I have been really happy with this watch. As a Google pixel user and it's awesome, I'm not convinced that's going to replace my Garmin yet, but comparing on runs that I've been on they are pretty close in accuracy when it comes to and distance at the end of the run. Heart rate is almost dead on to my heart rate strap.
Did google mention if they were going to support external heart rate monitors in the future? This would be useful for indoor activities like Jiu-Jitsu or Muay Thai classes where you want to wear an external heart rate monitor and not the watch itself.
Google needs to work also on altitude and cadence issues. At the beginning of every run altitude goes crazy for a short period of time. Tempo drops to 20 minutes per hour for a few seconds after you switch from run to walk during run ruining average tempo calculation.
@Des Thanks for this review. Recently switched to a Google Pixel 9 Pro XL and picked up the watch. I use it with my Garmin for wireless connectivity and phone free runs. Overall really happy with heart rate accuracy and the GPS tracking was good, not great, but I use my Garmin primarily.
Another great review thank you. I have the Garmin Venu 3 and it does seem like for folks like you and Ray from DC Rainmaker who are focused on fitness - the Garmin watches continue to be as good or better than this and you get many more days of battery. Also from what I can see there are more choices for 3rd party watch faces with Garmin that really provide customizable data (yes for a fee). I guess what I can't evaluate well is the smartwatch capabilities that are better with Pixel Watch.. On my Garmin I get my texts and WhatsApp messages with pictures inline and I can reply (on Android) with preset messages or use Google Assistant to reply with more. I am not sure what other smart features I would want but maybe ignorance is bliss here.
I've noticed that when doing vcertain jobs at work my battery life is crap. It finally penetrated my thick skull that its jobs where I twist my wrist alot. Turned off tilt to wake (which is sad i like that function) and turned down the brightness. Big improvement
In my test runs with the 45mm PW3, I have been experiencing terrible cadence lock on the heart rate monitor. It usually matches my external chest strap perfectly for about 3 to 4 miles then goes into cadence lock crazy mode after and theres nothing I can do to correct it. On the last run I did it was showing 20bps higher than my chest strap for the final 4 miles. This was a big bummer as i was expecting to see very accurate heart rate tracking with the new algorithm. On a positive note, the GPS and pace tracking has been very solid.
You honestly think a watch that always moves around us ever going to be more accurate than a chest strap?😂 Bro that wont ever happen. They can keep adding 50 sensors its still going to move. Its farther away from your heart. Nothing will beat a chest strap. These companies need to break apart an apple watch and just try to mimic it
@@tacticalpencil No, saying the exact opposite. Won't commit to any watch that doesn't support pairing with a chest strap. Google needs to add support.
Great review! The best channel 🎉 I am looking for a new watch to track my sleep , heart rate, ECG and steps. I am between Google Watch 3 or Garmin Venu 3 what is your recommendation between those to watches ? Thanks in advance cheers
Thank you for this thorough review Des. Waiting for the DC Rainmaker's one too :) I'm seriously considering to buy the PW3 because I'm a Pixel 7 owner, but I'm so accustomed with my Garmin FR255 that I'm not convinced about switching to the PW3. Yet, it seems a pretty good Wear OS sport watch, but I think I would continue to use the FR255 for training. So, spending more than €400 to get a nice watch I would use on the right wrist besides the FR, it's definitely a waste of money.
I also have the Pixel 7, recently sold my Forerunner 255 and replaced it with the new PW3 45mm. Most Fitbit premium tracking features free on PW3, the bigger size, and better battery life now make it a great value to me. I agree that 400 bones is a lot of money for any wearable, so if you can subsidize it somehow to make your out of pocket
i have the 45mm LTE and i am getting 2/3 days without using battery saver mode. (battery saver mode also stops notifications) I have location on all day everyday.
Hey @desfit. Im coming from four years with a Fenix 6S. I have been contemplating A new Garmin to get some of the training readiness features. Paat I'm not in love with the Phoenix 8 or at least I'm not sure about it. What do you think about jumping over to pixel watch 3? Have you used it for any length of time? My main activities are running, swimming, biking and occasional weight training. But overall, I'm a big fan of the body battery HRV stress and sleep tracking features that Garmin has.
Thanks for the great review! I have a question: does it has maps integration for courses? Meaning, if I go out on a run, can I see a map in my wrist to follow the course along? For instance, Garmin Forerunner 965 has maps, while 265 only has indications but lacks maps. Does Pixel offer it?
Great video as always, Des! I have the Pixel Watch 1 and have issues with using the screen when I'm sweaty from running. Especially when I go to end the activity, it can sometimes take multiple attempts for the screen to register that I have tapped the 'end activity' option (after I've unlocked the screen, of course). This partly puts me off from upgrading, instead thinking that i should go for a watch with some physical buttons for starting/stopping activities rather than touch screen. I see you were getting pretty sweaty too - did you have any issues here?
I love everything about this watch, but gorilla glass is a no go. It's way too easy to scratch especially on a bezel-less design like this. It's a major failure for this to not have sapphire glass imo.
Had a lot of problems getting mine actually. Preordered it but when it got "delivered" there was something inside that wasn't what I ordered and not my watch. I'm assuming FedEX stole my watch but I'm not sure. Anyhow I was able to still get a full refund and I ordered it from Walmart which was delivered a few hours ago. I just turned it on. I previously was using the Pixel Watch 2 as my daily driver. While I have a rather nasty big collection of watches, I do feel like the Pixel Watch has been good to go to work with. I do admit my big reason to upgrade is the new size, I'm glad to be done with the 41mm and while I still would have preferred a 47mm watch, the 45mm feels SO much better then the 41mm. I'd say my biggest complaint right now is I'm tired of them using the prongs for charging and rather they just finally go back to Wireless charging.
Do you know how to get the personal range for the Form Analysis? It says once it has data from 10 runs it will show up. I have run way more than 10 and i dont see it. I also didnt see it on your watch either(at 7:26) even though i assume you have run more than 10 times.
Good video Des, just wondering if the PW3 needs a subscription just to count steps and record basic heart rate without all the extra fitness stuff , I'm old with one foot in the grave😊 , I won't use all that stuff . Cheers .
One thing I forgot to ask in my first comment - I have read that the prior Pixel Watches could not properly detect when you are on ski lift versus when you are skiing a run - can anyone confirm if this was / is a problem with the last version or this one?
Thanks for the review. I have a Samsung Ultra phone and want to get a smartwatch. I'm torn between the Google Pixel Watch 3 and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7. Which one would you recommend?
My only issue with this watch is the fact I noticed that NO ONE accepts Google watches for trading in when purchasing a new watch. Not even Google Fi has any offers for the Google Pixel Watch 2 when buying the Watch 3. This in itself speaks volumes on the market value of the watch. I mean when the company that make the Watch doesn't even offer trade in values on their own products. It makes you wonder if they are just pawning junk off on me that will make more E-Waste
I had to send it back. It lacks the intuitiveness of an Apple watch. hepatic motors are weak. I can barely read when running it should go to a white background for easy view. At the price point they are asking, just isn't worth it. I had to pair it twice with my Pixel phone and i just didn't get a overall pixel phone +Pixel watch smooth integration. I live the quick HR measure tho. The watch needs to be bigger in display. 47mm with a 1.5in display for starters. Maybe next year. Thanks again
I enjoy my PW3 45mm as I like the simplicity of it, but I don't waste my time with its health features as those were immediately disabled and denied permissions to the censors as it gets 4 days of battery life for real smartwatch use. I personally don't use Wear OS for fitness tracking as it's not optimized for that purpose. I also have the Galaxy wlWatch Ultra as it performs better than the PW3, but it also has more bells and whistles and better battery life. Now as for health monitoring on the Eatch Ultra I don't use those features either as those features were immediately disabled, but some say the sensors are more accurate with the PW3. The Watch Ultra does get 5 days of battery life easily though when configured properly.
I have been really happy with this watch. As a Google pixel user and it's awesome, I'm not convinced that's going to replace my Garmin yet, but comparing on runs that I've been on they are pretty close in accuracy when it comes to and distance at the end of the run. Heart rate is almost dead on to my heart rate strap.
Do you know if it has pace training or run training like Garmin?
@@jameelhill9503so far I've only seen recommended runs but nothing about Pace training or run training. I could be wrong on this though.
Hows the garmin body battery different from pixel, by the way which garmin do you jse
Did google mention if they were going to support external heart rate monitors in the future? This would be useful for indoor activities like Jiu-Jitsu or Muay Thai classes where you want to wear an external heart rate monitor and not the watch itself.
No word
Good video from an honest guy and thanks for the information, I have already bought mine and now understand more
Glad the information helped, thanks!
Ditto
Thank you for the review!
Absolutely!
Google needs to work also on altitude and cadence issues. At the beginning of every run altitude goes crazy for a short period of time. Tempo drops to 20 minutes per hour for a few seconds after you switch from run to walk during run ruining average tempo calculation.
@Des Thanks for this review. Recently switched to a Google Pixel 9 Pro XL and picked up the watch. I use it with my Garmin for wireless connectivity and phone free runs. Overall really happy with heart rate accuracy and the GPS tracking was good, not great, but I use my Garmin primarily.
This was great. Thank you!!
Thanks!
Really impressed with this one. Wear os has come a long way since the first gens.
Nice video, thank you. Would you recommend the pw3 over the gw7?
Really good job on the review.
Thanks!
Great review. I had a great time watching it
Thanks!
considering other wearOs devices, this is quite impressive.
Another great review thank you. I have the Garmin Venu 3 and it does seem like for folks like you and Ray from DC Rainmaker who are focused on fitness - the Garmin watches continue to be as good or better than this and you get many more days of battery. Also from what I can see there are more choices for 3rd party watch faces with Garmin that really provide customizable data (yes for a fee). I guess what I can't evaluate well is the smartwatch capabilities that are better with Pixel Watch.. On my Garmin I get my texts and WhatsApp messages with pictures inline and I can reply (on Android) with preset messages or use Google Assistant to reply with more. I am not sure what other smart features I would want but maybe ignorance is bliss here.
I've noticed that when doing vcertain jobs at work my battery life is crap. It finally penetrated my thick skull that its jobs where I twist my wrist alot.
Turned off tilt to wake (which is sad i like that function) and turned down the brightness. Big improvement
In my test runs with the 45mm PW3, I have been experiencing terrible cadence lock on the heart rate monitor. It usually matches my external chest strap perfectly for about 3 to 4 miles then goes into cadence lock crazy mode after and theres nothing I can do to correct it. On the last run I did it was showing 20bps higher than my chest strap for the final 4 miles. This was a big bummer as i was expecting to see very accurate heart rate tracking with the new algorithm. On a positive note, the GPS and pace tracking has been very solid.
You honestly think a watch that always moves around us ever going to be more accurate than a chest strap?😂 Bro that wont ever happen. They can keep adding 50 sensors its still going to move. Its farther away from your heart. Nothing will beat a chest strap. These companies need to break apart an apple watch and just try to mimic it
@@tacticalpencil No, saying the exact opposite. Won't commit to any watch that doesn't support pairing with a chest strap. Google needs to add support.
Great review! Any chance you could tell us how it performs tracking swim workouts? I've heard mixed things about swimming with the older versions.
Great review! The best channel 🎉 I am looking for a new watch to track my sleep , heart rate, ECG and steps. I am between Google Watch 3 or Garmin Venu 3 what is your recommendation between those to watches ? Thanks in advance cheers
Thank you for this thorough review Des. Waiting for the DC Rainmaker's one too :) I'm seriously considering to buy the PW3 because I'm a Pixel 7 owner, but I'm so accustomed with my Garmin FR255 that I'm not convinced about switching to the PW3. Yet, it seems a pretty good Wear OS sport watch, but I think I would continue to use the FR255 for training. So, spending more than €400 to get a nice watch I would use on the right wrist besides the FR, it's definitely a waste of money.
I also have the Pixel 7, recently sold my Forerunner 255 and replaced it with the new PW3 45mm.
Most Fitbit premium tracking features free on PW3, the bigger size, and better battery life now make it a great value to me. I agree that 400 bones is a lot of money for any wearable, so if you can subsidize it somehow to make your out of pocket
@@ungholeDo you guys know what features i dont get if i dont have a pixel phone? I have a samsung and want this watch
@@tacticalpencil I'm not sure. My first guess is Google Wallet?
i have the 45mm LTE and i am getting 2/3 days without using battery saver mode. (battery saver mode also stops notifications) I have location on all day everyday.
Amazing review, thank you
You’re welcome and thanks!
@@DesFitIs there features that i wouldn't get if i have say a samsung phone paired with this pixel watch?
Thank you for mentioning accuracy during weightlifting. I can't bring myself to purchase an expensive Garmin when I don't run much (ok ever)
Yeah I'm definitely getting more than one day. I'm very surprised. I woke up this morning and I had 20% battery life after wearing it for two nights
Hey @desfit. Im coming from four years with a Fenix 6S. I have been contemplating A new Garmin to get some of the training readiness features. Paat I'm not in love with the Phoenix 8 or at least I'm not sure about it. What do you think about jumping over to pixel watch 3? Have you used it for any length of time? My main activities are running, swimming, biking and occasional weight training. But overall, I'm a big fan of the body battery HRV stress and sleep tracking features that Garmin has.
Great video. Is it possible to assess the sleep tracking accuracy of the watch in terms of light, heavy, REM sleep, and awake ?
Thanks for the great review! I have a question: does it has maps integration for courses? Meaning, if I go out on a run, can I see a map in my wrist to follow the course along? For instance, Garmin Forerunner 965 has maps, while 265 only has indications but lacks maps. Does Pixel offer it?
Great video as always, Des! I have the Pixel Watch 1 and have issues with using the screen when I'm sweaty from running. Especially when I go to end the activity, it can sometimes take multiple attempts for the screen to register that I have tapped the 'end activity' option (after I've unlocked the screen, of course). This partly puts me off from upgrading, instead thinking that i should go for a watch with some physical buttons for starting/stopping activities rather than touch screen.
I see you were getting pretty sweaty too - did you have any issues here?
Same touchscreen issue while sweaty unfortunately, but that can be said for nearly any touchscreen device
Hey Desfit, do you think this is a great alternative to the Garmin Forerunner 265? i'm still debating which one to get.
I love everything about this watch, but gorilla glass is a no go. It's way too easy to scratch especially on a bezel-less design like this. It's a major failure for this to not have sapphire glass imo.
Had a lot of problems getting mine actually. Preordered it but when it got "delivered" there was something inside that wasn't what I ordered and not my watch. I'm assuming FedEX stole my watch but I'm not sure. Anyhow I was able to still get a full refund and I ordered it from Walmart which was delivered a few hours ago. I just turned it on. I previously was using the Pixel Watch 2 as my daily driver. While I have a rather nasty big collection of watches, I do feel like the Pixel Watch has been good to go to work with. I do admit my big reason to upgrade is the new size, I'm glad to be done with the 41mm and while I still would have preferred a 47mm watch, the 45mm feels SO much better then the 41mm. I'd say my biggest complaint right now is I'm tired of them using the prongs for charging and rather they just finally go back to Wireless charging.
Hello, can someone answer me, I row at home, is the cadence of the rowing taken into account visually on the watch, thank you.
Why does no one ever test the waterproof features of the watch? Can you do snorkeling, does it have the open water tracking?
Thanks
Body responses is more than stress fyi, it's also excitement as well
Stressful excitement :)
Garmin venu 3 or pixel watch 3 ?
Do you know how to get the personal range for the Form Analysis? It says once it has data from 10 runs it will show up. I have run way more than 10 and i dont see it. I also didnt see it on your watch either(at 7:26) even though i assume you have run more than 10 times.
Does the HR number refresh on the AOD display? Great review as typical!
For me the HR constantly refreshes on the AOD with default watch face. Don't know how it's with other watch faces.
@@culticfrog You mean more than a minute to refresh? Garmin refreshes continuously while Samsung doesn't all with most watch faces.
Are there any apps like WorkOutdoors or Footpath for the Pixel Watch that enable GPX routes?
is there really a difference in 2 and 3 ?? i wanna get one
Good video Des, just wondering if the PW3 needs a subscription just to count steps and record basic heart rate without all the extra fitness stuff , I'm old with one foot in the grave😊 , I won't use all that stuff .
Cheers .
Nope! No subscription needed for nearly everything actually. It’s more of the tailored fitness and training suggestions that require a subscription. 👍
Thanks 🙏🏻
👍
One thing I forgot to ask in my first comment - I have read that the prior Pixel Watches could not properly detect when you are on ski lift versus when you are skiing a run - can anyone confirm if this was / is a problem with the last version or this one?
Thanks for the review. I have a Samsung Ultra phone and want to get a smartwatch. I'm torn between the Google Pixel Watch 3 and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7. Which one would you recommend?
For sports and fitness I'd lean towards the Pixel.
@@DesFit thanks for the quick response. Thanks alot
My only issue with this watch is the fact I noticed that NO ONE accepts Google watches for trading in when purchasing a new watch. Not even Google Fi has any offers for the Google Pixel Watch 2 when buying the Watch 3. This in itself speaks volumes on the market value of the watch. I mean when the company that make the Watch doesn't even offer trade in values on their own products. It makes you wonder if they are just pawning junk off on me that will make more E-Waste
I just love the UI of google … it’s seems so friendly ! Way more than the Apple Watch ! And it can evolve way more than apple “continuity” ecosystems
I like it very much however, they need to improve the OS so it can feel snappy.
Does it work on iphone??
Can you measure oxygen level on demand? Or just in your sleep?
Watch 4 pro huawei vs pixel watch 3?
Definitely great Android smartwatch. Congrats Google.
Great start to the improvements but Google needs to Slim down those Bezels !!
I was almost ready to buy the PW3 until I read reviews on how badly it performs on the treadmill
Does this watch only work with Android?
Yes
No sleep apnea detection and sapphire glass...for this price? any one hand gesture control?
Very unfortunate to hear that the cardio load does not work for Indoor cycling as thats the only cardio i do in the Winter season..
They’re aware of what i experienced, I’m sure it can be remedied with an adjustment to their algorithm
I had to send it back. It lacks the intuitiveness of an Apple watch. hepatic motors are weak. I can barely read when running it should go to a white background for easy view. At the price point they are asking, just isn't worth it. I had to pair it twice with my Pixel phone and i just didn't get a overall pixel phone +Pixel watch smooth integration. I live the quick HR measure tho. The watch needs to be bigger in display. 47mm with a 1.5in display for starters. Maybe next year. Thanks again
I returned mine too. Pixel phone owner since gen1. I'll stick to my garmin
Unfortunately, the design of the watch is lame…but at least it is round, unlike the AW. I still keep my Epix Pro….
Pixel 3 does not have an LTPO display
Yes it does. Check the specs on Google's site.
A day and a half wow..Compared to my Honor watch 3 12 days, forget it,, would not be interested at all.
SUBSCRIPTION ALERT ! $10/month just to see a simplified version of your own data? The best watch, the worst app and subscription.
Need a weeklong battery life on a Pixel watch. Until then, no.
It's really not that hard to charge it once a day
You also promised galaxy watch 7 review seperately also...plz make that asap also.
This battery life is horrible. Im waiting for 7 days smartwatch mode.
Take a seat
Carry on waiting
Should be available in 2049. Eagerly anticipating.
Okay eternal waiting
I enjoy my PW3 45mm as I like the simplicity of it, but I don't waste my time with its health features as those were immediately disabled and denied permissions to the censors as it gets 4 days of battery life for real smartwatch use. I personally don't use Wear OS for fitness tracking as it's not optimized for that purpose. I also have the Galaxy wlWatch Ultra as it performs better than the PW3, but it also has more bells and whistles and better battery life. Now as for health monitoring on the Eatch Ultra I don't use those features either as those features were immediately disabled, but some say the sensors are more accurate with the PW3. The Watch Ultra does get 5 days of battery life easily though when configured properly.
Thanks for the review!
Sure thing!