- The Pixel Watch 3 now comes in two sizes on popular demand - 41mm and 45mm.
- It features a brighter 2,000-nit display with slimmer bezels and Snapdragon Wear 5100 SoC.
- The Wi-Fi-only variants of 41 mm and 45 mm cost $349 and $399, whereas the LTE variants cost $449 and $499 respectively.
The Pixel Watch 2 brought some much-needed improvements over the Pixel Watch 1, but it couldn’t earn the best Wear OS smartwatch title. While it got many things right, there are a few things that aren’t great about it; however, Google has now launched its successor the Pixel Watch 3 and 3 XL, and while the answer to whether “they’re better than the predecessor” will be answered in our full review, here’s everything you need to know about the Pixel Watch 3.
Pixel Watch 3 and 3 XL: Build and Design
The build and design of the Pixel Watch 3 are similar to its predecessor. It’s got the same round and curved design and display with a rotating crown on the right side. The band size and mechanisms also remain the same.
The standard Watch 3 comes in 41mm size, whereas the XL comes in 45mm size. Pixel Watch 3 is a teeny tiny bit thicker than the Watch 2. And that’s about it when it comes to the design of the watch.
Display
One of the major changes is the screen with smaller bezels than the Pixel Watch 2. The bezels now measure 4.5mm compared to 5.5mm on the Pixel Watch 2. The change isn’t very prominent right away but is welcomed indeed.
The screen itself has been improved. It’s the same 1.2-inch panel but now uses Google’s Super Actua naming. The watch is twice as bright as the Pixel Watch 2’s display at 2,000 nits (vs 1,000). Also, as a result of smaller bezels, the screen resolution has been bumped to 408×408 pixels compared to 384×384 pixels on the Watch 2.
Health Sensors and Features
Most of the new features are related to the Fitbit app. These include a feature that motivates you to beat your personal best, Cardio Load, and Advanced Running Metrics. There’s a Morning Brief feature that shows you things, such as Readiness Score at a glance.
Hardware-wise, there aren’t any new sensors but one major addition, i.e., Ultrawide Band Radio support. Pixel Watch 2 was supposed to arrive with the same, but the idea was dropped at the last moment, so it’s good to see UWB finally making it to the Pixel Watch.
For those unaware, UWB can help pinpoint the location of connected things on Google’s Find My Device network as we’ve explained here. Some of the other new features include a new recorder app and a better Google Camera experience.
Performance and Battery
The Pixel Watch 3 and 3 XL (45mm) have stuck to the same Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 5100 SoC as the Watch 2. It packs 4 x Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 1.7 GHz and has proven itself to be a great SoC on many occasions.
The battery, too, remains the same on the Pixel Watch 3, i.e., 310 mAh, so does the charging speed and the connector style. The Watch 3 XL variant, however, has a 420 mAh that should last decently longer.
Pixel Watch 3 and 3 XL: Color Variants and Pricing
The 41mm Pixel Watch 3 comes in four chassis/band color combos – Silver/Rose Quartz, Black Case/Obsidian, Gold/Hazel, and Silver/Porcelain. The Watch 3 XL comes in Hazel/Hazel, Black/Obsidian, and Silver/Porcelain.
Google usually matches the bands and colors with the Pixel 9 series which is expected to arrive in various colors like Rose Quartz, Obsidian, Hazel, Porcelain, Jade, and Pink.
The Wi-Fi-only model of the Pixel Watch 3 starts at $349 and the 45mm Watch 3 at $399. The LTE models are priced at $449 and $499 respectively.
What are your thoughts on the latest Pixel Watch? Will you be “upgrading” to the same from a Pixel Watch 1 or 2? Let us know in the comments below.
