Hey, Stef here from TechNuovo, and in this video, I wanted to talk today about the Google Pixel watch. Now I’ve been wearing the Google Pixel Watch now, on and off for the past few months, really because the battery life on this thing is pretty terrible so on and off is really all I can manage. But I wanted to share my thoughts on some of the best features available on the device.
Fitbit Integration
I’ve been using a Fitbit now for quite some time. Last year, 2022, I decided to begin looking after myself as lockdown saw the pounds slowly creep on. You know being stuck at home all day, literally eating through boredom, wasn’t really the best. I used a Charge 5, the little bracelet watch from Fitbit before, and it worked well for what I needed. But having that Fitbit integration on my Google Watch is just absolute quality. Google now owns Fitbit, and has done since the beginning of 2021, so it’s no surprise it’s on the phone. I can keep up with my health tracking, it has a heartbeat sensor, and I can track my workouts all from one place. It has around 40 preset workouts to choose from which can be synced to the watch from the Fitbit App, though disappointingly, a dedicated workout for football for some reason isn’t on there when literally every other sport you can think of is for some reason. And it also has features like food and water intake tracking, an ECG, sleep tracking to tell me if I’m getting enough shut-eye, and many other features. It’s a real pro that Google decided to integrate Fitbit.
Google Pay
So you’ve just nipped into your local supermarket, pick up some bits and start heading to the checkout. You realise you’ve not got your phone or your wallet on you. You think about how you’re going to pay for your goods. It’s chucking it down with rain outside and you really don’t fancy that dash back to the car. Not to worry if you’ve got a Google Pixel watch on your wrist, as it now comes with Google Pay. You can physically tap your watch onto the little card reader device like you would your contactless card and pay for your goods that way. You’ll also get a notification too telling you how much you’ve just spent. The bonus is that if you’ve already set up Google Pay and contactless payments on your phone, it’ll transfer seamlessly over to your watch. You’ve got to confirm some security questions and that but it’s no big deal. It’s a very simple setup. And better yet, you can have multiple cards attached to your watch, much like your phone.
Wear OS 3.5
The Google Pixel watch comes with a version of Wear OS which is 3.5 and it’s been made to integrate Google Services at every turn, and it’s laid out pretty seamlessly as it’s all in a tile-like fashion. You swipe and twist the dial on the right to navigate menus, and the screen itself is super bright and super clear so you can get all the information you need right in front of you. Some stand-out features to Wear OS 3.5 include Maps, which puts directions right on your wrist, so you don’t have to keep getting your phone out of your pocket or follow the screen as you’re walking through busy streets. The other great feature is having your Google Assistant on your wrist so you can give it instructions on things you need, like saving a calendar entry or changing a track on Spotify or turning on a smart light in your home.
Remote Camera Screen
The remote camera screen is a pretty unique feature on the Google Pixel Watch. It shows you a copy of what your camera on your phone is showing, and in pretty decent real-time too. The quality of the watch screen isn’t very sharp, but it’s clear enough to see in direct sunlight if you’re outside. So if you’re trying to frame up a photo from range, you can check the screen on your watch, to ensure that you’re actually taking a photo. It comes default with a three-second timer so you can click the shutter button and pose, so there’s no worry about missing a shot.
The Google Play Store
And of course, finally, the Google Play Store is available on the watch, which offers Google Pixel Watch-specific apps, and there are loads to choose from. From fitness to nutrition to sleep tracking, to specific golf tracking apps, a calculator, and music streaming services like Amazon Music, Deezer, and as I said, there are just loads of apps to choose from.
But it’s not all singing and dancing…
The Google Pixel Watch is a fantastic bit of kit, it really is. It looks great, feels great, has a great screen, and has been built really well But, I feel like in my experience that the watch is incredibly hindered by its battery life or lack thereof. I mean I’m reaching for my charger every two days, and for a smartwatch, that’s supposed to track every aspect of your life, you could potentially be missing some valuable time. I’ve woken up several times so far with a dead watch, from where I’ve worn it to track my sleep, and it’s run out of juice throughout the night. I’ve tried reducing the brightness of the screen by some margin, which is okay if you’re not using it on a regular basis and it’s literally acting as a watch, but if you’re going to be using it for apps, checking emails and texts or following it while walking around for directions, then you’re going to have to sacrifice your sleep tracking later on in the evening as you’re going to be charging your watch overnight for the next day. From dead to 100% battery, you’re looking at an 80-minute charging time, so if you’re prepared to charge it at intervals throughout the day, then you should be okay. Google states that the watch should last for around 24 hours, which should consider sleep tracking, and this time is based on the following usage: 240 notifications. 280-time checks.
So, yeah, the Google Pixel Watch, it’s great and I much prefer it over my Fitbit Charge 5. But the battery life sucks, and that needs sorting out on the next iteration for sure. Let us know your comments below if you own a Google Pixel Watch, or which smart watch you prefer to use for your lifestyle. Have I’ll good one, and we’ll see you in another video very soon.
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