Google Pixel Watch 2 Review: Similar but Superior

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From $349.99

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It took forever for Google to make its own smartwatch and now we’ve quickly arrived at the second-generation in the form of the aptly named Pixel Watch 2. 

The wearable arrived alongside the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro smartphones and while it’s still one of the most attractive smartwatches around and has some upgrades, it’s very similar to the original.

It’s had a small price increase (in the UK) so has Google focused its efforts in the right places to make it worth the cost?

Design & Build 

• Spot the difference 
• Aluminum chassis 
• Lighter than first-gen

You’d be forgiven for thinking the photos here are of the original Pixel Watch, as the Pixel Watch 2 is identical in design and build.  

Until you put it under a microscope, that is. One of the main changes is a new 100% recycled aluminium casing, although this somehow only represents 3% of the total weight according to Google. Previously the body was stainless steel which felt more premium and durable, but the benefit now is the watch is 5g lighter at 31g. 

You have a choice of the same three finishes as before: Polished Silver, Matte Black and Champagne Gold. And there are two new band colours – Bay and Porcelain – both paired with the silver body. 

These are all standard silicone Active bands (with a proprietary quick release attachment and a larger size in the box if you need it) but Google has created some new optional straps with Metal Slim and Active Sport. 

For me, the Pixel Watch 2 is just as comfortable to wear as before and is still IP68 and 50ATM (50m) rated. I didn’t particularly notice the weight change, but I’m all for it being 100% recycled material. 

Around the sides, things like the side button and speaker placement are unchanged. The digital crown has moved closer to the watch and no longer requires the glass to have a small cut out. That looks neater but almost needs a magnifying glass to see the different between the two (see below). 

Things look a little different at the back due to some new sensors and the way the charger connects. 

Overall, it’s only small tweaks here and there, but I don’t blame Google considering how beautiful the Pixel Watch was first time around.  

Screen & Audio 

• Still AMOLED 
• Still 320ppi 
• Still 1000 nits 

When it comes to the display there are no improvements at all. It’s still a circular AMOLED screen covered in custom 3D Gorilla Glass 5. It has the same 320ppi pixel density and a peak brightness of 1000 nits, just like the original Pixel Watch. 

It’s a lovely screen with vibrant colours, deep blacks and plenty of brightness for using outdoors. By default, the Pixel Watch 2 will automatically adjust the brightness based on your surroundings similar to your phone and I didn’t need to change it. 

There’s still a reasonably thick bezel around the edge but Google hides this well with the design of the interface and I think the size of the display strikes a nice a balance of real estate while keeping the deice compact. I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted a larger option though. 

Bedtime and Cinema modes make a return so you can keep the display off for those situations (while saving battery life) but there’s a change in that the screen is always-on by default, which the Pixel Watch’s wasn’t. 

This is because Google has improved the battery life so you can go a day without needing to have the screen turned off regularly to save power. 

The speaker will sound for notifications, but it’s also useful for taking phone calls when your phone isn’t within easy reach, as well as for hearing responses from the Google Assistant. 

Software & Features 

• Wear OS 4.0 
• Similar with tweaks 
• Better integration for some apps 

While the Pixel Watch 2 runs Wear OS 4.0 – the latest version – the experience is largely the same as it was on the original Pixel Watch, which will also get this update. 

Google had done a great job with the previous edition so it’s understandable that it’s more of the same here. You swipe up from the watch face for notifications, down for quick settings and sideways for Tiles. Click the digital crown and you’ll get a list of apps to choose from. 

The experience is intuitive, slick and fits the round screen well

The experience is intuitive, slick and fits the round screen well. Tiles are one of my favourite elements and are essentially widgets for apps and features from weather and fitness tracking to calendar items and more. 

You can have up to 15 of them arranged how you like them. New additions include body response, which I’ll talk about later. Calendar and Gmail have improved integration so you can do just about anything including reply to emails and there’s even a Gmail watch face complications. 

Speaking of watch faces, there’s a new selection of pre-installed designs and customisation is almost endless with the ability to choose different colours and complications to get things just how you like them. 

There are loads of things you can (still) do with the watch including on-wrist Google Maps navigation, Google Home control, control your phone’s camera (with limitations). And with the Play Store on your wrist, there’s access to countless apps including Spotify, Strava, WhatsApp and more. 

Some new and useful features of Wear OS 4 include the ability to transfer your watch to a new phone without losing data. You can also back up and restore via Google One as well as synchronise your modes (like do not disturb and bedtime) with your phone. 

There are also new emergency features so you can do things like set a timer and if you don’t check in when it goes off, your location will be shared with emergency contacts. 

Fitness & Tracking 

• New sensors 
• Better tracking 
• Fitbit Premium not included 

This is an area that’s changed a lot compared to the original Pixel Watch and that’s largely due to new sensors. The second generation Pixel Watch features a multi-path heart rate monitor as well as a cEDA (continuous electrodermal activity) sensor, both of which are also on the Fitbit Sense 2. 

combined with the cEDA and a new skin temperature sensor, the Pixel Watch 2 is more capable of tracking wellness

The heart rate monitor is more accurate for workouts and combined with the cEDA and a new skin temperature sensor, the Pixel Watch 2 is more capable of tracking wellness. This mainly comes in the from of ‘Body Reponses’ where the device can detect changes in your body and will prompt you to log your mood, whether it’s stress you’re dealing with or happiness. 

Based on these, you might get a recommendation to do some breathing exercises or go for a relaxing walk. While I found just 1 minute of following the on-screen and haptic breathing guide lowered my heart rate by and impressive 14bpm, Body Responses was a bit of a mixed bag. 

I would tend to see notifications a while after they happened and would then have to think back to what was going on at the time to figure out what to log. I also got some notifications during the night but logging that I was asleep wasn’t an option. 

Speaking of sleep, tracking that is possible if you’re happy to wear the device overnight. The Pixel Watch 2 is the most comfortable wearable I’ve tried for wearing in bed. However, I didn’t find the tracking particularly accurate.

The Pixel Watch 2 is the most comfortable wearable I’ve tried for wearing in bed

I often sleep for an hour or two before being woken up by a baby and the Pixel Watch 2 occasionally left those hours out of the tracking. I know I was asleep because I also have Nest Hub 2 on my bedside table which has Sleep Sensing. 

You can get all kinds of information from the watch including variations in skin temperature, blood oxygen levels and more. What you’ll gain from this is debatable, but for me they weren’t useful.

However, should any parameters go outside of your personal range it could help identify that something is wrong. 

On the watch, and even more so in the new Fitbit phone app, the amount of data available is huge – almost overwhelming really but this is where things get personal. I don’t have much interest in checking how many Active Zone Minutes I’ve done, or calories burned.

But if you’re into fitness tracking, gamification and goals then the Pixel Watch 2 will be very appealing. There’s even pace training now and it can automatically track certain activities. 

The big problem here is that you need a Fitbit Premium subscription to access a lot of features and data such as Daily Readiness, Sleep Profile, Sleep Score details, Wellness Report and more. 

Considering the Pixel Watch 2 is already $349/£349 and Fitbit Premium is a $9.99/£7.99 per month subscription, it’s a hard sell. The device does include a six-month trial so you can see how much you use it before deciding whether to subscribe or not.

Specs & Performance 

• New chip 
• Same memory and storage 
• LTE optional

The Pixel Watch 2 still has 2GB of RAM and 32GB of flash storage so the only change to talk about is the processor. 

Google has switched from Samsung to a Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 (SW5100) which means the Pixel Watch 2 is now quad-core instead of dual-core. Plus, the W5 is optimised especially for wearables. 

Performance of the original Pixel Watch was fine and the story is the same here. On the whole, the Watch 2 is responsive and slick – noticeably more so than the original. 

This must also have an effect on battery life as we’ll explore next. 

Just before that, it’s worth noting that the Pixel Watch 2 has NFC for contactless payments and you can spend an extra $50/£50 to get the LTE version. That means you don’t need to rely on your phone for an internet connection, so you can get notifications and calls while out on a run without your phone.

However, while this has wide support for carriers in the US, it’s only supported on EE and Vodafone in the UK. You don’t have to buy the watch on contract from a carrier, but if you want to use LTE, you will need to sign up with a supported one.

Battery Life & Charging 

• 306mAh 
• New (not wireless) charger 
• ‘Fast Charging’ 

The battery inside the Pixel Watch 2 is only 12mAh bigger in capacity than the original – a negligible improvement. 

The quoted battery life is 24 hours, but that’s with the display set to always-on rather than timing out to completely off. Of course, the actual amount of time it will last depends on various things like usage and lighting conditions. 

I’ve found it can last a full day without needing to turn the screen off (with Bedtime mode on at night), or even longer than that with light usage.

Checking the time, notifications, using background tracking (for steps and heart rate) meant I had just over 40% left at bedtime and sleep tracking used around 10%, leaving 30% remaining in the morning. 

If you’re planning to use the Pixel Watch 2 for a daily workout with GPS tracking, outdoors in bright sunlight and regularly using apps like Maps, WhatsApp or otherwise then you are likely to find it flagging or completely unusable when you get into bed. That will rule out sleep tracking unless you give it a top up at a convenient point.

You do get a notification when the battery gets low, but it’s a shame there isn’t a more intelligent “charge before bed” warning as you get on an Apple Watch.

When it comes to charging, things are a little faster than before (but only 2.5W) as Google says you can get 50% in 30 minutes and a full charge in 75 minutes. 

I…