Featuring Fitbit’s top-quality health-tracking tech, the improved third-gen Google Pixel Watch 3 offers all the fitness and recovery insights you need to train smarter and stay healthy. That includes activity tracking, continuous heart rate monitoring, stress-level insights, sedentary alerts and ECGs. Plus, a decent range of workout modes, spanning everything from circuits to swimming.
Its sleeker, more compact, more subtle and much less sporty than the rugged Ultra smartwatches. The lightweight, recycled aluminium body didn’t get in the way when lifting weights, stayed firmly fixed during bouncy HIIT sessions, and didn’t chafe when things got sweaty. It felt comfy to sleep with and looked good whether in the gym or at the office.
The always-on AMOLED display is also bright and snappy – easy to read mid-workout and the touchscreen-crown-button combined controls make it easy to roll through your vitals even when things get sweaty.
Other health insights include new recovery insights –including daily readiness and cardio load scores – ECG readings, irregular heart rate alerts, sleep tracking and blood-oxygen measurements. It also has a continuous electrodermal activity (CEDA) sensor that aims to detect signs of stress when you’re awake. On the training front, there’s also a new workout builder feature that comes as part of a new suite of enhanced running features.
Workout heart rate accuracy was good and despite the lack of dual frequency GPS, in tests we found the Pixel Watch 3 fast to get a satellite fix and nicely reliable for running, cycling and hiking compared to rival watches.
The 24-hour battery life is limited compared to regular fitness watches from Garmin, COROS and Suunto and Co. You’ll find yourself charging the Pixel 2 daily. Though the rapid charge – 12 hours of usage from 30 minutes on the plug – helps reduce the battery anxiety.
Speaking of anxiety, if your fitness pursuits get you pushing limits in extreme conditions far off grid, the new Safety Check is ace. It lets you set a timer and if you haven’t responded when it runs out, the watch automatically shares your real-time location with a chosen emergency contact. Though it’s only free for Fitbit Premium customers.
Fitness tracking aside, the Pixel is also a fully-fledged smartwatch, with all the features you’d expect from a Google design – Gmail integration, Google Calendar, Google Wallet, Google Maps for step-by-step directions and Google Assistant for sending messages and voice queries.
Reviewed by: Kieran Alger
