Google Pixel Watch 2 Review: A Better Smartwatch, But Not The Best
Google Pixel Watch 2 is a better smartwatch than the first generation Pixel Watch.
Pixel Watch 2 is simple; Wear OS 4 is more responsive; Battery life is approximately 24 hours without recharging, always on view ; The new multi-channel heart rate sensor has become more accurate.
If you are using an Android phone, the purchasing process seems simple, right? Google Pixel owners finally have a working Apple Watch, right?
This is wrong.
As you can see, despite Google's many improvements, my experience with the Pixel Watch 2 over the past few weeks hasn't been smooth. I encounter so many random errors and crashes every day that I can't help but think Google missed the forest for the trees.
Small and convenient
To be honest, I didn't really like the look of the Pixel Watch 2, but after a few days I started to like it. Sophisticated, simple and well coordinated from top to bottom. What I don't like is the small 1.2-inch AMOLED display: it's small and the bezel around it is too thick. There doesn't seem to be enough space to display buttons and information.
Although Google has included a slightly larger screen and darker bezels; The 1.7-inch display on the Apple Watch Series 9 and the 1.9-inch display on the Apple Watch Ultra are wider by comparison. I also had a hard time seeing the screen due to glare - damn, this thing picks up a lot, especially outdoors.
I asked Google why they didn't release a second, larger Pixel Watch 2 with a larger screen. Apple and Samsung offer smartwatches in different sizes. I'm told they'll be focusing on fixing the Pixel Watch's shortcomings. This is important, but nearly a decade of the Apple Watch and Samsung Galaxy Watch have shown that people have different wrist sizes; "One size fits all" smartwatches leave money on the table and customers with larger wrists will look the other way.
Design aside, the Pixel Watch 2 is a very comfortable smartwatch and, in my opinion, better to wear while sleeping than the Apple Watch. Perhaps it's the rounded design or the lightness (31 grams versus 42.3 grams for the 41mm Apple Watch and 51.5 grams for the 44mm Apple Watch), but I never felt like it bothered me when I picked it up. hands Zs.
As we said in our Pixel Watch review, I still find the band connection to be tricky. Personally, I don't like having two loops on an active fluoroelastomer strap (the tie digs into the wrist and takes too long to secure), but for me it's a little picky.
My disappointing experience
It's one thing to read about the changes and see how the changes measure up. When everything works as advertised, the Pixel Watch 2 is simply amazing. Focus on the timing because half the time he seems to have a mind of his own.
Although the Pixel Watch 2 was securely attached to my wrist, I missed many notifications due to poor touch. Touching, which, in my opinion, is unpleasant; It sounds like a lifeless melodic vibration. Apple has mastered the touch aspect of the Apple Watch perfectly: it's a smooth, organic, motorized buzz that you don't want to vibrate on your wrist.
One of the new features of the Apple Watch and Galaxy Watch 5 is fitness tracking. When the Pixel Watch 2 detects one of seven different types of exercise, it sends a notification. I like to go after work. On my Apple Watch, after a while I still see the automatic workout notification. On the Pixel Watch 2, the haptic vibration on the strongest setting was so mild that I always missed automatic workout notifications.
By the time I saw notifications on a walk or at home, it was already too late: the Pixel Watch 2 didn't register most of them. I entered my steps, but there was no other data such as miles walked or calories burned.
Another place you'll notice poor contact is the Fitbit Relax app, the breathing app on the Apple Watch. Here you can breathe in and out for a while, and you can also write down your sensations. Honestly, the vibrations are so robotic that I feel like I'm stressing out more than I'm enjoying using them.
or arbitrary arrest. Sometimes our Pixel Watch 2 review section randomly disappears. Why? I have no idea. As far as I know, this has nothing to do with a dead battery. Sometimes I look at my watch and see a black screen. I have to press the side button and crown to turn it back on. Last weekend, I manually deep cleaned the bathroom with a sponge and foam and asked Google Assistant to set a five-minute timer. Not only did it not work, but when I went to check the error, it was on the "Getting Started..." splash screen. I started yelling to Alexa on my Echo Dot.
When it comes to Google Assistant, you have a 50% chance of hearing the voice command “Hey Google.” Yes, this feature is enabled and configured correctly on your compatible Pixel 8 phone. But for some inexplicable reason, it activates whenever it wants. It's worse on a noisy road. There's essentially nothing wrong with saying "Hey Google" directly to your Pixel Watch 2 wrist in a regular voice, but Nest Hub Assistant works at a distance of 20 feet most of the time.
If the shutdowns are not random, the Pixel Watch 2 constantly freezes. I usually wear the Pixel Watch 2 with the sixth active band slot. This slot may be a little tight, but it allows me to connect the smartwatch's new multi-track heart rate sensor to my wrist. Sometimes the sixth hole feels too tight, so I loosen it until I get to the seventh hole, which is not restrictive but still fits. But again, for some reason, a problem arose. When the Pixel Watch 2 isn't in direct contact with your wrist, it thinks you've taken it off and appears frozen for safety. Several times I fell asleep thinking there was nothing wrong with the Pixel Watch 2, then woke up to a PIN screen and no sleep tracking data being collected. I've never had this problem with my Apple Watch or Galaxy Watch.
While showering (yes, I wear my smartwatch in the shower), the Pixel Watch 2's screen is unusable. Any drops of water will make the shot impossible. Apple Watch Series 4 does not have this problem. I can touch and scroll the screen even if the screen is wet.
Also, I like the Arc and Adventure analog watch faces that show more information at once, but has anyone seen the watch faces in the play store? Ninety-nine percent of them look terrible. It's no surprise that Apple doesn't allow third-party developers to create and sell their own products. It's definitely an amateur time here. Even paid ones are no good.
The best smartwatch, but not the best.
Listen, I can have a lemon. I did a factory reset and the random shutdowns and reboots became less frequent, but I wouldn't say it solved all my problems. Google put a faster chipset in the Pixel Watch 2, and Wear OS 4 isn't as slow as the old Pixel Watch, but it's not nearly as responsive as the Apple Watch or Galaxy Watch. I don't believe the Pixel Watch 2 will work properly with Wear OS 5 or OS 6.
At least the battery life is great! Google claims up to 24 hours of continuous use on a single charge. This literally happened to me almost every day. The watch battery will be 100% charged at midnight and will stop working at the same time the next day. The installation disk now uses a Pogo pin; It attaches easily to the Pixel Watch 2 using magnets, but I had to plug it in more times than I'd like to get it aligned correctly. Do you know which smartwatch I need to charge in order for it to charge? Apple watch.
I have no complaints about the fitness tracking through the Fitbit integration. Thanks to the multi-track heart rate sensor, everything works better and more accurately than before (no problem). As far as I can tell, the Pixel Watch 2's fitness and health tracking is within reasonable accuracy compared to the latest Apple Watch.
Other useful features like safety tracking (telling friends or family where you are) and emergency sharing (sharing location or medical information with emergency contacts) work without cellular service. However, you will need an LTE model and a Fitbit Premium subscription to use it.
Stress monitoring had little effect on me. Every now and then I get a notification that my smartwatch has “detected signs of stress or agitation” and that I want to record my feelings. I signed up but didn't receive any benefits. It happens very randomly and doesn't seem to alert me when I know I'm feeling stressed.
The reality is that fitness and health tracking, notifications and voice commands are the table stakes for smartwatches. The fact that I received so many complaints about using the Pixel Watch 2 shows how far behind Google they are when it comes to the Apple Watch. Even Apple Watches from 3-4 years ago seem to work better.
Like Google's Pixel phones, the Pixel Watch 2 is also capable. It has a lot of improvements and has the fundamentals right, but the second-generation model still has a lot of work to do compared to Apple and Samsung smartwatches. If you have a Pixel phone and can expect a few glitches, the Pixel Watch 2 is perfect for you. But if you're looking for the best Android smartwatch, you'll still find the Galaxy Watch 5. iPhone users... Apple Watch.
Photos by Raymond Wong.
