Introduction : In this article, we are going to check the specifications and features. We will also get to a short Google Pixel Watch 2 review at the end.
Ever since Google bought Fitbit, they have been heavily revolutionising the way smartwatch industry works. They took over the hardware, watches, Fitbit application and remodelled it the way they want with Google Pixel watches. The first generation wasn’t really a deal breaker because of the old processor it had, and the very poor battery life but we all know Google was testing the market without putting much effort, same as they did with the initial Google Pixle phones. Google Phones are competing with Samsung and Apple now, and they are planning to do the same with smartwatches.
The latest addition to it was Google Pixel Watch 2 – a beautifully designed smartwatch with added censors for more precision, fast charging with more than 24 hours of battery life even with always ON display, stress management, and real time support. Let us take a dive in what Google Pixel Watch 2 offers.
Specifications
Pixel Watch 2 is available in 4 colors – blue, black, hazel and silver in simple language. Google has this habit of coming up with strange names though. These watches are made of 100% aluminium, weigh about 31gm without a band, and features a 41mm size in diameter. Display is made of 3D Corning Gorilla Glass 5 – less scratches and no need of putting a lamination.
Support for Bluetooth 5.0, WiFi, and NFC is available which comes handy when you want to do a payment without having the need of taking out your phone.
Google Pixel watches will run well with any Android devices running Android 9 and above. I really love the fast charging feature, it allows you to charge your watch by 50% under 30 min and can be real helpful in the morning when you are in a hurry and need it to last for next 12 hours till you are back home. If I own a smartwatch, I want to always wear it and not doing so for 2-3 hours when the device is charging basically beats the purpose.
Watch 2 runs on Wear OS 4.0, has a 32GB storage and 2 GB of RAM. The usuals are included – Compass, Altimeter, SpO2 monitoring, Electrical Sensors that are compatible with ECG apps, heart rate sensors, gyroscope, light sensor, skin temperature sensor, barometer and magnetometer. There’s a built in microphone and speaker as well.
What’s in the box
A watch, a USB Type C Fast charging cable, two bands – a small one and a large one to cover everyone, and a quick starter guide. You must have a Google account though to use these watches and requires Google Pixel Watch App.
Google Pixel Watch 2 review
Overall, it’s a pretty decently designed watch with an excellent battery life that you can charge while taking a shower and it will last for the day. Some of the things it offers like sleep tracking, exercise duration, heartbeat monitoring are pretty accurate and lets you understand how your body functions.
The downside? The Fitbit app. Some of the features of Google Pixel Watch 2 are behind a paywall and you would have to upgrade to Fitbit Premium to access it. I believe if someone is shelling out a huge amount for a watch, the manufacturer should be kind enough to provide the analysis and features free of cost. You are basically charging me double for the same thing.
Another downside of the WatchOs is that you would have to start an activity manually and it doesn’t do it by it’s own. So, if you decide to take a run, you would have to turn on the exercise mode and let it know you are going to run. You then need to shutdown the tracking once you have completed your run. I think a smartwatch should be smart enough to enough you are taking a run / cycling / walk just like it does with your sleep.