Thoughts on Google Pixel Watch From a Longtime Apple Watch Wearer

The single most important thing keeping me using an iPhone every day is the Apple Watch. I've had one since it was released in 2015 and have enjoyed its assistance over the years. I've tracked more than 3,200 running miles with it. The Apple Watch has monitored my heart rate and blood oxygen for as long as it's been capable. It has become an extension of the phone that I'm not willing to abandon—yet.

There are plenty of other smartwatches on the market, but none are quite in the same league as Apple's wearable device. None could do the fitness and health stuff while also handling all the other tasks that wrist computer could. That is, none until the new Google Pixel Watch.

Presumably the goal of the Pixel Watch for Google is to serve the same role Apple Watch does for its maker. Google wants its watch to be a mandatory accessory that causes hesitation in people considering moving away from a supported Android phone. Seven years after Apple Watch debuted, Google is catching up by copying a lot of its design choices. As a longtime user of Apple's wearable device, I have some thoughts on what Google is doing and whether it will work out in the long run.

Google Pixel Watch With an iPhone

Since the Pixel Watch uses Wear OS software and there is a Wear OS app for iOS, it might seem like iPhone owners could use the Google smartwatch, but it doesn't work. The Pixel Watch is not supported by the iOS app at this time. That could change in the future—it's anyone's guess—but for now, Google's first-party watch is made for Android 8.0 and more recent phones.

Pixel Watch Compared With Apple Watch

The fit and finish of the Pixel Watch I tested were good. I didn't see any loose straps at the connection points. I didn't see any cracks in the glass or some of the other problems customers have experienced out of the gate. Those are all valid things to look out for, but my experience didn't reflect those or other major issues. To me, that means Google is on the right track and quality control needs to continue quashing problems as the product matures.

Big picture, the most noticeable difference between the Pixel and Apple watches is the Pixel's circular design compared to Apple's square. At first, this may seem like a philosophical choice or one based on idealism, but after testing the Pixel, it seems almost entirely to be about producing a different shape. And, especially in this case, there's nothing wrong with differentiation.

The circular design is cool, but I don't know if it adds much to the overall product. A lot of the reason I think it's cool is that it feels new—to an Apple Watch wearer. I hope both companies get to the point of offering both square and circular screens.

One frustration with the overall interface is not related to its design: Interactions on the Pixel Watch can be slow and lag. This got progressively more annoying as time went on, but I don't think it's a deal breaker. I eventually learned to slow down my taps to meet its level of responsiveness. To some degree, this was a similar problem the Apple Watch had throughout its first couple of years. The Pixel Watch is playing catch-up, however, so the next-generation device does need to overcome the sluggish taps and swipes.

Fitness

At least 50 percent, if not more, of what I use my Apple Watch for is fitness and health-related features. Needless to say, I'm more familiar with the workouts and navigating its settings compared with the Pixel Watch's Fitbit stuff.

I have liked the Fitbit app just fine, but the integration and core functionality felt a somewhat segregated—and more like a third-party service, even though Google owns Fitbit. Why are there three separate Fitbit-branded apps on the watch, for example, and why is the ECG (electrocardiogram) function called Fitbit ECG? (A few rhetorical questions, to be sure.)

I'm not crazy about Fitbit Premium costing $9.99 a month, or $79.99 for a year. To be fair, I suppose Apple Fitness+ could be seen in the same light, as an extra cost, but it seems as though Fitbit's Premium tier is more closely tied to Google's watch. Fitbit Premium includes, among other things, Daily Readiness to optimize workouts, a Health Metrics dashboard and sleep score details for advanced analysis.

I went running with both an Apple Watch Ultra and this Pixel Watch—one on my right wrist and the other on my left. While the measurements didn't quite match, they weren't widely different. For example, on one run the left watch said my average heart rate was 154 bpm and the other said it was 158 bpm. More important to me was that each was consistent with its own data collection.

Interface

Tiles are a mix between an app and a widget. You can add different ones to the watch and then swipe left or right to see their bits of information. I added one with weather information, one showing my heart rate, one for timers, along with a couple of others. Tiles are not a new idea; they've been included on other Android-based smartwatches over the years. But they are a new concept when adding them to a largely OS-inspired Pixel Watch.

I don't have a strong opinion on Tiles other than they've been forgettable. There are apps if you press the twisting knob on the side of the Pixel Watch. There are complications on the watch faces. And there are Tiles when swiping left or right. I don't see how all of these bits of information around the interface can stay long term, so I haven't gotten too attached quite yet.

You can download third-party watch faces on the Play Store, but a lot of those cost money. I stuck to the ones offered by Google and found a couple I didn't mind. Apple has the benefit of time for accumulating plenty of watch face options, but none are spectacular. (It's maddening that on a digital watch face, Apple still lets the minute or hour hands cover up information on the screen.) I do hope Google adds quite a few more options for watch faces in a hurry.

Should You Buy a Google Pixel Watch?

Even before I had gotten the Pixel Watch fully set up and configured I got a vibration on my wrist at 12:50 p.m., the exact same time my Apple Watch also buzzed. Apple was alerting me that it was time to stand up, while Google was showing me how many steps I had taken with a nudge to keep moving. Even beyond the very familiar watchbands and other similarities, the moment they both vibrated at the same time was when it was crystal clear that Google copied Apple Watch.

Without a hint of sarcasm, I'm glad the Pixel Watch is using the Apple Watch as a reference point and ripping off some of the good ideas of the most popular product in its category. Now that this Google product is out in the world, however, I do hope that it innovates rapidly and gets aggressive with its features and hardware.

If you are an Android user with a compatible phone (Android 8.0 or more recent), I do think the Google Pixel Watch is at least worth considering. Go in with your expectations tempered, or wait for version two, but Google is at least on the right track with its Pixel Watch.

It's refreshing to see hints of new thinking beginning to emerge in the smartwatch space, too. There are a lot of details on this product that need refinement, but it does still feel remarkably holistic. Google Home is becoming a first-class citizen. Google Wallet is handy. And more pieces are falling into place thanks to Google's putting its weight behind the effort.

I'm certainly not ready to switch from an iPhone and Apple Watch as my daily pairing. But I am at least glad there's a reasonable substitute available now—in case I ever do get the urge to go all in on a Pixel phone.

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