As I reflect on how to commence this retrospective article, my attention is drawn to my Google Pixel Watch on my wrist, indicating a low battery level of 13%. I shrug with resignation, accustomed to the routine of daily recharging. I remove the watch and place it on the charger, anticipating that it may remain there longer than required, as I often forget to put it back on after a short period of time.
And that’s where my main concern with Google’s first smartwatch arises. Despite my admiration for its glass dome design and seamless interaction, I find myself constrained in making the most of its features. As my colleague Aamir also pointed out, I often resort to mundane usage to prevent the battery from dying before the day is over. Despite my diligent attempts, I’ve encountered multiple occasions where the battery has been drained completely in the past six months.
The limited battery life of the Pixel Watch
For over a decade, I have been faithfully using Fitbit trackers, but never have I had to be as mindful about charging them as I do with the Pixel Watch. In fact, I’ve already purchased an additional charging cable and a compact USB-C charging puck (which I carry with me when I travel), just to be extra cautious. Despite these measures, I still find myself grappling with the issue of battery life.
Envision me hastily placing my watch on the charging puck during a brief 30-minute drive in Slovenia, just to ensure it has enough battery life to last through a short afternoon hike in Bled. It’s not something I wanted to do, but I had no choice. Alternatively, imagine me muttering under my breath in frustration because I forgot to charge my watch when I woke up, and now I have to rush out in five minutes with only a 20% battery remaining. It’s likely that most of today’s steps will be lost and the Fitbit app will shame me for not meeting my daily goal. Meanwhile, my husband didn’t even bring his Fitbit Versa charger for our four-day trip and yet he was able to track all of his walks, sleep, and three full hikes without any issues.
I can’t help but notice the irony of a fitness tracker causing more inconvenience during active days.
As I try to navigate the challenge of not being able to pair my Google Pixel Watch and a regular Fitbit tracker to the same account, I find myself constantly grappling with the question of when to charge the watch, especially on days when I am highly active. The irony of a fitness tracker causing more inconvenience during busy days is not lost on me. With a full charge taking 90-120 minutes, I often have to choose between sacrificing steps or sleep. Some days it’s one, other days it’s the other. As a result, I end up with missed sleep tracking for at least two or three days every month, as evident from these screenshots.
We mentioned the disappointing battery life as one of the major drawbacks in our initial review of the Pixel Watch, and I now realize it’s an even more significant issue than we initially thought. This limitation ends up dictating all my interactions with the watch. I constantly find myself weighing the pros and cons of actively tracking my morning walk to see live stats on the watch, knowing it may drain the battery significantly in just an hour. I debate whether to use the watch for convenient tasks like checking Todoist or other Pixel Watch apps, or if I should rely on my phone instead to conserve battery life. I even hesitate to use Spotify on the watch for music playback, fearing it will quickly deplete the battery, and end up using the watch as a mere remote for my phone. Every decision and every usage of the watch over the past six months has been influenced by this one factor – its limited battery life.
“The battery life restriction of the Pixel Watch has a significant impact on all my interactions with it, preventing me from fully enjoying all the other features and functionalities that I otherwise appreciate about the watch.”
It becomes challenging to fully appreciate all the other positive aspects of the Pixel Watch when its battery life limitation looms over its usage. The watch is visually stunning on the wrist, surpassing any pictures in capturing its beauty, and the glass dome design is truly exceptional. Even with the availability of numerous appealing cases and bands for the Pixel Watch, using them almost feels sacrilegious due to the watch’s impressive aesthetics.
The Pixel Watch also stands out in terms of its practicality, as it doesn’t snag on long sleeves or jackets, making it easy and convenient to use even during winter months when other smartwatches may pose challenges. Additionally, interacting with the Pixel Watch is enjoyable, with smooth swiping on the glass dome that rivals top smartwatches, such as the Apple Watch. The crown is also a delight to spin, with perfect scrolling haptics. Google made excellent design decisions with the Pixel Watch, but unfortunately, the limited 24-hour battery life falls short of expectations.
Google’s questionable software commitment
Google’s reliability in terms of software support for the Pixel Watch is a matter of concern. The device has not consistently received timely software updates, which has left users disappointed. There are uncertainties about the long-term software support for the Pixel Watch, given Google’s history of discontinuing or neglecting products in the past. This questionable software commitment raises concerns among potential buyers and may impact the overall user experience and satisfaction with the device.
One of the areas where Google’s commitment is questionable is in its software support for the Pixel Watch. Despite being a flagship device, the Pixel Watch has not received consistent and timely software updates, which has left users disappointed. Google’s track record in this regard has been inconsistent, and there are concerns about the long-term software support for the Pixel Watch, given the company’s history with discontinuing or neglecting products in the past. This uncertainty around software commitment adds another layer of concern for potential buyers and may impact the overall user experience and satisfaction with the device.
Despite Google’s release of monthly security updates for the Pixel Watch since its launch, as well as a significant update in March 2023, most of these updates have primarily focused on bug fixes. Promised features such as fall detection, which was announced during the watch’s launch in October, only became available in March. Additionally, it took Google three months to enable a simple toggle for the battery saver feature, despite being teased in December. These delays and inconsistencies in software updates indicate a questionable level of commitment from Google to the Pixel Watch and its platform.
"The majority of updates for the Pixel Watch have primarily focused on bug fixes, with few, if any, new features being introduced. The addition of new features has been infrequent and scarce, indicating a lack of substantial updates beyond bug fixes."
As a daily wearer of the Pixel Watch, it has been frustrating to see the lack of significant updates. I expected to have a plethora of new watch faces, the activation of the SpO2 sensor (which we know is there but disabled), and an automatic bedtime mode by now. Additionally, there are numerous small missing features in Google’s own apps, such as the absence of transit directions in Google Maps and the inability to show loyalty cards in Google Wallet on the watch. I’ve already highlighted the deficiencies in Wear OS on the Pixel Watch previously, so I won’t go into detail again. However, it’s clear that there is ample room for improvement.
Why I’m Eagerly Awaiting the Pixel Watch 2
As a user who has worn both a fitness tracker and a Wear OS watch for years, I was the perfect target audience for the Pixel Watch. I no longer miss the days of wearing two devices on my wrists, but I do wish for a more reliable single solution that can last at least two days on a single charge. This is the restriction I am willing to work with. I hope that a potential Pixel Watch 2, if it ever comes to fruition, would address these concerns.
So far, rumors about the Pixel Watch 2 have been scarce or nonexistent. Ideally, the successor would come in two size options, with one of them being larger than the current watch. A larger display and battery would be highly desirable. Additionally, both versions should have smaller bezels and a more power-efficient processor, such as Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 wearables chip, to fully utilize the potential of the Pixel Watch and enhance the overall experience. I am hopeful for improved hardware specs that match the Pixel Watch’s design, allowing for a more enjoyable and functional user experience.
“In Search of Google’s Commitment: Why I Want a Pixel Watch 2 to Solidify Wearables, Smartwatch Platform, and Hardware Ecosystem.”
However, the primary motive for desiring a Pixel Watch 2 is likely due to the potential for Google to reaffirm its dedication to wearables, its smartwatch platform, and its expanding hardware ecosystem. While Google may not have reached the level of clarity and consistency in its smartwatch offerings as Apple has, the release of a second watch could signal to developers that investing in and adapting their apps for the platform is worthwhile. An indication of this would be when apps from local French banks and the Parisian transit system become available on the Play Store for my smartwatch.