Why I’m in love with the Pixel Watch 3 45mm

I don’t care one bit if this headline and this post make me look like a total Google hardware fanboy: I’m legit head-over-heels for this new Pixel Watch 3 and I don’t care who knows it. It’s been on my wrist for about 2 weeks at this point, and I’ve been patiently waiting for the chance to tell you why I love this watch so much!

The best Wear OS experience

Coming from a couple years on the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5, I’ve become keenly aware that Wear OS on the Pixel Watch is simply a better experience. I’ve said as much in older posts, but I honestly forgot how much better things are on the Pixel Watch from a software and UI perspective since my time away from Google’s wearables.

You see, I didn’t try out the Pixel Watch 2 for even a few seconds. I left that to Joe and, being a guy with larger wrists, I simply had no urge to try and wear the smaller 41mm Pixel Watch 2 at all simply based on the way it looks on my wrist. So that meant after living for months with the Pixel Watch 1, handing it off to my son about 6 months in, and buying the larger Samsung Galaxy Watch 5, I’ve not returned to Wear OS on a Google-made wearable.

Animations are fluid, it is simple and intuitive to see, interact with, and dismiss notifications, and for a small screen, I still feel very productive when using this watch. With the Galaxy Watch 5, I ended up just clearing all my notifications all of the time simply because dealing with them was clunky and made very little sense. With the Pixel Watch 3, I can easily triage my messages, reply to what I need, and keep things in front of me so much easier.

The screen and size are perfect

The primary reason I could make the switch back, however, comes down to the screen and the overall size of the new watches. The original Pixel Watch and Pixel Watch 2 were always a tad small on my wrist and I always hated the way they looked. While the functionality is the same between sizes, the look definitely is not, and the larger option this year has made a massive difference.

The watch looks great on my wrist, and the smaller bezels on both models this time around make the display look so pleasing from any angle. I find myself just glancing down at the watch on my wrist during the day and remarking (in my head) how gorgeous this watch looks and how at-home it feels on my wrist. I just love it!

And the screen that sits inside those bezels is massively improved this year, too, putting off a wild 2000 nits of brightness at its peak while also possessing the ability to drop down to just 1 frame-per-second when not actively in use. It’s a great combo, and with the smooth animations, tiny bezels, and larger size, I’m enamored with the way this watch looks from every angle.

Battery life is brilliant

The larger size and new screen both come together to offer up a battery life that is super comfortable to live with as well. I use the always-on display mode (it’s a massive part of a digital watch feeling more analog) all day long and interact with this watch constantly through the day, and I end up plugging in at 10pm each night (after coming off the charger in the morning around 6:30am) with at least 60% battery left – and many times it is more.

While I don’t sleep with the Pixel Watch 3 on, I keep it up and running all day long, and even after doing its job for 15-16 hours a day, the battery keeps up. I’d reckon a full 48-hours would be possible, but I’m beyond happy if I can have my watch easily coast through a full day with no worries at all about battery if the night goes later than expected. And the Pixel Watch 3 definitely gets this part right.

As far as Fitbit integration, I have to admit that apart from step tracking, I just don’t leverage this stuff. The auto workout recognition for walking seems to kick in right on time during my walks with my dog in the evenings, but aside from that, I don’t lean on Fitbit tools much. I’ll check in on my heart rate and hope that any inconsistencies will set off the AFIB tools built in, but beyond that I don’t really rely on the health tracking too much.

For me, a smartwatch is far more about looking good, being easy/fun to use, and helping me sort my notifications in a useful and helpful way. If a watch can do these things and easily make it through the day, I’m beyond happy with it. And as you can tell, the Pixel Watch 3 is more than capable of all of this and a lot more if I choose to engage with it. It’s by far the best watch I’ve ever worn, and I’m looking very forward to the next year with this device at my side.