Pixel Watch 2: Real-World Review After Over a Year of Use (english version)
After more than a year using the Pixel Watch 2, I’m sharing my honest experience—highlighting its strengths, limitations, and whether it’s worth investing in this smartwatch.
The Good: Features That Simplify Everyday Life~
Google Assistant Always On: Instant access to sports updates and your calendar right from your wrist.
Smart Home Control: If you have Google Home devices, you can control them directly from the watch. For example, “Ok Google, turn on the living room lights” or “Ok Google, what’s the temperature in the bedroom?” There’s even a shortcut on the watch to check the status of your smart devices.
Navigation with Google Maps: Having Google Maps on your wrist is incredibly useful for walking directions. You get turn-by-turn navigation with vibrations and on-screen cues—no need to pull out your phone while exploring a new city.
Accurate Activity Tracking: For those who like to stay active, the optical heart rate sensor is impressively accurate for running and cycling. The heart rate data is reliable, which is crucial for effective training.
Active Minutes: This metric is much more relevant than just counting steps, as it tracks the time you spend in heart rate zones that truly promote fat burning and cardiovascular improvement. Instead of stressing over 10,000 slow steps, you can focus on achieving at least 30 minutes in zone 2 or higher.
Cardio Load Metrics: These help you understand the impact of your workouts on your cardiovascular system, allowing you to adjust intensity and volume intelligently.
Exclusive Optical Sensor: A major limitation is that the optical heart rate sensor seems exclusive to the Fitbit app. If you want to use another fitness app (like Nike Run Club) to track your heart rate, it’s not possible. You’re forced to choose between Fitbit’s features and your preferred training app.
Limited App Store: The app store is fairly generic and offers significantly fewer apps compared to the Apple Watch. Popular banking apps are missing, and messaging apps are limited (for example, you can’t watch WhatsApp videos).
GPS Issues: Initially, GPS performance was problematic, but it improved after updates. Google Maps on the watch is a big help when traveling and searching for locations.
Battery Life—Just One Day: The battery lasts about a day, meaning you need to charge it daily. The real issue arises when apps run in the background, especially GPS, which can drain the battery rapidly—even shutting the watch off with 60% charge remaining. Tip: If your battery is draining too quickly, restart the watch to ensure it tracks your sleep overnight.
Night-Only Temperature Sensor: The body temperature sensor only works at night. I recently had a fever, and the watch didn’t detect it—possibly due to medication—but only having nighttime temperature data seems of limited use.
Fitbit Premium with Limited Workouts: Fitbit Premium offers daily exercises and walking workouts, but for runners, it would be great to see longer outdoor running workouts (over 40 minutes) with motivation and interval phases. Note: Basic fitness tracking works without a Premium subscription, but some advanced features are paywalled.
Low-Quality Charger: The included USB-C charger is questionable in quality. I’m already on my third cable—the first stopped charging, and the current one is showing intermittent contact issues (not working anymore). Compared to my phone’s cable, the watch charger is noticeably thinner and less robust.
Confusing Stress Metric: The stress metric never felt clear or particularly useful to me.
The upcoming Pixel Watch 3 promises more running metrics, like custom workout creation and ground contact time—features that are missing from this model.
Note that the Pixel Watch 2 is not designed for high-performance athletes seeking advanced training insights. This watch is best suited for people who want to improve their overall health and maintain an active lifestyle.
Other Alternatives:
Apple Watch: More apps and tighter iOS integration, but less relevant for Android users.
Garmin: Superior battery life and sports metrics, but less Google integration, and this should be the choice for high-performance athletes.
Conclusion
Overall, the Pixel Watch 2 with Google Assistant offers useful features for daily life, especially when it comes to instant information, smart home control, and activity tracking. However, there are notable limitations: the exclusive optical sensor, a limited app store, and occasional GPS and battery issues. If you’re focused on fitness and want to use other sports apps, this may not be the best choice. But if you value Google Assistant integration and the basics, it could be a solid option—just weigh its pros and cons carefully.
This review provides a balanced view based on extended real-world use, helping you decide if the Pixel Watch 2 fits your needs.
Comments
Post a Comment