Google Pixel Watch 3 review: Bigger, brighter, much better

Google Pixel Watch 3 is now available in India. And for Android phone users this is the best smartwatch to purchase, although it does have a niggle or two when it comes to some marquee features like ECG.

Google Pixel Watch 3 review - 8/10

Pros

• Display
• WearOS
• Fitness tracking
• Sleep tracking

Cons

• Some features not available in India
• ECG feature needs more 

In Short

• Google has launched Pixel Watch 3 in 2 new sizes
• Pixel Watch 3 with 41mm screen is priced at Rs 39,900 in India
• There are many AI features inside the Pixel Watch 3

This year feels like Google is doing everything right as far as the Pixel devices are concerned. Recently we reviewed the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 XL and we loved that Google has refined and upgraded the Pixel experience. In fact, for the new Pixel Pro XL, we found it close to being perfect. But this year, the Pixel 9 series isn't the only Pixel device that needs your attention. The Pixel Watch 3 is also now available in India, and it is one of the best Android smartwatches you can buy right now. That we say after trying it for over a week.

The new Pixel Watch 3 comes in a bigger 45mm dial size, which is one of the biggest highlights given the Pixel users were long awaiting a bigger dial Pixel Watch. It also has an Actua Display — Google’s marketing term for extra bright screens in its devices — with up to 2000 nits brightness. The Watch 3 is also available with a 41mm dial, which is what we are reviewing today. Apart from the screen size, there is practically no difference between the 41mm Watch 3 and the 45mm one.

The Pixel Watch 3 also comes with improved battery life with fast charging. Google says it can charge 20 per cent faster than the previous models. Google has also added a bunch of new health features, including Daily Readiness, Cardio Load, Target Load, loss of pulse detection, and better heart rate tracking for running. And everything is running on the latest Wear OS 5.0, that just like Android now comes with a number of unique AI features.

During Google I/O 2024, when Google introduced the Pixel Watch 3 with all the new refinements and features, it surely looked promising. But we don't judge a book by its cover, and in tech, not by the spec sheet. So when I got the Pixel Watch 3 to test, I was all excited to see if this time Google really matched the hype. And to my surprise, things are not just right but nearly perfect. So much so that in some areas, I like the Pixel Watch 3 more than the mighty and fan-favourite Apple Watch 9, which I currently use as my primary smartwatch.

So what's new, and why is the Pixel Watch 3 near perfect? Let me dig into it bit by bit.

Refined design

There's something about round-dial watches. Or perhaps, for people like me, the circle feels like the true shape for watches —whether analogue or digital. Round watches seem to hug the wrist better. So, following this logic, when I unboxed the round Pixel Watch 3, it instantly got a plus point. For the review we got the 41 mm version of the Watch 3 with a polished silver aluminium case and a rubber strap in porcelain colour. For someone like me with a small wrist, the 41 mm fits just right — the larger version is also available for those who would prefer it.

Aesthetically, the Pixel Watch 3 looks refined, sophisticated, and minimalistic. Although the dial feels slightly on the heavier side compared to Apple Watch 9, it doesn't cause any discomfort on the wrist. On the side, there's a functional crown in the same aluminium finish. But a minor nitpick: while the crown is in the same colour, it seems to not blend well with the overall watch aesthetics. It looks a bit odd, like a crown from an analog watch.

The strap is lightweight and is comfortable to wear, even for extended duration. I wore the watch for around 22 hours a day —almost the entire day except when it was charging — and it rested all comfortably on my wrist. One thing I really liked was that the box comes with two pairs of straps, and you can use the one that fits you the best.

Bright and smooth display

The Pixel Watch 3 features a 320 PPI AMOLED display that offers up to 2000 nits of brightness. The display is bright, and at no point— whether indoors or outdoors — did I need to squint or strain my eyes to see and scroll, even with the 41mm version I used. I was easily able to read and see app icons and in fact I even tried messaging on WhatsApp while typing texts on the Watch 3, and surprisingly I was able to do it without much effort. The display offers a 60Hz refresh rate, which feels smooth and doesn’t lag.

I also liked the slew of watch faces options that Google Pixel offers. From stylish to fitness-focused, there are plenty of options to choose from. Plus, there’s an Always-On Display option, which I kept enabled, and even with the added battery consumption, I only needed to charge the watch once a day. With the smooth display and the really cool watch face options, navigating around the Pixel Watch 3 was a lot of fun. And that brings me to the goodies of the latest Wear OS 5.0.

Fine tuned with WearOS

The Pixel Watch 3 houses a Qualcomm's W5 chip. It is the same processor that the Pixel Watch 2 had but now comes coupled with a new power-efficient Cortex-M33 co-processor. The WearOS in the Watch 3 offers a lot of customisation options. Animations and grids and what not, this all can be tweaked and customised. Given the 41 mm dial is small, I never felt the watch display was cluttered with too much information. In fact, Wear OS maintained a minimalist look that perfectly synced with the overall look of the watch.

I paired the Pixel Watch 3 with the Pixel 9, which we recently reviewed over here at the India Today Tech. For a reason. While the Watch 3 is expected to work with any Android smartphone, it offers the best functionality with a Google Pixel phone. As I paired the Watch 3 with the Pixel 9 I synced it with several companion apps like Fitbit for fitness tracking, the Watch app, Google Home, and Fit. From routine health and fitness tracking to connecting the watch with Google Home, to controlling TV, the Pixel Watch 3 really provided an easier and quick access to control the Android devices.

Perfect for fitness tracking with Fitbit

If you ask what the Pixel Watch 3 does best, it’s definitely fitness tracking. I'm not a fitness fanatic, but I try to maintain a healthy lifestyle with regular walks, healthy eating and a bit of strength training at the gym. The Pixel Watch 3 has really helped me track my steps, active hours, health metrics, and more. I compared the data with my Apple Watch 9 and the data and results were almost similar.

Now, while step count and cardio load etc might not seem like a big deal if you’re not deeply into fitness, these features are handy for everyday health monitoring — especially for people managing conditions like thyroid, PCOS, diabetes, heart ailments, and so on and so forth. Even older people susceptible to fall might find it useful with its fall detection feature. There is also an option to turn on notification reminders, so the watch will nudge you every hour for water, to stand up, to walk more and stuff so giving you that extra push– not new but complements the overall experience.

The watch syncs with the Fitbit app to provide detailed data. While most of the tracking features are free, for advanced running metrics, you’ll need a subscription. However, even without the paid version, the watch and the Fitbit app work impressively well.

Health tracking features

While fitness tracking is the highlight of the Pixel Watch 3, health tracking is a mixed bag. It’s not that Google isn’t offering features, but not all of them are available — like the much talked-about Pulse Detection, which is still not available in India due to pending regulatory approval. The ECG feature is also a bit confusing. It allows you to take ECG readings, but it doesn’t feel as seamless as on the Apple Watch 9, which not only easily records ECG but also prepares a decent report in PDF format so you can share it with a doctor. On the Watch 3, for ECG you first have to download the app from the Playstore, then go to the app menu in the Watch to turn it on. Even after recording the data, viewing the report can be a bit of a hassle.

While the ECG functionality could use some improvement, the Pixel Watch 3 records heart rate live and is superb in this manner. If you enable a watch face that displays heart rate, you can easily track it in real-time, which is especially useful at the gym when monitoring your cardio load.

Another standout health feature — and significantly better than the Apple Watch — is sleep tracking. Unlike the Apple Watch, which still struggles with accurate sleep tracking and relies heavily on predefined sleep schedules, the Pixel Watch 3 tracks sleep in a way that feels more accurate and intuitive. It provides data on deep sleep, sleep score, and duration, which has helped me not only track my sleep but also gain insights into my sleep patterns and how my body will function the next day.

After I had used the Watch 3 for seven days, the Pixel Watch 3 started offering a "Readiness Score". This score helps you understand how tired your body is, based on the heart rate, blood oxygen and sleep data that the Watch collects on a day-to-day basis. And accordingly, it tells you whether your body is ready for an intensive workout or not. In simple terms, based on your sleep, heart rate, and other metrics, it provides data on how much energy your body has and how well it can handle physical load. Sounds fancy but may help some users understand their energy levels.

Even though the Watch 3 collects all this data in real time and its sensors are always active, it offers fairly decent battery life. Once charged, the Watch 3 lasts around 22 hours before you will have to recharge it. It takes around 1 hour to fully charge. In other words you can wear the Watch throughout the day as you work, sleep and go about your life. And every morning while you get ready for the day you can put it on charging.

Google Pixel Watch 3 review: Should you buy it?

The Pixel Watch 3 is an expensive smartwatch. The 41 mm version is priced at Rs 39,900 in India, while the larger 45 mm version is available for Rs 43,900. Compared to some other Android smartwatches, the Watch 3 is expensive. Although, if you compare it to the Apple Watch it is not. But here is the rub: Apple Watch is part of a better ecosystem in a way. More people have an iPhone than a Pixel phone in India.

Having said that, if you want the best Android smartwatch, and particularly if you have a Pixel phone, I think you should choose the Pixel Watch 3 over anything else. The feature set it offers, particularly the sleep tracking, is an absolute joy to use. It is also, in my opinion, the best-looking smartwatch, particularly the 41mm variant for people who have smaller wrists. The Watch 3 looks stylish, its display is bright and smooth, and there are plenty of customisation options. The WatchOS is also seamless in use and works very well, particularly for health and fitness tracking. Features like ECG could have been better, but that is a minor niggle and I believe Google would make it better with a software update or two. Overall, if a Pixel phone is your primary device, the Pixel Watch 3 is a perfect companion for it.