The Google Pixel Watch 3 is finally here and it won’t be long before consumers have the watch around their wrists. While not a ton has changed with the Pixel Watch 3 in terms of overall design, there are more than a few changes in general. Not the least of which is a brand-new offering that gives you a bigger display.
The bigger display is only a small part of what’s new, however, and if you’re considering the Pixel Watch 3 as an upgrade, or for your first smartwatch, then you probably want to know everything you need to know about it. And that’s what this post is for. We’ll go over everything that you need to know about the Google Pixel Watch 3 so by the time you’re ready to make a purchase, you’ll know if this is the right watch for you or not.
This post will also serve as a general guide for all the important details for anyone who’s already set on getting the watch and just wants to know more about it. So with that said, let’s get into it.
What is the Google Pixel Watch 3?
The Google Pixel Watch 3 is Google’s latest smartwatch and it’s part of the Pixel ecosystem. Like other smartwatches, it can track all kinds of activities, send you smartphone notification alerts, and even track your stress, sleep, and heart rate.
It’s a great companion device to your smartphone just for things like heart rate tracking and notifications alone. The notification alerts in particular are likely the most useful thing about a smartwatch. Mostly because it’s just easier to lift your wrist and see what the notifications is than pull your phone out of your pocket, purse, or bag.
Of course, the Pixel Watch 3 is also a watch, so you can use it just like any old standard watch as well. To tell time.
When can you pre-order/buy the Google Pixel Watch 3?
You can buy the Google Pixel Watch 3 starting today actually. Google always tends to open up orders for its newest devices the same day as the announcement, and this device is no different. That being said, the watches are not shipping today. So while you can pay for them, these are just pre-orders. The Google Pixel Watch 3 will officially launch on a separate date, meaning you’ll have to wait a little while longer before you can start using it.
When does the Google Pixel Watch 3 officially launch?
With pre-orders opening up on August 13, the official launch of the watch isn’t happening until several weeks later. The watch will be on store shelves both physically and online on September 10. So you’re looking at a wait of almost a month from the announcement date before it’s available out of a pre-order phase.
How many models of the Google Pixel Watch 3 are there?
There are two models of Google’s watch this year. There’s the 41mm Pixel Watch 3 and the 45mm Pixel Watch 3. Each of those also comes in two versions. The Wi-Fi version and the LTE version.
How much will it cost?
This will depend on which version you get. The Google Pixel Watch 3 will start at $349, and this will be for the 41mm WiFi version of the watch. The price goes up to $449 if you want the LTE version. If you want the larger size, 45mm model, the price starts at $399 for the WiFi version and it goes up to $499 if you want the LTE Version.
It’s worth pointing out that some retailers may have special deals or promotions that lower these costs. However, that will depend on the retailer. This is what you’re looking at at full price. So if you go into the purchase with these prices in mind, any savings is just the cherry on top.
Where can you buy the Google Pixel Watch 3?
You’ll be able to buy the Google Pixel Watch 3 in several regions at various retailers in those regions. For the purposes of this guide, we’re only listing the retailers for the US. For US consumers, you can buy the Pixel Watch 3 at the Google Store, as well as on Amazon, Best Buy, and at the three major wireless carriers, which include T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon.
Smaller big box retailers may also end up carrying the watch but these are your main go-to options.
- Google Store – 41mm Wi-Fi | 45mm Wi-Fi | 41mm LTE | 45mm LTE
- Amazon – 41mm Wi-Fi | 45mm Wi-Fi | 41mm LTE | 45mm LTE
- Best Buy – 41mm Wi-Fi | 45mm Wi-Fi | 41mm LTE | 45mm LTE
- AT&T – 41mm LTE | 45mm LTE
- T-Mobile 41mm LTE | 45mm LTE
- Verizon – 41mm LTE | 45mm LTE
What are the specs?
Some of the specs for the Google Pixel Watch 3 are the same as last year’s Pixel Watch 2. However, more than a few of the specs have changed as well. So let’s go over all of that here.
Display
To start things off, the Pixel Watch 3 comes with a new, larger display size option. You can still buy the 41mm model, but the display size has actually gotten slightly bigger here. Technically. It now has 16% less bezel than the Pixel Watch 2. You can also now buy the larger 45mm model which does come with a larger display size. Google does not list the exact display size in inches though.
One major display improvement is the screen brightness. The Google Pixel Watch 3 has a peak brightness of 2,000 nits compared to the 1,000 nits on the Pixel Watch 2. This means the Pixel Watch 3 is twice as bright as its predecessor. There’s also now a minimum brightness of 1 nit. Additionally, both sizes of the watch will be using an Actua Display LTPO panel protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5, with 320ppi and a 60Hz Always-On-Display.
Battery
The battery is the same this year for the 41mm model but the 45mm model will come with a larger capacity battery. This isn’t likely to impact battery life too much, though. The larger battery is likely to make up for the larger display and this, the larger amount of battery drain from it. You will get a 306mAh battery in the 41mm watch, and a larger 420mAh battery in the 45mm model. Battery life will be up to 24 hours on a single charge or up to 36 hours if you disable the Always-On-Display and put the watch into Battery Saver mode.
This is up from 32 hours on the Pixel Watch 2. So battery life did get a little better this year. These amounts are the same regardless of which size watch you choose.
Storage and Memory
The storage and memory are both the same as last year’s Pixel Watch 2 so you’ll get 32GB of storage for apps and 2GB of memory.
Chipset
The Google Pixel Watch 3 will be using a Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 5100 chipset. It will also be using a Cortex M33 co-processor.
Audio
The smartwatch has a built-in microphone and a built-in speaker.
Sensors
The Google Pixel Watch 3 has a plethora of sensors to help it track all kinds of stuff. This includes a compass, an altimeter, Red and Infrared sensors for Oxygen Saturation monitoring, Multipurpose electrical sensors that work with the ECG app, a Multi-Path optical heart rate sensor, a 3-axis accelerometer, a Gyroscope, an ambient light sensor, an Electrical sensor for measuring skin conductance for body response tracking, a Skin Temperature sensor, a Barometer, and a Magnetometer.
Interaction
Other than the touchscreen, you have a few other types of interaction. This includes the premium haptics (which work in accordance with the screen), the haptic crown, and the side button.
Durability and Water Resistance
As mentioned in the display section, the screen is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5. The Google Pixel Watch 3 also has a 5ATM rating and an IP68 rating for water resistance.
What comes in the box?
In the box, you will get the Google Pixel Watch 3 with small and large sizes of the Active Band, a USB-C fast-charging cable, and the Quick Start Guide.
What version of Wear OS does the Google Pixel Watch 3 run on?
The Google Pixel Watch 3 will run on Wear OS 5 right out of the box. This makes it the second smartwatch that runs on the Wear OS platform to run on Wear OS 5. The first smartwatches to launch with this newer version of the software were Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 7 and Galaxy Watch Ultra. We’re counting these as one watch since they’re technically part of the same series.
Wear OS 5 comes with some changes but for the most part, things are the same for now. The biggest change is that Wear OS 5 smartwatches use a new watch face protocol called the Watch Face Format. This changes a few things with the watch face but most importantly it means that old watch faces cannot be downloaded to the Google Pixel Watch 3. This could mean you’ll be stuck with what comes on the watch out of the box until developers get things changed up to be compatible.
What are the new features?
The Google Pixel Watch 3 will have all of the stuff you may know and love from the Pixel Watch 2. Things like Fall Detection and other safety measures are of course present, as are all of the activity tracking features. Google is also bringing in a handful of new features that will be exclusive to the Pixel Watch 3. These new features include a revamped Readiness Score, Cardio Load, Target Load, Morning Brief, and AI-powered Run Recommendations. A breakdown of each can be found below.
Readiness Score
Readiness Score is technically not a new feature. However, it has been revamped and revitalized. So that it can provide even more usefulness to you in your daily routines. First off, one big change is that it’s no longer required to have Fitbit Premium to gain access to the Readiness Score. This will be available to all Google Pixel Watch 3 users. That’s already a very nifty change because it’ll save you money every month, provided there isn’t anything else that Fitbit Premium offers that you’re interested in.
The all-new version of the Readiness Score is more personalized to you and designed to be more in tune with your body’s readiness state based on various factors. When you see your Readiness Score, you might be wondering how the Pixel Watch 3 comes to that conclusion. Well, the watch can track your sleep, your heart rate, and your heart variability. The watch will now use this tracked data to give you a Readiness Score. This way you can be more aware of your body’s state of recovery.
It’s all in preparation for maximizing your performance so you don’t train or exercise too much.
Cardio Load
Cardio Load is the next feature and this is a new one, but it works hand-in-hand with your readiness level. It does this by showing you how hard your heart is working during these increased levels of exertion. Additionally, Cardio Load tracks information like how hard your heart is working during exercise. The feature does this in real-time so you know if you’re doing too much or not enough.
It can also tell you if you’re improving or not. These insights can ensure you’re on the right track to becoming a healthier version of yourself.
Target Load
The Target Load goes hand-in-hand with the Cardio Load just like Cardio Load is linked to your Readiness level. Each day, the Pixel Watch 3 will look at your Readiness level and give you a Target Load to hit. The Target Load will show you what impacted your Readiness level, if anything, and help you to improve in those areas. It also looks at things like resting heart rate, heart rate variability, and sleep to determine what your Target Load should be.
Morning Brief
The new Fitbit Morning Brief feature might be one of the most important new additions coming with the Google Pixel Watch 3. Think of this as a digest or a roundup of sorts of all your most important health metrics. Your Readiness Score, how well you slept, and the progress you’re making toward your weekly goals will all be listed in this brief every single morning.
The Morning Brief also tells you if certain health metrics are out of your range. Specifically, things like heart rate variability, breathing rate, and SpO2. In addition to the health insights, the Morning Brief will also give you details on non-health-related information, such as the weather for the day. It can also tell you if you need to focus more on getting better rest in the upcoming evening so you’re more prepared for the next day.
Loss of Pulse Detection
The Loss of Pulse Detection is a first-of-its-kind feature for smartwatches and is debuting on the Pixel Watch 3. A loss of pulse is an event that can happen due to various factors like cardiac arrest, overdose or poisoning, and respiratory or circulatory failure. Because these events can often happen when people are alone, however, people don’t always get the life-saving help they need.
The Loss of Pulse Detection can detect if there’s been a loss of pulse from the wearer, then place a call to emergency services to get help. It can also send an automated message with more context like the wearer’s location. Loss of Pulse Detection will only be available in the UK and in certain countries in the EU at launch. However, Google does say it’s working with regulatory bodies to expand support for the feature in other countries.
AI-Powered Run Recommendations
We’ll just start this off by saying that you will be required to have Fitbit Premium for this feature. If you subscribe to Fitbit Premium, then each day you’ll end up with run recommendations that are powered by AI. These recommendations are personalized to you. Which means that they’re based on your tracked data. Things like your Readiness levels and Target Load play a factor. As do your own personal goals that you set.
The more you interact with the other new features, the more you’ll get recommendations. So use the Target Load and all the other stuff often.
New non-fitness-related features
The features above are, of course, just the fitness features. There are some new non-fitness features too. One of the cooler new features caters to those with the Nest Cam or Nest Video Doorbell. Instead of just getting a notification about activity in front of your Nest Camera or Nest Doorbell, you will now be able to see the video feeds from them. You can also press a microphone button on the watch display when that feed comes up that lets you talk to the person in front of the camera.
There’s also a new Auto Bedtime Mode. This is one of my favorite new features personally because of how it works. As the name of the feature suggests, Auto Bedtime Mode will automatically recognize when you fall asleep and enable Bedtime Mode to conserve battery. Which is really quite genius because a lot of people are no doubt going to wear the watch to bed for sleep tracking. This ensures they’ll wake up with more battery life left and a shorter charging time.
Other features of the Pixel Watch 3 include using it as a Google TV remote. There’s also a recorder app, a Home actions tile, expanded Call Assist, and Uwb watch unlock.
Will the Google Pixel Watch 3 work with non-Pixel phones?
Yes. The Google Pixel Watch 3 will work with non-Pixel phones. There are some added integrations with Pixel phones but you do not need a Pixel phone such as the Pixel 9 to use it. So if you prefer a different Android phone brand, you can still use this watch. It’s really no different from how Samsung watches work with non-Samsung phones, but they do have benefits if you stay within the brand ecosystem.
What colors does the watch come in?
google’s Pixel Watch 3 comes in a variety of color options but since there are two sizes this year, there will be some colors that are unique to each size. Both sizes of the watch will come in a Matte Black Aluminum case with an Obsidian band and a Polished Silver Aluminum case with a Porcelain band. The 41mm will also come in a Champagne Gold Aluminum case with a Hazel band, and a Polished Silver Aluminum case with a Rose Quartz band.
The 45mm will have one extra color option – a Matte Hazel Aluminum case with a Hazel band. Google will also have a variety of different band styles to choose from as optional purchases. Each comes in a number of colors to spice things up with the style.
Will Google offer any new watch band options?
There will be a collection of new watch band colors in the already available watch band styles that Google offers with the Pixel Watch 2. So far Google has not officially announced any new band styles that will launch alongside the Pixel Watch 3.
But all of the current watch bands are compatible with the Pixel Watch 3 because Google hasn’t changed the connection system. The only exception to this rule is likely going to be the 45mm model, which may end up not being able to use bands from the Pixel Watch 2 because of the bigger watch case size. Google so far has not confirmed if the band connection system on the 45mm model is the same size as the previous watches.
Should you buy the Google Pixel Watch 3?
This will really depend on a few things. The Pixel Watch is always best for those who use a Google Pixel phone thanks to the added integration. However, you can use the Pixel Watch 3 with any device type. If you’re planning to buy the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, or Pixel 9 Pro Fold, or you already have a Pixel 8 or even a Pixel 7, a Pixel Watch 3 will definitely be a good pairing.
It might be a tough sell if you’re already using a Pixel Watch 2 since there aren’t a massive amount of differences. There is one major reason to go with the new watch. And that’s the new larger model. The Pixel Watches have always lacked a larger display option and while that didn’t bother everyone, many wished for a larger size watch with a slightly bigger display. Similar to what Samsung has done with its Galaxy Watch lineup. Now Google has finally listened, bumping up the Pixel Watch 3 to a 45mm model.
Google will still offer the 41mm size too. But since the larger model has never been offered before, if it’s something you’ve wanted, then this is a big reason to buy it even if you have last year’s Pixel Watch 2. Either way, only you can decide if the Pixel Watch 3 is worth buying. We personally think it’s a great upgrade though, especially for the larger size.