A bigger size, bigger screen and bigger battery promises

One size never did fit all, especially not for a device as personal as a wearable. The fact that the first two generations of the Pixel Watch were only available in one size was one of my biggest complaints about it. The good news is, that changes with the company’s latest smartwatch launched at this year’s Made By Google event: The Pixel Watch 3 is finally available in more than one size.

If you prefer something bigger than the original, which had a 41mm case, this year is your first chance to consider Google’s smartwatch. While last year’s sophomore effort focused on improving sensors, processor and fitness-tracking features, the Pixel Watch 3 delivers a bigger size, bigger screen and bigger promises on battery life. It also brings a new “loss of pulse detection” feature that Google says is the first of its kind.

The Pixel Watch 3 brings loss-of-pulse detection

Despite being slightly awkwardly worded, “loss of pulse detection” does basically what it describes. Using the Pixel Watch 3’s heart rate and other sensors, it’ll notice if the wearer has a pulse. Since the device is sampling your pulse at the rate of once every second, which is one of the most frequent in the mainstream smartwatch space, it’ll notice quite quickly if your heart’s stopped. Then, it’ll look for other signs like whether you’re still moving, and whether it’s still on your wrist. With all this data, it’ll determine whether you’re having a “loss of pulse event” like cardiac arrest, respiratory or circulatory failure, overdose or poisoning.

When it identifies loss of pulse, the Pixel Watch 3 will then check in with you and call emergency services if you don’t respond. At launch, Google said this will be available in various countries in Europe (including the UK) and that it’s “working with regulatory bodies to make the feature available in more countries.” Speaking with Engadget, Google’s senior director of product management for Pixel Wearables Sandeep Waraich said there was nothing to announce yet on US availability. “But our desire is to help as many people [as possible],” he said, adding “even saving one life through this would be tremendous.”

Once the heart-rate sensor, in its continuous sampling, detects a “probability that there is loss of pulse,” Waraich explained, “It then kicks into red LEDs.” This brings about an “even higher capture of the event,” he added. If there continues to be no pulse detected, the motion sensing kicks in to see if there is any “purposeful motion,” before the system will determine that there is a high likelihood a loss of pulse event is happening, leading it to prompt the user and start emergency outreach.

This feature unfortunately wasn’t available to preview at Google’s recent hands-on event, so I wasn’t able to check it out. Plus, unless I had a legitimate cardiac arrest, it wasn’t something I can easily test. Loss of pulse detection appears to be one of those safety features that’s there for peace of mind, but not something reviewers can easily evaluate.

Hands-on impressions of the Pixel Watch 3

The things I was able to see at the hands-on were the new larger displays and bigger model. I strapped on both the 41mm and 45mm versions of the Pixel Watch 3 and frankly, the difference isn’t huge. Given the original already sat quite comfortably on my relatively small wrist, I found the new versions fit similarly. The bigger option did look a lot more at home on the other people at this event who had bigger wrists, and less out of place than the first two generations did.

On both sizes, the Pixel Watch 3’s display is roomier than before. Google said it was able to cut the bezels down by 16 percent, which opened up some space on the 41mm model. Meanwhile, that, together with the larger panel on the 45mm variant, translated to a 40 percent increase in screen space compared to the older 41mm models. Side by side, I could see one more tile on the 45mm on certain cards, and an additional ring around the watch face. On some pages, I could see up to three more icons on the 45mm device compared to the smaller Pixel Watch 3.

That’s quite a lot gained in exchange for not much added bulk. Both sizes of the Pixel Watch 3 still looked similar to their predecessors, with a round, shiny case that twinkled when it caught the light at certain angles. The dial on the right protrudes slightly like before, and rotating it made for smooth, intuitive scrolling through the watch’s interface.

This year, Google also used the Actua displays it launched on the Pixel 8 flagships on the new Pixel Watch 3 lineup. That means the new watches can go up to 2,000 nits of brightness and down to 1 nit when you don’t want your retinas scorched. The Pixel Watch 3 also has an adaptive refresh rate of between 1Hz and 60Hz, and being able to get down to just 1Hz can help Google save some power.

The Pixel Watch 3’s battery life

In fact, with the new smartwatches running Wear OS 5 that promises greater battery life, as well as their dual chip architecture, the more power-efficient screens can help make the Pixel Watch 3 last longer than their predecessors. At least, that’s the hope.

Google says you should be able to get 24 hours of use with a full charge, and an improved Battery Saver mode that should extend runtime to 36 hours without sacrificing “health, fitness and safety features.” It’s worth noting that the 45mm model has a 35 percent larger battery than the Pixel Watch 2, though it also has a larger display to support.

Once you hit 15 percent on your watch, Battery Saver will automatically kick in to get you a few more hours. Google’s fine print states the usual warning about how use of different features may result in shorter battery life, and has told Engadget that the 36-hour claim is if you start the clock with Battery Saver turned on.

Adding to the power-saving suite of features is a new auto bedtime mode that is activated when the Pixel Watch 3 detects when you’ve fallen asleep. It’ll turn off the Always On Display and disable notifications when you’ve dozed off, then automatically go back to normal when it senses you’ve awoken. Not only does this reduce disruptions when you’re resting, but it also helps conserve battery. Importantly, bedtime mode does not turn off sleep-tracking, so you’ll still get to see how much time you spent in the REM or deep stages the next day.

I’ll need to test a review unit to gauge the Pixel Watch 3’s battery life for sure. For now, it’s heartening to note that the Pixel Watch 3 will charge faster than its predecessors. The 41mm model charges 20 percent faster than the Watch 2, meaning it gets fully charged 15 minutes faster than before.

As it is with most smartwatch launches, it’s hard to really get a sense for the Pixel Watch 3 with what limited hands-on time I had. I can tell you it’s light and comfortable in either size, and that I remain obsessed with the soft stretchy band (called “Stretch band”) that Google makes, which is easy to slip on and off.

The Pixel Watch 3’s new features for running workouts

I was also able to get a demo of some upcoming features baked into the software, including the new running workout experience. With the Pixel Watch 3, Google is adding the ability for you to design specific running workouts that you can launch on your wrist. These can comprise segments for warm-ups, cooldowns and blocks of time set to pace, distance, time or heart-rate targets.

A Google rep at the event showed me a quick workout that involved a ten-second warmup, followed by two sequences of sprinting and resting for 8 seconds each. During the “sprint” windows, the Pixel Watch 3 had audio and haptic prompts to tell the wearer to run faster.

After your run, you’ll see a breakdown of things like your cadence, stride and vertical oscillation in addition to the usual duration, distance and calories burned. For the avid or beginner runner, this can be a helpful tool, though it’s worth pointing out that Samsung and Apple both already offer similar coaching in their smartwatches. Like its competition, too, Google has updated activity tracking layout so that your media playback controls are just a swipe away within the workout interface.

Though the bulk of the Pixel Watch 3’s exercise-related updates are for runners, the device is capable of tracking 40 different exercise modes. With every activity that counts towards your cardio, you’ll give Google data for a new stat it calculates called Cardio Load. It’ll look at how hard you worked the day before and set a target load for the day ahead so you don’t overtrain. Your daily target rings will adjust based on your readiness and cardio metrics, too, much like Apple’s adaptable progress rings on watchOS 11. Together with your daily readiness score, which used to be a Fitbit Premium feature for previous Pixel watches, this should help you better manage your activity.

A new direction for Fitbit Premium

That’s right, I said “used to be a Fitbit Premium feature.” Alongside the launch of the Pixel Watch 3, the daily readiness score that used to require a monthly subscription is no longer paywalled. It will be available to compatible Fitbit devices, as well as the Pixel Watch 1 and 2. “That makes the Fitbit Premium proposition very easy to understand,” Waraich said.

If you pay the $8 a month for Fitbit Premium, you’re still getting some bonuses. For instance, the custom run workouts I described earlier can also be generated by Google’s AI — for Premium users. The AI can look at your previous runs and general readiness score to come up with suggested running workouts and surface them at the top of your exercise list. You’ll also continue to have access to video and guided workout content from providers like Alo Moves, Les Mills, Calm and more.

Other updates to the Pixel Watch 3

Some other features coming to the Pixel Watch 3 that I didn’ get to check out at the hands-on event include a new daily morning brief that shows your readiness and cardio scores, in addition to weather and calendar updates at the start of your day. Google is also integrating more of its ecosystem by making live feeds from Nest security cameras viewable from the Pixel Watch 3. You can also use a remote tile to control your compatible TV, or have the watch unlock your Pixel phone or select cars. At launch, some models from BMW and Mini will support the ultra wideband unlock feature, though more companies may get added to the list in future.

I’m most excited by the addition of Pixel phone features to the Pixel Watch 3, like Call Assist and the Recorder app. The latter will let me start a voice recording from my wrist, and though the watch itself won’t be doing any transcribing, the audio will sync with a paired Pixel phone where the transcript will appear.

Pixel Watch 3 pricing and colors

The Pixel Watch 3 starts at $349 for the 41mm model and $399 for the 45mm option. The smaller version comes in four case and band colors, while the larger only comes in three — the pink variant is not available in the bigger size. That’s sad, but not a dealbreaker since the other three colors (black, white and hazel) aren’t ugly and you can always buy yourself a nicer strap. Plus, what’s more important is that the Pixel Watch 3 actually delivers on the battery life and performance claims, which I’ll have to wait for a review unit to find out.

Catch up on all the news from Google’s Pixel 9 launch event right here!