The Google Pixel Watch is a supercharged Fitbit with a $349 price tag

After months of waiting, we now have all the details regarding Google's debut smartwatch
Google Pixel Watch
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Following a summer of endless leaks, Google's debut smartwatch - the Pixel Watch - has finally been given a full announcement and release.

The $349 watch was first teased back at Google I/O in May, with the company officially unveiling all the details in its 'Made by Google' event.

There's plenty of new information to dive into, as well, with the company revealing that the Pixel Watch will feature 24-hour battery life, a one-size-fits-all 41mm case and extensive Google service integrations.

> Definitive verdict: Garmin Pixel Watch full review 

The first true Fitbit smartwatch

The real story, however, is the Pixel Watch's tracking experience.

While we knew that Fitbit would power the fitness tracking experience, we were surprised by the scale of the integration – with the Pixel Watch appearing to be is a true Fitbit in its own right.

As well as providing real-time heart rate tracking and all the usual insights, the Pixel Watch features Fitbit's ECG app, which means it's able to offer detection of Afib.

GooglePixel Watch and Fitbit

The smartwatch's heart rate monitor is also able to take a measurement once per second - something the company claims is Fitbit's most accurate tracking experience yet.

On stage, James Park also cited Google's expertise in machine learning and AI, which the algorithms use to remove noise from the wrist-based heart rate signal and improve responsiveness and accuracy.

The Pixel Watch feeds straight into the Fitbit app, and you get the full gamut of insights, such as Daily Readiness (Premium only) Sleep Stages, and access to the Health Metrics Dashboard, which tracks breathing rate, heart rate variability and more within personalized baselines.

The Pixel Watch also follows the Apple Watch, with emergency SOS calls and a fall detection feature that will arrive next year.

Arguably, the Pixel Watch is Fitbit's first proper smartwatch – trumping the Versa 4 and Sense 2 with the benefits of a fully-fledged App Store and support for Google's services.

Smartwatch functionality and battery life

GooglePixel Watch and Fitbit

In terms of smartwatch functionality, Google also teased integrations with the Google Home app, turn-by-turn directions through Google Maps, offline streaming through YoutTube Music, and notifications from Google Calendar.

Add this to the decent coverage of third-party apps available already through Wear OS, such as Spotify and Strava, and the Pixel Watch is shaping up to be a fairly complete device.

In terms of design, we're still waiting to see just how chunky the bezel is around the Pixel Watch's curved display.

What we do know, though, is that there'll be three case colors to choose from - black, silver and gold - and a host of strap options, with metal, leather and silicone bands teased.

However, battery life does seem underwhelming – and this area will be a focus of our testing. James Park quoted 24 hours of battery life - roughly still the norm for the Apple Watch and Samsung Galaxy Watch models.

Apple only quotes 18 hours of battery life, although we've consistently achieved in excess of 36 hours in our testing, so we're interested to see if the Pixel Watch produces something similar.

Google indicates the Pixel Watch will be on sale on 13 October, with pre-orders beginning today. It will come with six months of Fitbit Premium for free, with the cellular model starting at $399.

Stay tuned for our full verdict over the next few weeks.


How we test



Conor Allison

By

Conor moved to Wareable Media Group in 2017, initially covering all the latest developments in smartwatches, fitness trackers, and VR. He made a name for himself writing about trying out translation earbuds on a first date and cycling with a wearable airbag, as well as covering the industry’s latest releases.

Following a stint as Reviews Editor at Pocket-lint, Conor returned to Wareable Media Group in 2022 as Editor-at-Large. Conor has become a wearables expert, and helps people get more from their wearable tech, via Wareable's considerable how-to-based guides. 

He has also contributed to British GQ, Wired, Metro, The Independent, and The Mirror. 


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