Google Pixel Watch 3 – the heartbeat is strong (wearable review)

The Google Pixel Watch 3 is its third generation of smartwatches, adding a new 45mm size to the standard 41mm, twice the brightness and a slew of new workouts and hardware features.

The Google Pixel Watch 3, especially the 45mm version, is significantly improved over the Pixel Watch 2, which we also thought was pretty good.

We used that for six months before doing a long-term review Google Pixel Watch 2 – a long-term review. Why? Many earlier competitors’ reviews were a bit shallow and sounded more like a regurgitated press release or ChatGPT than a real user’s review.

This review has been ongoing for over two months because we now feel comfortable with the hardware, software and Google’s intent, which is quite different from Samsung’s.

Brief overview Google Pixel Watch 3 versus Samsung Galaxy Watch7

We won’t tell you which we would buy, only to say that the Google Pixel Watch 3 is an Android smartphone agnostic. The Samsung Galaxy Watch7 requires Samsung Galaxy phones and software for some features.

Watch	Google Pixel Watch 3 41/45mm	Samsung Galaxy Watch7 Excludes the Ultra version and the lower-speced Watch FE.
Fit	41mm: Small band fits wrists 130-175 mm around Large fits wrists 165-210 mm around 45mm: Small 150-185 mm Large 165-215 mm
Price	Wi-Fi $579/669 LTE 45mm only $839	Wi-Fi $399/599 LTE $649/699
Face size/type	41 and 45mm 60Hz Actua AMOLED LTOPO DCI-P3 2000 nits 320 x 320	40 and 44mm AMOLED 2000 nits 432 x 432 or 480 x 480
Comms/NFC/GPS	BT 5.3, Wi-Fi AX, NFS, GPS	Same
LTE number share	Optus and Telstra	Same
Ultra-wideband	Yes, for keyless unlock	No
Display viewable	10/40% larger than Watch 2	30.4mm and 37.3mm
OS	Google Wear OS 5 Google Play	Wear OS Powered by Samsung – via the Samsung store
Phone Compatibility	Android 10 or later Uses Google Fit app with no subscription. Fitbit Premium for some advanced metrics is by subscription.	Some functions are exclusive to Samsung Galaxy Phones.
Weight	31/37g plus band	28.8/33.8g plus band
Processor	Qualcomm SW5100 Cortex M33 co-processor 2/32GB	Samsung Exynos W1000 2/32GB
Battery mAh	307/420	300/425
Charger	5V/1A/5W, 4 pogo pin USB-C Backwards compatible with Watch 2	Qi Wireless 5W charge
Case	Aluminium	Aluminium
Glass	Gorilla Glass 5	Sapphire Crystal
Band	Unique to Pixel. Adapters for standard 20mm watchbands are low-cost and readily available.	Standard 20mm – may
IP	IP68 5ATM	IP68 5ATM
Sensors	3-axis Accelerometer/Gyro Barometer Bioelectrical Impedance (ECG) Geomagnetic Infrared Temperature Light Sensor Optical Heart Rate Skin conductance (cEDA) for body response tracking Skin temperature sensor Altimeter	Accelerometer/Gyro Barometer Bioelectrical Impedance (ECG) Geomagnetic Infrared Temperature Light Sensor Optical Heart Rate

Australian Review: Google Pixel Watch 3 (as tested 45mm Wi-Fi/LTE

Website	Product page
RRP	41/45mm Wi-Fi $579/669 LTE 45mm only $839 Includes six months of Fitbit premium trial
From	Harvey Norman (and sub-b rands), JB Hi-Fi, Telstra, Optus, and Google Store. Do not buy elsewhere, as Australian warranty and support do not apply.
Colour	Polished Silver Aluminium Case/Porcelain Active Band (41/45) Champagne Gold Aluminium Case/Hazel Active Band (41) Matte Black Aluminium Case/Obsidian Active Band (41/45) Matte Black Aluminium Case/Obsidian Active Band (41) Matte Hazel Aluminium Case/Hazel Active Band (45)
Warranty	Two years
Made in	Vietnam
About	Google is an American company most commonly known as a search engine. Although the company made its name as a search engine and most of its income comes from advertising, it has branched out into Made By Google Hardware.
More	CyberShack Google news and reviews

New ratings in 2024

We use Fail (below expectations), Pass (meets expectations), and Exceed (surpasses expectations or is the class leader) against many of the items below. We occasionally give a Pass(able) rating that is not as good as it could be and a Pass ‘+’ rating to show it is good but does not quite make it to Exceed. You can click on most images for an enlargement.

We are also tightening up on grading. Pass means meeting expectations for the price bracket. We consider a Pass mark to be 70+/100 with extra points added for class-leading and excellence.

First Impression – I like the 45mm.

A disclaimer: The 41mm Pixel Watch and Pixel Watch 2 ended up on my wife’s wrist because I thought they were a tad small. Not so with the 45mm. I also felt the screen brightness was a little low—now it is double at 2000 nits.

The next part may shock you, but as a septuagenarian, I don’t need 23 fitness trackers and 40+ exercise modes (listed later). Still, I want a smartwatch with a large, bright, easily readable screen, productivity apps (mail, calendar, SMS, and call announcement), step count (pedometer), and heart rate. I also like to see the steps climbed to see if I get any cardio.

I like the Google design; it looks and feel on my wrist.

So let’s get a little techy

The Google Pixel Watch 3 is quite an upgrade from its predecessors, excelling in battery life, display quality and health tracking. The 41 and 45mm are the same apart from the screen size, and the latter has a larger battery.

Elephant in the room – repairability

Pixel Watches are not repairable, and no Australian Care or extended warranty package exists. We have used the Pixel Watch daily since November 2022 and changed to the Pixel Watch 2 in November 2023. Neither shows any overt signs of wear, and the glass seems scratch-resistant.

What are those fitness trackers?

New trackers for the Google Pixel Watch 3 are marked *

Run workout builder *	Real-time run guidance *	Daily run recommendations *	Advanced run form tracking (in-app)*	Run performance dashboard (in-app) *
Cardio load *	Target cardio load *	Morning Brief *	All-day activity tracking	Auto Workout mode
40+ exercise modes (see below)	Heart Zone Training	Pace Training	Enhanced workout views	Active Zone Minutes
Daily Readiness Score	Cardio fitness score	Heart rate on exercise equipment	Workouts on your phone	Step tracking
Calorie tracking	Goals and reminders	Floors climbed	Swimming

Exercise modes

Aerobics	Bike	Bootcamp	Canoeing
Circuit Training	Core Training	Cross-Country Skiing	CrossFit
Dancing	Elliptical	Golf	HIIT
Hike	Indoor Climbing	Kayaking	Kickboxing
Martial Arts	Mountain Biking	Outdoor Workout	Paddleboarding
Pilates	PowerLifting	Rollerblading	Rowing Machine
Run	Skating	Skiing	Snowboarding
Spinning	Sport	Stair Climber	Strength Training
Surfing	Swim (Pool)	Tennis	Treadmill
Walk	Weightlifting	Weights	Workout
Yoga

Heart Health

It has cardio load, heart rate targets, and daily readiness metrics previously limited to Fitbit Premium. I found the heart rate tracking was fast and accurate.

Advanced heart rate tracking

Irregular heart rhythm notifications

High and low heart rate notifications

ECG app with AFib detection

Sleep tracking

It is accurate, although wearing the watch overnight may be uncomfortable for some users. It is a little more accurate and complements the Google Nest speaker offering.

Sleep Stages and Sleep Score

Sleep Profile

Mindfulness content for sleep

Sleep insights

Stress: What, me worry?

I am lucky—I don’t get stressed, or so I thought. This has been really useful for helping me stop and smell the roses instead of pushing them up.

All-day body-response tracking	Stress notifications	Stress Management Score	Stress management with EDA sensors
Mood logging and reflections	Mindfulness content	Guided breathing sessions

Health Metrics

This Swiss Army knife approach has some benefits for overall well-being.

Skin temperature sensing	SpO2 nightly average, range, trends over time	Heart rate variability	Resting heart rate
Breathing rate	Blood glucose tracking (in-app only)	Menstrual health tracking (in-app only)

Safety and Emergency

I did not test these; only some features are activated in every country.  Some features require BT to a smartphone (or the LTE model) and access to Optus and Telstra Band 28. Some also require Android’s Emergency Location Service (location must be on). You can read more here.

Safety Check (AU)	Emergency Sharing (AU)	Medical information	Fall Detection (AU)	Car Crash (AU)
Emergency SOS (AU)	Emergency contact dialling (AU)	Emergency Sharing (AU)	Emergency international calling

Setup – Pass+

Download the Google Pixel Watch App from Google Play. You can accept all default settings, but we advise you to consider the privacy implications of location and sending usage and diagnostic reports to Google. Also, if you are not using it for phone calls, you may wish to prevent it from accessing contacts and call logs. But hey, you are using Android, so you have already agreed to Google’s terms.

It asks you to download the Fitbit Premium app to monitor your health data. You can try it for six months to see if you need it. This is not part of the review; if you want advanced features, you will research first. Otherwise, it will integrate into Google’s free Fit app, and I recommend most users try that first.

You can select which wrist you’re using and which side the Digital Crown is on (under or over the wrist). You can also enable Google Assistant and Google Pay and download apps from the Play Store (like Spotify).

Screen – 45mm is more useful

The argument is that a round screen is less useful than a square one (a.k.a. Apple Watch).  Samsung spends considerable marketing dollars to convince you that the round is best. Let’s say that the 41mm (30mm viewable) screen is adequate for most users.

But the 45mm – barely 4mm more makes it a pleasure to use for SMS and responses.

Mic and Speaker – Pass

If you don’t mind looking like Dick Tracy (comic book detective), it is a surprisingly good device to make and receive calls from your wrist. The speaker is loud enough if you place it near your ear, and the mic is strong enough.

Google Assistant – Pass+

The mic summons Google Assistant. Unlike a Google Nest speaker, this requires a specific voice match and links to your mail, calendar, and more to prevent others from abusing the service. It also requires an internet connection.

Smartwatch capabilities – Pass+

It is more of a seamless extension of my phone than the Samsung Galaxy Watch7, as it uses Google apps rather than Samsung apps.

It is easy to respond to a text on my watch with a voice-activated keyboard. Google apps like Maps are much easier than constantly looking at your smartphone. Google Wallet is simple for payment. And AI call assist can screen calls before you take them.

Accuracy – Pass+

Whether it is the dual-band GPS, heart rate monitor or skin temperature, the Google Pixel Watch 3 is always very similar to dedicated devices. At the doctor, my heart rate (BPM) is spot on. Maps’ turn-by-turn is accurate (we estimate 1-2m), and its skin temperature is as good as a MedSense IR thermometer.

Even the altimeter, barometer and other environmental measurements are spot on.

IP68 – Pass+

It has a 5 ATM rating (50m for 30 minutes) but is water resistant, not waterproof. It can be used in shallow water and should not be used for activities involving water at high velocity or high temperature.

In short, it is not for diving, sauna, etc. However, with care, you should be able to use it for swimming in a pool or salt water, as it has a swimming detection tracker.

Battery – Pass+

The 45mm 420mA battery makes a big difference. Typical use can be over 24 hours, even with an always-on screen (we recommend tap or shake to wake). We tested with the tap to wake and got a little over 38 hours. A battery saver and automatic bedtime mode also put the watch to sleep when you are. You can also extend the battery life by disabling location, GPS, and a smaller screen on time out, etc.

Charge time on the 45mm is under 1.5 hours.

Nice one Google

I like the remote camera shutter, onboard voice recorder, and ability to see a Nest Cam feed. You can change volume, inputs, and more if you use Google TV (as I do).

I mainly tested 24/7 with a Google Pixel 9, but I also used a Motorola Edge 50 Pro and found no difference. You can pair BT buds to the watch or the smartphone.

CyberShack’s view – The Google Pixel Watch 3 is a significant upgrade

As I said, my wife snaffles the Google Pixel Watch (1, 2, and soon 3) because she prefers the style and fit over the bulkier Samsung Galaxy Watch7. But that means she gets more use at Pilates, two daily walks, and more exercise.

She loved the Pixel Watch 1 (it had magnetic charging), so it was a no-brainer to upgrade to the Watch 2. However, I may use this a little longer before she realises it can do more.

Would I buy it?

Yes. It is elegant, simple to use, and has everything I need. The Google Health app is free and does what most people need. You can pay for Fitbit Premium, Strava, etc.

Perhaps I am a little wary of the Samsung Galaxy Watch7. In my opinion, the Samsung Health app asks for excessive permissions. And I need Google Wallet—not Samsung Wallet. Samsung is following Apple’s walled garden path, making it increasingly difficult to leave its ecosystem.

Rating

Clearly, I am not a ‘power user,’ so I will rate it as something Joe and Jane Average might use rather than a pro athlete.

• Features: 85 – it is all the casual smartwatch user needs. If you want to pay for Fitbit Premium, it adds extra functionality.
• Value: 85—The Samsung Galaxy Watch7 (not Ultra) is cheaper and the only real alternative. From what I can see, the Pixel Watch 3 is reasonable value, especially for non-Samsung Galaxy smartphone users.
• Performance: 85 – Does what it claims with a decent all-day, perhaps even two-day, battery
• Ease of Use: 85—It loses a few points because it requires a paid App to unlock some additional features (as does Samsung, and it needs a Galaxy Smartphone).
• Design: 85 – It is round (do you need a square?) and well-made.

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