September 17, 2024, 8:08 am | Read time: 6 minutes
Google presents its new Google Pixel Watch 3 smartwatch series. The latest models come in different sizes, prices, and improved functions. The official release date is September 6, 2024.
At the latest Made by Google event on August 13, 2024, the company presented its latest products and product improvements. These include the Pixel 9 series, the Pixel Buds Pro 2, the Gemini Voice Chat, and the Pixel Watch 3. When Google launched its first Pixel Watch on the market in 2022, it became a direct and very successful competitor to the Apple Watch. However, while Apple has been offering smartwatches in different sizes for some time, Google is expanding its selection with the Pixel Watch 3 for the first time. It also has some new functions and improvements. However, perhaps the most useful feature is not coming to Germany for now.
Pixel Watch 3 now also for wider wrists
Unlike its predecessors, the Pixel Watch 3 is available in the standard 41 mm size and with a 45 mm display diameter. This should particularly please users with wider wrists. In addition, the larger Pixel Watch 3 has a 40 percent larger display compared to its predecessor. However, the 41mm Watch also has a 10 percent increase in display size.
The different sizes also affect the size of the battery and power consumption. At 307 mAh, the battery of the 41mm Watch is only slightly more powerful than the battery of the Pixel Watch 2. Moreover it should still last up to 24 hours with the Always-On Display activated. The smartwatch should last up to 36 hours without charging in energy-saving mode. The charging time is around 24 minutes to fill half of the battery and 60 minutes to fully charge the smartwatch.
The larger version features a correspondingly larger 420 mAh battery. According to the manufacturer, it also achieves a runtime of 24 hours in active mode and up to 36 hours in energy-saving mode. To fully charge the battery, you should plan for around 80 minutes of charging time. If charging to half the battery level is sufficient, it requires only 28 minutes. To protect the battery in the long term, it is recommended that you only charge up to 80 percent.
Core features and technical specifications
Apart from the display size and charging time, the two sizes do not differ in terms of their technical features. As with the two predecessor models, Google has once again opted for Gorilla Glass 5 instead of Sapphire Glass. A significant improvement over the Pixel Watch 2 is the higher brightness rate. It reaches a maximum brightness of 2000 cd/m2. By comparison, the previous model only achieves 1000 cd/m2. The minimum brightness of the Pixel Watch 3 is 1 cd/m2. In addition, the Actua display works with a refresh rate of 1 to 60 Hertz.
Underneath the display, Google relies on a Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 5+ Gen 1, while the previous model still used the Qualcomm SW 5100. This time, the Snapdragon is also complemented by a Cortex M33 coprocessor. In terms of connectivity, the current model supports Bluetooth 5.3, WLAN (802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax, 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz), NFC, ultra-wideband, 4G LTE, and UMTS, as well as GPS, Galileo, and other positioning systems.
The integrated sensors are identical to those in the Pixel Watch 2, including a compass, altimeter, oxygen saturation (SpO2), ECG, heart rate monitor, accelerometer, gyroscope for direction and movement detection, light sensor, an electrical sensor for skin conductivity (cEDA) to track body reactions, as well as a barometer and a magnetometer.
Pixel Watch 3 as training support
The Pixel Watch 3 is compatible with Android 10 and higher operating systems and, in combination with Google’s Fitbit app, enables detailed monitoring of various bodily functions. For example, to accompany and improve a user’s running training, warm-up, and cool-down phases can be calculated.
The Fitbit app will also feature a new dashboard with weekly training statistics. With the Fitbit Premium subscription, users receive personalized running recommendations. What is really new is the measurement of cardio exertion and the calculation of the daily form index should also be more individualized. In the future, these functions will also be available to users of the basic Fitbit version.
Useful emergency function not available in Germany
The “Loss of Pulse Detection” function is new and useful and will be available in Europe from September 24, 2024 – but probably not in Germany. If the wearer of the smartwatch suffers a cardiac arrest, this triggers a process at the end of which the Pixel Watch 3 sends out an emergency call. The prerequisite for this is that the device is either connected to the smartphone via Bluetooth or is itself 4G-capable.
If the Pixel Watch 3 detects a loss of heart rate, other sensors, such as the motion and infrared sensors, which measure oxygen saturation, for example, begin to search for the heartbeat. An AI algorithm evaluates the data and requests user interaction if necessary. These measures prevent a false alarm from going off when the smartwatch is taken off regularly. If the AI deems user interaction necessary to check whether the user is conscious, it triggers an audio alarm and a display with a prompt. If the user still does not respond, a countdown begins, at the end of which an emergency call is made.
Although this function can potentially save lives, it does not replace medical pulse monitoring or guarantee to detect every cardiac arrest. Google also warns that patients with known heart problems should not use the function under certain circumstances. Other warning measures should also not be dispensed with in favor of the smartwatch. While Google lists countries such as Switzerland, the Netherlands, and France in the function’s catalog, Germany does not appear here.
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Availability of the Pixel Watch 3
The 45mm watch is available in color combinations such as matte black with an obsidian strap, polished silver with porcelain, and matte hazel with hazel. The bracelet lengths range from small (150-185 mm) to large (165-215 mm). The standard version is also available in the colors champagne gold with a bracelet in hazel and polished silver with rose quartz, but not in the combination Matte Hazel with Hazel bracelet. The small bracelet size is 130 to 175 mm, and the larger is 165 to 210 mm.
In Germany, the Google Pixel Watch 3 is now available for pre-order. A release date is set for September 6, 2024. The 41 mm watch costs 400 euros or 500 euros with an LTE modem. The larger version is 50 euros more expensive at 450 euros and 550 euros with an LTE modem.
The German original of this article was published in August 2024.