Google Pixel Watch 3 is official: Everything you need to know

Google has taken the wrappers off the Pixel Watch 3 – its Wear OS 5 smartwatch that will go head-to-head with the Galaxy Watch 7.

The key change this year is the addition of a new 45mm size, which joins the existing 41mm version. This means there will be multiple size options for Pixel watch buyers for the first time, and the addition will suit those with larger wrists.

But sadly the new size will not yield larger battery life. Despite running a Snapdragon Wear 5100 processor, the Pixel Watch 3 still features a single-day battery life – rising to 36 hours in battery saver mode. That’s unchanged from the Pixel Watch 2. You can read our Pixel Watch 3 vs Pixel Watch 2 comparison here.

Read on for a full run down of the new features and specs.

Compared: Pixel Watch 3 vs Samsung Galaxy Watch 7

Tl;dr: Pixel Watch 3 launch in brief

• Pixel Watch 3 41mm will be $349/£349 and an LTE version will be $100/£100 on top of that.
• Pixel Watch 3 45mm will land for $399/£399 with the same premium for LTE.
• New 45mm case size joins 41mm 
• Larger screens 
• Still single day battery life
• New running analytics and recommended workouts
• Training load analysis and daily readiness
• Loss of pulse detection joins safety features
• Expanded Fitbit features including running dashboard and Fitbit Morning Brief

Better screen tech

As well as the new size, the screens are all change too. The AMOLED display (resolution and sizes TBC) now punch out at 2,000 nits and the display runs closer to the bezel. That means the 41mm Pixel’s display is 10% bigger than the equivalent Pixel Watch 2. 

New safety features

The main addition is a new safety feature called “Loss of Pulse Detection.” Much like we’ve seen from car crash and fall detection across smartwatches, the Pixel Watch will call emergency services with your location data if it detects your pulse has stopped, and you are motionless. This will use the LTE if available, or your paired smartphone, if it’s with you.

There’s also a big push towards health and fitness, especially running – and many of these features form part of an expanded Fitbit ecosystem.

As included with Wear OS 5, there are a host of new supported running dynamics metrics, such as tracking of vertical oscillation (how much you move up and down during running), stride length, and ground contact time. This all feeds into a new running dashboard of the Fitbit app, which we’re looking forward to getting stuck into.

Readiness and training insights

A new readiness score makes it to the Pixel Watch 3, as we’ve seen across smartwatches over the past few years. And like watchOS 11, there’s also Cardio Load that shows how much you’re training and whether it’s time to take a break.

The new Target Load metric will also help guide you on today’s training, and there are also recommended workouts too, which are part of an expanded Fitbit Premium. Subscribers to the platform, which costs $9.99 per month, can also access workouts provided by Peloton.

An expanded Fitbit experience

On top of daily readiness, there’s also a new Fitbit Morning Brief, which will offer an overview of your sleep, record, training plans, and whether any of your key metrics are out of line against your established baselines. This seems like an expansion of what was formerly the Fitbit Health Metrics Dashboard.

The Pixel Watch 3 offers integration with the Google ecosystem. Support for Nest Cam and Doorbell, Google TV and remote camera control for Pixel phone’s camera fare onboard. 

Google AI can also manage calls, and record memos or songs on the go, which can be accessed later on your watch or phone.

Same battery life woes

Curiously, despite running a 420 mAh battery that’s 35% larger than the 307 mAh battery on the 41mm Pixel 3, Google does not state a longer expected battery life for the larger 45mm model. We’re hoping that when we get the Pixel 3 45mm into our testing lab we’ll get better performance, but the numbers are a little disappointing at this stage.

Google states that battery life with the always-on display enabled is 24 hours, rising to 36 hours with a Battery Saver mode enabled, which keeps all the main health functionality turned on.

Wareable says

The Pixel Watch 3 isn’t a revolutionary update – but the addition of a larger size was high on our wish list. We found the 41mm Pixel 2 too small we be a winner for larger, male wrists, and we expect the jump in screen size to be an enjoyable improvement for lots of people (men).

It’s s shame that with extra size doesn’t come extra battery life, and it’s still only good for a single day with the always-on display. That’s the same as a Apple Watch Series 9 or Galaxy Watch 7 – but we’ve seen the likes of OnePlus and Mobvoi push the envelope to multi-day – and it’s a sheer Google couldn’t show us what Wear nOS is really capable of.

The addition of the fitness, readiness and running analytics are welcome. But the most interesting aspect is how these play into an expanding Fitbit ecosystem – which still feels like the most exciting aspect of owning a Pixel Watch.

We’ll be looking forward to putting the Pixel up against the competition in our full review.

Pixel Watch 3 specs