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The Pixel Watch 2 fixed many of the complaints we had with its predecessor, and with the new Pixel Watch 3 bringing further refinements, Google might finally be ready to stand against the competition. Let’s check out the key improvements that make the Pixel Watch 3 worth it.
1Larger 45mm Size for Bigger Wrists
Many Pixel Watch fans admire its smaller footprint and discreet look. While that’s great for esthetics, it’s unfortunately not very practical for people with bigger wrists and can sometimes look odd.
That won’t be an issue anymore since thePixel Watch 3comes in two sizes: the standard 41mm and a new 45mm variant. You can choose which size fits you the best.
2Bigger, Brighter Display With Thinner Bezels
Naturally, the 45mm variant has a larger screen too—40 percent bigger, to be exact—which is helpful if you’ve previously struggled with navigating the rather small screen of the Pixel Watch and need more surface area to avoid unintentional taps.
Outdoor visibility on the Pixel Watch 2 wasn’t bad, but many users found it inadequate under direct sunlight. Google has addressed this by bumping the peak brightness of the Pixel Watch 3 to 2,000 nits, twice as much as its predecessor. This brings it on par withthe Galaxy Watch 7and theApple Watch Series 9 we reviewed.
And if you’re curious, the display can also go all the way down to one nit when the always-on display is active, avoiding interruptions in darker environments—for example, when you’re watching a movie.
3Longer Battery Life and Faster Charging
The 45mm variant of the Pixel Watch 3 packs a larger 420mAh battery compared to its predecessor (306mAh), which should significantly improve the battery performance.Google claims24 hours of battery life with AOD enabled and up to 36 hours using the Battery Saver Mode.
The Pixel Watch 3 automatically enables Battery Saver Mode when it hits 15% and enables Bedtime Mode when it detects sleep, turning off notifications and AOD.
Google has also increased the charging speed by 20 percent, allowing the 45mm Pixel Watch 3 to fill its bigger battery in roughly the same amount of time as before—50 percent in 28 minutes.
4Morning Brief to Start Your Day Right
Morning Brief is a new wellness feature that gives you a quick summary of your most important health and fitness metrics each morning. For instance, it can show you how well and for how long you slept, your progress toward your exercise goals, and your readiness score, which tells you if you’re energized enough to work out or need more time for recovery.
The feature also notifies you when any of your health metrics, such as heart rate variability, breathing rate, or SpO2 levels, are out of your normal range so that you can visualize your improvement over time.
Morning Brief also informs you about weather conditions, so you’re not missing out on anything. All these insights help you avoid looking at your phone first thing in the morning and still get all the important information relevant to you.
5Deeper Integration With Google Services
If you already own a Pixel phone and other Google products, the Pixel Watch 3 is a no-brainer. Its deeper integration with the Google ecosystem means you’re able to use your Pixel Watch for much more than justachieving your fitness goals.
For instance, you can use the watch to see a live stream of your Nest doorbell camera and respond to visitors, access offline Google Maps, screen and hold phone calls, and control your Pixel phone’s camera shutter. You can even use the watch as a Google TV remote to pause a show, change the channel, or adjust the volume.
Google has refined the Pixel Watch with each generation, and the Pixel Watch 3 is no different. All these improvements for the same starting price of $349 make the Pixel Watch 3 worth your hard-earned money.
