Revisiting the Pixel Watch 3 one year later: is it still the best?

Digital Trends

3 days ago

It's been almost a year since Google announced the Pixel Watch 3. The third-generation smartwatch was the first to feature closer integration with the beloved Fitbit platform, following Google's acquisition of Fitbit a couple of years prior.
Our Pixel Watch 3 review found that Google's latest smartwatch is one of the best on the market, thanks to its larger size, excellent build quality, smaller bezels, impressive battery life, useful running features, and robust health tracking capabilities.
Google is widely expected to unveil a new Pixel Watch 4 next month alongside the Pixel 10 series, but a year on from its launch – and with even more competition on the market – is the Pixel Watch 3 still as beloved as it was last year?
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Let's revisit Google's third-generation smartwatch to find out. First, a quick reminder of the Pixel Watch 3 specifications.
Size and Weight 41mm: 41 x 41 x 12.3mm, 31g without strap
45mm: 45 x 45 x 12.3mm, 37g without strap Display 41mm: 1.3-inch
45mm: 1.7-inch
Corning Gorilla Glass 5
2,000 nits peak brightness
1-60Hz dynamic refresh rate
Always-on display Durability IP685ATM (~50 meters) water resistance Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 5100
Cortex M33 co-processor RAM and storage 2GB RAM
32GB storage Software Wear OS 5.0 Battery 41mm: 306mAh
45mm: 420mAh Connectivity 4G LTE, Bluetooth 5.3, 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax, NFC, Ultra-Wideband Materials and colors Polished silver aluminum with 'Rose Quartz' Active band (41mm only)
Polished silver aluminum with 'Porcelain' white Active band
Matte black aluminum with 'Obsidian' black Active band
Champagne gold aluminum with 'Hazel' green Active band Price 41mm: $349 (Wi-Fi only) / $449 LTE)
45mm: $399 (Wi-Fi only) / $449 (LTE)
Class-leading in battery life, but not in charging
The Pixel Watch 3 features a 420 mAh battery, which isn't the best among its rivals. However, in my testing, the Pixel Watch 3 has proven to have the best battery life.
In our smartwatch battery test, the Pixel Watch 3 lasted for 52 hours and 30 minutes on a full charge, which is significantly better than the Apple Watch Series 10 (38 hours and 30 minutes) and the Galaxy Watch 7 (43 hours). Samsung has just unveiled the new Galaxy Watch 8 series, and in my testing, the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic comes close to the Pixel Watch 3, but Google's current smartwatch remains the leader in battery life.
Unfortunately, the same testing results revealed that while battery is a considerably strong point for the Pixel Watch 3, charging speeds are the opposite. It's faster than the Galaxy Watch 8 series, which takes 1 hour and 42 minutes, the same as the Galaxy Watch 7, but considerably slower than the new Apple Watch Series 10, which charges to full in just 57 minutes.
Part of this may be due to the use of pogo pins to charge the Pixel Watch 3, which is extremely frustrating to use with the pogo pin dock. The new Pixel Watch 4 is rumored to switch to wireless charging, which should enable Google to charge its next smartwatches much faster.
The Fitbit Premium report card
One of my biggest complaints with the Pixel Watch 3 is not related to the hardware, but rather the integration with Fitbit and Google's commercial decision-making.
The Pixel Watch 3 comes with six months of Fitbit Premium, but after this, it costs $10 per month. Although there have been some improvements to Fitbit, the requirement to continue paying a subscription fee for features like more in-depth sleep reports and a running coach remains.
When the Pixel Watch 3 first launched, the daily readiness score also required an active Fitbit Premium subscription; however, Google has subsequently made this feature free for all Pixel Watch 3 users. The same applies to the hero Cardio Load and Target Load features, which are particularly useful. Yet, Apple and Samsung both offer a similar amount of data for free. After my Fitbit Premium trial expired, I found that I had returned to using the Apple Watch, and most recently, the new Galaxy Watch 8 Classic.
For some users, Fitbit Premium features like a digital running coach, integration with Peloton, and a large library of workout videos will be worth the subscription, especially since my top three Pixel Watch 3 health features are now available without a subscription.
Two final things for Google to improve in the Pixel Watch 4
There's one area of the Pixel Watch 3 experience that I hope Google will improve with the next generation: the thickness. The Pixel Watch 3 measures 12.3mm thick, while the Apple Watch Series 10 is 9.7mm thick, making the Pixel Watch 3 noticeably heavier on your wrist.
The latest Pixel Watch 4 rumors suggest that Google will make its next-generation smartwatch thicker in order to increase the battery size. As we've found in testing, the battery life of the Pixel Watch 3 is already superior to that of its direct competitors.
Thin is the new trend, and devices like the Galaxy S25 Edge, Galaxy Z Fold 7, and Apple Watch Series 10 are raising expectations around the thickness of technology. Google will eventually have to follow that trend, and a thinner Pixel Watch 3 with a few improvements would be one of the best smartwatches you can buy.
Alongside the thinner body, I also hope that Google follows Apple's trend of creating a smartwatch with a slightly larger display. The 1.5-inch OLED display on the Pixel Watch 3 is excellent, but its circular shape and size make it feel much smaller than the Apple Watch Series 10, which features a square design with a larger 1.96-inch display. Samsung's new Galaxy Watch 8 screen is smaller than the Watch 7's, a result of the shift to a cushion-like design. Therefore, it's up to Google to follow the trend of lighter devices with bigger displays.
Overall, the Pixel Watch 3 remains one of the best smartwatches available, and while Apple and Samsung have launched compelling alternatives, Google's Pixel Watch 3 remains a firm favorite. The question is, will the Pixel Watch 4 follow suit, and will Google deliver on the four features I hope they add to the Pixel Watch 4?