Until very recently I had no plans to get a smartwatch. Early this year, I got a Fitbit Sense which is a fitness tracker with limited smartwatch features. I enjoyed using it and unlike most smartwatches, the battery will last several days between charges. But Google threw in a Pixel Watch 2 with Pixel 8 Pro pre-orders, so now I have one.
My first experience with the watch was not encouraging. I jumped into setting it up without following Google's (rather perfunctory) instructions and got into an update that wouldn't complete. Finally, I decided to wait for my Pixel 8 Pro to arrive and start over from scratch.
Setting it up by pairing with the Pixel 8 Pro worked much better and I was up and running within an hour. The watch did insist on being connected to the charger before it would continue, despite having almost 90 percent charge, and it also installed a system update that took a surprisingly long time to complete.
The watch is quite comfortable and most of the time I hardly notice I'm wearing it. I do wish Google had not used a proprietary design for the band as the ones I have for my Fitbit sense won't fit on it, and while we're on that subject, the watch has yet another proprietary charger that isn't even compatible with the original Pixel watch much less any standard wireless charger.
I was worried that the small size of the watch (41 mm. diameter) would make it hard for me to read the screen, but the Wear 4 OS lets me set a font size that I can (barely) read. I can also set a comfortable brightness level, which helps for readability.
I was able to easily connect the watch to my Fitbit app, although I was disappointed to see that I had to unregister the Fitbit Sense. I would have liked to have the option of easily switching between the two devices. In my limited use so far, it seems that the Pixel watch has more fitness tracking features than the Sense, but I only need the basics.
Limited battery life was a complaint about the first Pixel watch. The new one is better but still not great. I have set my watch to not use the Always On display and keep the brightness level low indoors and after one day of use, I'm just above 50 percent battery level. The Fitbit Sense was usually good for between 4 and 5 days of use before it got down to the point where I had to charge it.
There were also concerns about the durability of the first Pixel Watch. I will probably order a screen protector for it as the screen is not replaceable if it cracks. The watch itself is aluminum, which is probably durable enough though it might scratch more easily than stainless steel.
I'm still exploring the features and apps. I like Wear OS compared to the OS on the Sense. However, given the small size of the watch, it's likely that I won't be using a lot of apps.
I wouldn't have bought the Pixel Watch 2 if I'd had to pay full price for it, but I'm glad I got it as part of my phone purchase.
Wired has just published a review of the watch and I agree with most of the writer's conclusions, so look at that if you want a more detailed take.
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