which is kind of OK right now. The Apple Watch is listed at lasting 18 hours on a single charge, though it does have a newly-introduced Low Power mode that can extend that.

In any case, the Pixel Watch will be quick to charge, able to get 50% back in the tank for only 30 minutes on the puck. In real life, we expect the battery life will not be an issue, as users will be able to throw the Watch on the charger while getting dressed, or while doing their morning routine. Boom, back to almost full to get you through the day.

Google Pixel Watch Processor & Storage

The Pixel Watch is powered by Samsung’s Exynos 9110 — a 2018 processor that is getting a bit long in the tooth now. The good news is that Google added a Cortex M33 co-processor, to improve productivity (we wouldn’t be surprised if it’s there to ensure smooth operation from the Google Assistant).

As for storage, the Pixel Watch comes with 32 GB of memory, which is pretty cool — it’s more than Samsung’s 16 GB, and on par with Apple’s 32 GB. Plus, the Pixel Watch comes with 2 GB of RAM. We know, those are no impressive numbers in the world of smartphones, but a smartwatch — it’s plenty generous!

Google Pixel Watch Connectivity

The Pixel Watch has a cellular version, supporting eSIM. It can connect to 4G LTE networks and yes, you can take and make calls from the Pixel Watch. So, leave that heavy Pixel 7 Pro at home when going for a jog!

Aside from cellular, we have Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, so it can also autonomously connect to networks it remembers.

Google Pixel Watch Competitors

Obviously, the biggest competitors to the Pixel Watch are the Apple Watch and the Samsung Galaxy Watch. The Pixel itself is positioned right between those — slightly more expensive than a Galaxy Watch 5, slightly cheaper than an Apple Watch Series 8 (though, there’s also a Watch SE (2022)).

But then again, it’s hard to look at the Pixel and Apple Watches as direct competitors. Because you need to either be on the Android side or the iPhone side of the fence in order to be able to use the one or the other.

So, that leaves us with the Galaxy Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch 5 Pro as the main competitors here. So, who might win? Well, we have to get our hands on a Pixel Watch first, so stay tuned. Right now, we feel like the choice may come down to personal style preferences more than any huge differences in features and performance.

Google Pixel Watch Summary

Well, that’s it for now — we got a first look at what the Pixel Watch is and what it does. We are curious, we are excited, and we can’t wait for it to arrive here at the office. Thus far, we feel like it can carve its own spot in the smartwatch market. Now it’s time to test how well it integrates with the Google ecosystem!

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