- Pixel Watch 3 and Watch 3 XL could launch in October this year.
- The 3 XL will be Google's first large-sized Pixel Watch, coming with a 45mm chassis and band attachment mechanism.
- The bezels on the 3 XL appear a tad bit slimmer, and the larger size could mean a bigger battery size.
The first two iterations of the Pixel Watch were average at best compared to the competition. The launch of new Pixel smartphones and watches is not far away, and we already have high-quality renders of both the Pixel 9 series and the Watch 3 series. According to recent renders and rumors, the Pixel Watch 3 series will have two watches — the Pixel Watch 3 and the Watch 3 XL. Here are all the differences we know so far between the Pixel Watch 3 and 3 XL.
Pixel Watch 3 vs 3 XL: Display and Design
Ever since the release of the first Pixel Watch, users have longed for a larger size variant. The original Pixel Watch and its successor both featured a 1.2-inch OLED 60Hz display with a 41mm enclosure, which a lot of people objected to. 41mm was too small for many, and the huge bezels didn’t help the case either.
According to the renders, it might be hard to spot the difference between Pixel Watch 3, Watch 2, and Watch as the former retains bigger bezels and a 41mm size. On the flip side, the new Pixel Watch 3 XL could feature a larger 1.45-inch display in a larger 45mm enclosure.
Also, is it just us, or do the bezels on the XL variant look significantly slimmer than on the vanilla Pixel Watch? The overall design of the Pixel Watch 3 series is more or less the same. X user @xBeVendetta made a CAD drawing comparing the size of the bezels, and the bezels on the Watch 3 XL are indeed a bit slimmer. The rotating crown is still present, and so is that button above it.
The Pixel Watch 3 XL will feature a bigger band attachment system now that it’s bigger than the regular Pixel Watch. This means the bands from your older Pixel Watch won’t fit.
The renders also suggest both Pixel Watch 3 and 3 XL could be slightly thicker, probably to accommodate more hardware, which we’ll talk about later.
Another change is in the band that comes with the watch. The bands on the Pixel Watch 3 series will have a buckle, compared to the latching mechanism in the older Pixel Watches.
Pixel Watch 3 vs 3 XL: Battery
The Pixel Watch 3 was spotted on a safety website and the battery size mentioned there was 307 mAh, a mere 3 mAh increase in size. While that may not improve the Pixel Watch 3’s battery life compared to the Pixel Watch 2, the Pixel Watch 3 XL should have a bigger battery thanks to its bigger size.
If Google could manage to fit in a 420-450 mAh battery, it would greatly improve the standby time and increase the battery life by at least half a day or more. This would make the Pixel Watch 3 XL a solid two-day Wear OS smartwatch. Battery life depends on another key aspect, i.e., the SoC, which brings us to.
SoC and Hardware Differences
Google might use the same Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 SoC from the Pixel Watch 2 in the Watch 3 Series. It’s not a bad choice at all, as it strikes a good balance between performance and efficiency.
We expect the RAM and the eMMC storage to remain the same, i.e., 2 GB and 32 GB. That said, it wouldn’t be surprising if Google fits in more RAM on the Watch 3 because of the future Gemini upgrades Wear OS might receive. If that happens, we hope Google will add extra RAM to both the vanilla and XL variants.
And of course that would depend on whether Wear OS will run Gemini onboard or on your smartphone. If Google’s aiming for the former, we hope the search giant chooses a larger battery instead of more RAM (because a bigger motherboard would take up more space), and makes it so that Gemini results are processed on your smartphone
The increase in thickness of the Pixel Watch 3 series suggests Google might be adding more hardware to it. One of the things the Pixel Watch 3 series will offer is an Ultrawide Band radio for precise tracking with Google’s newly launched Find My Device network. Besides, Google might add more sensors to it, but we don’t know the specifics yet.
More info about the hardware should be revealed as we get closer to the Pixel Watch 3 series and Pixel 9 series launch, which is expected to be in September or October this year.
Pixel Watch 3 vs 3 XL: Software
Both the Pixel Watch 3 and Watch 3 XL will come with Wear OS 5 out of the box. Now, Wear OS 5 brings a few handy improvements and features, and one of them is better battery life.
Google could also bring a few new Pixel-exclusive features to the Pixel Watch that we should see as the Pixel Watch 3 series launch inches closer. We doubt if Google would restrict any software features to the XL version over the regular one.
That’s all we know about Wear OS on the Pixel Watch 3 series right now, and we shall update this piece as more details surface eventually.
Google Pixel Watch 3 vs 3 XL: Pricing
Google has consistently priced itself out of the competition with the Pixel Watch. The Pixel Watch 2 Bluetooth-only variant came at $349 while the LTE variant cost $399. Both were priced quite high compared to the competition, the Galaxy Watch 6, which launched for $299.
It’s too soon to comment on the pricing yet. Still, if Google’s previous pricing is anything to go by, the Pixel Watch 3 Bluetooth-only and LTE variants could come at the same $349 and $399 price tag. In contrast, the Pixel Watch 3 XL Bluetooth-only and LTE variants could cost $399 and $449, respectively.
However, not many people would want to spend over $400 on the Pixel Watch 3 XL. So, pricing could go down significantly within six months of its launch. One of the ways to prevent this is by bringing the Pixel Watch 3’s price down to $279 and $329 and pricing the XL at $349 and $399 to make it slightly digestible.
What are your thoughts on the Pixel Watch 3 and Pixel Watch 3 XL? What are some of the features you’d like to see in them? Let us know in the comments below.
