Smart Way to Choose Smartwatch

Choosing a smartwatch can be daunting, whether the watch is for yourself or a gift for your significant other or your child.

All the big tech brands seem to be putting out smartwatches these days and there are countless budget brands on Amazon as well as the high street. Traditional watchmakers like Tag Heuer have even got in on the act too.

Devotees of the iPhone will no doubt gravitate to the Apple’s own products, and some Android users may feel inclined to select a model made by their phone manufacturer, but don’t be afraid to try another brand.

Reasons for wanting a smart watch are always going to vary from one person to another. Some users want an expansion of their cell phone, others might just be interested in gadgets, but an ever-expanding reason for owning a smartwatch is to keep tabs on your health. I certainly fall into this category and our nine-year-old daughter, Ella, has been wearing a Fitbit for a couple of years now, as she has a heart condition called Aortic Stenosis.

Obviously, you don’t need to have a heart condition to want to keep tabs on your health with a smart watch. You might simply be interested in finding – and improving – your recovery times between exercise, detecting and managing stress, or improving your sleep habits.

To keep track of all these on our family, we’ve been testing the new Google Pixel Watch 2. Here’s how our experience went.

I’ll start off by noting that the original Google Pixel Watch didn’t set the world on fire when it was released in 2022, and – while there were a lot of positive reviews – there was also some negative feedback about their first foray into the world of smart watches. But kudos to Google, they listened to what their users were saying and went away to improve the watch. A subsequent software update brought more features and tools to the original model and users have been much happier.

But Google also went away and came up with the Google Pixel Watch 2, bringing more health sensors, a faster processor and longer battery life to add to the improved software of the original device. Their second offering has been receiving rave reviews ever since and has compared favourably against its biggest competitors on the market.

How it looks and feels

The Pixel Watch 2 looks pretty similar to the original Pixel Watch, which is understandable as this was one aspect that all reviewers loved. It’s a great design to look at. Our version is in a timeless (pun intended) matte black aluminium case, with obsidian coloured band. The watch also comes in champagne gold and polished silver with bands in hazel, porcelain and light “bay” blue. All three boast a stylish curved glass screen, that looks great in all light conditions, as opposed to the less pleasing flat glass found on many other smart watches. Display wise, the Pixel Watch 2 is crisp and bright, with vibrant colours that look good in all light conditions. There’s a pleasing vibration too, as you twist the crown on the side of the watch, that seems to mimic a traditional watch being wound up.

It’s fair to say that the Pixel Watch 2 feels great on the wrist too. I’ve not actually worn a watch since I was a child, as I never liked the feel of them on my wrist, but the Pixel Watch 2 surprised me in how comfortable it is to wear. The strap feels fine, and the watch is nicely weighted. Unlike some other brands this watch comes in one size (41mm to be precise), which I felt suited me perfectly, as a slim adult man. It also suits 9-year-old Ella too, which is just as well as she will be the one wearing it to keep tabs on her heart health. A smaller version would have been welcome for kids, but she’s perfectly comfortable wearing the Pixel Watch 2 all day. It’s worth saying also that 41mm is the same size as Apple’s smaller iWatch (they also have a 45mm version). The Pixel Watch 2 does come with two straps though, for thinner and thicker wrists, so it’s suitable for anyone with a wrist circumference between 130mm and 210mm.

Durability

Durability is always important when choosing a watch, especially a reasonably expensive smart watch that’s going to be worn by a child – and by a clumsy dad like me. Being water resistant is probably the number one consideration in this respect. The Pixel Watch 2 has a full IP68 water and dust-resistance and has already been tested in our bath as well as the local pool where Ella has her swimming lessons. It has a dive rating of up to 50 meters (5 Atmospheres), but I imagine the typical user won’t be taking it anywhere near these depths. The screen is made of super durable Gorilla® Glass 5 and there are no signs of micro scratches on our unit. Long term reviews seem to suggest that the glass holds up well over time too. There is also a two-year warranty on the watch, for peace of mind.

Compatibility

It probably goes without saying, but I’ll say it nonetheless, the Pixel Watch 2 is only compatible with Android phones, specifically with most phones running on Android 9.0 or above. You do need a Google account for the watch – which every Android smartphone owner will no doubt already have – and you’ll also need to install a Google Pixel Watch app too. Set up is simple and can be done wirelessly or just plug the watch into your phone’s USB port using the charger and follow the instructions. Once you’re all set up there are various watch faces, settings and apps that you can control via the app on your phone or the watch itself.

Performance

Using the Pixel Watch 2 feels good, it just works, which is exactly what you want from any smart device. We’ve had none of the lag or stuttering – that can apparently plague some smartwatches. Many technical reviews agree that this is a real strong point with the Pixel Watch 2 and is likely down to the top-notch processor they’ve used in the watch. Likewise, we’ve had no connectivity issues between the watch and our phones either.

Most of the apps and services that you’d find on your Android phone can be found on the Pixel Watch 2 and our personal favourite at the moment is Google Maps, which can run independently or via the phone. Both our kids like to navigate for us with their phones when we’re somewhere new and we tested Maps out during a trip to York last weekend. Suffice to say it worked like a charm and we had no trouble finding our way around.

Since the “Wear 4” operating system for wearable devices is Google’s own software, it’s only natural that it works like a charm with the Pixel Watch 2. There are some great features on Wear 4 too, like the ability to switch phones without resetting the watch, this gave both Ella, myself and my 11-year-old son the chance to test drive the watch on our phones without resetting it (though we do all use the same Google account).

For me the number one use of the Pixel Watch 2, besides health notifications, was to receive notifications without having to dig out my phone. Any SMS messages I received would be right there for me on the Pixel Watch 2, and I’d use the voice feature on the watch to respond, rather than digging out my phone and typing a response. Ella doesn’t really get messages yet, so this was redundant on her, but she does like asking Google Assistant whether it will be snowing tomorrow. She hasn’t talked to a device this much since we first got an Alexa.

How it performed – Exercise tracking

Health apps on smart watches aren’t just for the super-fit to keep themselves in “the zone” during their workouts. They’re also pretty good for just keeping tabs on your day-to-day health as well. It’s here that the Pixel Watch 2 outshines most of its rivals, with a heart-rate sensor that gives up to 40% more accurate heart rate tracking than the original Google Pixel Watch. To put that into context the original Google Pixel Watch was already rated as the “best for people with heart concerns” by Healthline.com, so the Pixel Watch 2 is extremely accurate. There are also sensors and apps that track potential signs of stress, blood oxygen levels and even keep track of your sleep patterns. This shouldn’t be surprising as Google now owns Fitbit, who have got years of experience in this field, so you get all the benefits and insights of the renowned Fitbit app from the Pixel Watch 2 as well. That said you may need to pay for Fitbit Premium to get some of the insights you might be looking for, but this would be the same with any Fitbit watch too.

I tested Google’s workout tracking screen while cycling and using our home gym. I specifically watched the heart rate zone meter, which let me know – at a glance – if I was pushing myself too hard or could push myself further. I’m happy to report that there were no issues with me pushing myself too far, but that’s more an indication of the moderate levels of activity I was undertaking than me being at the peak of physical fitness. In fact, working at home for me has definitely led to a more sedentary lifestyle. Even though I have a home gym I’ll often get to the end of the day and realise that I never got round to using it. What I did like about the Pixel Watch 2 is that I could use it to give me a nudge, using the movement reminders. This was probably the most useful health feature for me, and I’d say for most people who work sitting down. It’s all too easy to be glued to your desk, or sofa, and not do any exercise. You don’t need to have a home gym either, just getting up and moving around, doing some stretching or some light walking is better than nothing.

There are so many other health features on the Pixel Watch 2, including guided breathing sessions to help with stress, tracking distances that you’ve run or cycled, and even detecting good levels of stress; which the Pixel Watch 2 tells me I experience while watching our son play football and Ella play tennis!

There are also safety features as well as health ones, such as a fall detector, which Ella had great fun testing out on her crash mat. It works. And Safety Check and Safety Signal which gives you an easy way to track the wearer or alert family or an emergency contact if the wearer don’t arrive home or check in to your destination at a certain time, these features are particularly appealing to me, as our eldest child recently started high school and we’ve already been loading his phone with tracking apps.

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