Though Google gave the Pixel Watch 3 and a pair of the identical processor, sensors, battery, and different key {hardware}, it did make just a few key modifications to modernize the watch in comparison with the competitors, primarily the revamped show with its second dimension possibility.
Under, we’ll break down how the Pixel Watch 3 vs. 2 specs examine and whether or not Google did sufficient so that you can improve.
Google Pixel Watch 3 vs. Pixel Watch 2 Specs Swipe to scroll horizontally
Specs Pixel Watch 3 Pixel Watch 2 Colours Matte Black, Polished Silver, Champagne Gold (41mm), Matte Hazel (45mm) Matte Black, Polished Silver, Champagne Gold Supplies Recycled aluminum case, fluoroelastomer band Recycled aluminum case, fluoroelastomer band Dimensions 41 x 41 x 12.3mm / 45 x 45 x 12.3mm 41 x 41 x 12.3mm Weight (w/out band) 31g / 37g 31g Safety Corning Gorilla Glass 5, 5ATM, IP68 Corning Gorilla Glass 5, 5ATM, IP68 Show 1.2-inch (384×384) or 1.4-inch (450×450) Actua AMOLED LTPO show 1.2-inch (384×384) AMOLED Row 6 – Cell 0 2,000-nit brightness, 1–60Hz refresh fee 1,000-nit brightness, 30Hz refresh fee Connectivity Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi 2.4/5GHz, NFC, UWB, LTE (improve), GPS, Galileo, Glonass, (ROW) Beidou, QZSS, Navic Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi 2.4, NFC, LTE (improve), GPS, Galileo, Glonass, (ROW) Beidou, QZSS Sensors Multi-path optical HR sensor, purple & IR sensors for SpO2, multipurpose electrical (ECG), electrical pores and skin conductance for physique response (cEDA), pores and skin temperature, accelerometer, altimeter, ambient mild, barometer, compass, gyroscope, magnetometer Multi-path optical HR sensor, purple & IR sensors for SpO2, multipurpose electrical (ECG), electrical pores and skin conductance for physique response (cEDA), pores and skin temperature, accelerometer, altimeter, ambient mild, barometer, compass, gyroscope, magnetometer Battery 306mAh/420mAh, 24 hours with AOD, 36 hours with Battery Saver 306mAh, 24 hours with AOD Charging 41mm: 24 minutes to 50%, 35 minutes to 80%, 60 minutes to 100%; 45mm: 28 minutes to 50%, 50 minutes to 80%, 80 minutes to 100% half-hour to 50%, 43 minutes to 80%, 75 minutes to 100% CPU Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 Gen 1, Cortex M33 co-processor Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 Gen 1, Cortex M33 co-processor Reminiscence / Storage 2GB SDRAM, 32GB eMMC 2GB SDRAM, 32GB eMMC OS Put on OS 5 (3 years of updates) Put on OS 4 (3 years of updates)
Google Pixel Watch 3 vs. Pixel Watch 2: What’s the identical? (Picture credit score: Andrew Myrick / Android Central) Once you have a look at the Pixel Watch 2 vs. 1, Google made loads of modifications , however when you examine the Watch 3 vs. 2, you will discover extra similarities than variations. Preserve studying for an extended laundry record of the whole lot Google left unchanged between the Google Pixel Watch 3 and Watch 2.
Processor: The Pixel Watch 3 retains the identical Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 chip because the Pixel Watch 2, together with different Android watches just like the TicWatch Professional 5 Enduro , OnePlus Watch 2 , and Xiaomi Watch 2 Professional. Though the chip is 2 years outdated, it is nonetheless on the leading edge for efficiency.
Particularly, each watches use 4 Arm Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 1.7GHz, plus a Cortex M33 MCU for background processes and 2GB of RAM. For context, the Galaxy Watch 7 has a brand new Exynos chip with one Arm Cortex-A78 core (1.6GHz), 4 Cortex-A55 cores (1.5GHz), and the identical reminiscence.
In different phrases, it is honest to say that the Pixel Watch 3 nonetheless matches the competitors for efficiency, even when its chip is a repeat.
Storage: Each watches offer you 32GB of storage, providing loads of house to obtain playlists and podcasts for phone-less streaming. Solely the Apple Watch Sequence 9 offers you extra at 64GB, which does not assist Android customers.
(Picture credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central) Sensors: The Pixel Watch 3 and a pair of each borrowed their sensors from the Fitbit Sense 2 , monitoring your coronary heart fee, resting HR, HR variability, blood oxygen, pores and skin conductance for physique response (cEDA), AFib detection (ECG), pores and skin temperature, sleep period and zones, and day by day readiness.
Regardless of Google’s new concentrate on operating, the Pixel Watch 3 solely gives normal GPS monitoring (just like the Watch 2), in contrast to the dual-band GPS you get on the Galaxy Watch 7.
Safety: Both watch offers you an IP68 ranking with 5ATM water safety. This implies they’re totally mud and water resistant however should not be submerged in shallow water for longer than half-hour or at a 50-meter depth for longer than 10 minutes.
Google gave the Pixel Watch 3 the identical Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protecting layer as its predecessor. Most smartwatches on this worth vary now use Sapphire Crystal, which is extra scratch resistant, so that you may fairly discover this disappointing.
(Picture credit score: Andrew Myrick / Android Central) 41mm design: Ignoring the brand new 45mm Pixel Watch 3 for a second, the usual 41mm Watch 3 has the identical diameter, thickness, and weight because the Pixel Watch 2. It has the identical recycled aluminum supplies and the identical battery capability. If it weren’t for the show modifications, you’d have hassle telling them aside.
They use the identical band connector, too, so your Pixel Watch 2 bands carry over to the Watch 3 — although not the Watch 3 45mm. They even share the identical case colours (Matte Black, Polished Silver, or Champagne Gold) and the identical band colours, besides that the Watch 3 has a Rose Quartz band as a substitute of Bay Energetic.
Battery life: As soon as once more, Google charges the Pixel Watch 3 as having a 24-hour battery life with AOD energetic, no matter which dimension you select. Though the Watch 3 45mm has an additional 114mAh capability, a lot of it goes instantly into powering the additional show.
I’ve heard some conflicting reviews from Google staffers saying the 45mm Watch 3 may last more than the 41mm Watch 3 and Watch 2, however I can not verify that, so that you should not assume something till we are able to take a look at this for ourselves.
Software program: Though the Pixel Watch 2 makes use of Put on OS 4 in the mean time, it ought to replace to Put on OS 5 quickly after the Pixel Watch 3 launches on September 10. So regardless that the Watch 3 is introducing some actually cool options like reside Nest Doorbell view and Fitbit Cardio Load, Watch 2 homeowners will obtain them as effectively.
Google Pixel Watch 3 vs. Pixel Watch 2: Each key improve or distinction (Picture credit score: Andrew Myrick / Android Central) Why improve to the Pixel Watch 3 if that’s the case many issues stay unchanged from the final technology? It is a honest query, however the Pixel Watch 3 vs. Watch 2 variations beneath may tempt you to change.
A brand new 1.4-inch possibility: Google lastly took after Samsung, Apple, Garmin, and a number of other different watchmakers by providing two dimension choices for its mainline watch.
Our Pixel Watch 3 hands-on tester Andrew Myrick, who additionally reviewed the Pixel Watch 2, praised the brand new variant, saying “any dimension considerations” he had with the “dainty” 41mm watch have been “put to relaxation” by the 45mm possibility.
Put on OS 5 makes use of a versatile UI that provides extra particulars and menu choices for bigger watch shows. In Andrew’s take a look at, he famous that the Watch 3 45mm had room for an additional 4 issues on the default watch face; equally, when trying on the Fitbit app’s Fast Begin menu, he may see six sport icons on the 45mm Watch 3 in comparison with three on the 41mm Watch 3.
Better of all, this 45mm Watch 3 solely weighs six grams greater than the Watch 2 and measures the identical 12.3mm in thickness, making it comfortably mild mixed with the default Energetic band.
(Picture credit score: Andrew Myrick / Android Central) Revamped show: Google shrunk the Pixel Watch 2 show border by 16% for the Pixel Watch 3. Though the display house is similar as earlier than, the glass rounds off the sting extra shortly, so it would not really feel as wasteful as earlier than.
You additionally increase the show brightness from 1,000 to 2,000 nits, matching the Galaxy Watch 7 and Apple Watch Sequence 9. That earns it the identify “Actua show,” Google’s time period for shows vibrant sufficient to deal with direct daylight; the Pixel 9 additionally has an Actua show, although it hits a formidable 2,700 nits.
One other key Watch 3 show increase is to its refresh fee. The Pixel Watch 2 maxed out at 30Hz, making display transitions extra noticeable, whereas the Pixel Watch 3 has an LTPO show that hits a smoother 60Hz however can dip as little as 1Hz whenever you’re utilizing the always-on show.
(Picture credit score: Andrew Myrick / Android Central) Connectivity: Each watches have Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, NFC contactless funds, GPS satellite tv for pc monitoring, and an non-obligatory LTE improve. But Google upgraded the Bluetooth normal from 5.0 to five.3 this technology; whereas the info speeds and connection vary do not change between these two, 5.3 consumes much less energy, each when sending knowledge and when idling, and the connection itself is much less vulnerable to sign interference.
Google additionally gave the Pixel Watch 3 assist for 5GHz Wi-Fi, which might sometimes ship twice-as-fast obtain speeds as 2.4GHz. You can add new apps or sync your knowledge a lot faster than earlier than.
One brand-new connectivity software is Extremely Wideband (UWB) . Telephones and watches sometimes use UWB for locating misplaced gadgets close by, or as a singular signature for unlocking issues, akin to automobile doorways. On this case, Google guarantees that the Pixel Watch 3 will use UWB to auto-unlock your Pixel telephone if it is close by; we may additionally see additional makes use of for it down the road.
Lastly, we’ll level out that Google is charging $100 so as to add 4G LTE as a substitute of $50 for the Pixel Watch 2. Which may sound like a rip-off, but it surely seems Google is bundling two free years of LTE knowledge with the watch; including a watch to your provider plan can usually price greater than that in a yr, not to mention two, so it may make the Pixel Watch 3 LTE one of many greatest LTE watches .
(Picture credit score: Andrew Myrick / Android Central) Sooner charging speeds: Listed here are the charging speeds for the Pixel Watch 2, Pixel Watch 3 41mm, and Pixel Watch 3 45mm:
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Proportion charged Pixel Watch 2 Pixel Watch 3 41mm Pixel Watch 3 45mm 50% half-hour 24 minutes 28 minutes 80% 43 minutes 35 minutes 50 minutes 100% 75 minutes 60 minutes 80 minutes
As you’ll be able to see, charging is comparatively quick for all three watches as much as 50% earlier than slowing all the way down to protect battery life. The smaller Pixel Watch 3 is comparatively speedy in comparison with the Pixel Watch 2, whereas the Pixel Watch 3 45mm takes slightly longer than earlier than due to its bigger capability. That, mixed with the 24-hour battery life, means discovering a handy time to cost it might be tough.
Higher HR accuracy for exercises: Google claims that the Pixel Watch 3 has the “most correct coronary heart fee for operating” in comparison with the Pixel Watch 2 and 1. Why? Apparently these watches had points with “mild artifacts” that made it onerous to catch speedy modifications in coronary heart fee throughout onerous exercises, however Google “made vital enhancements with technology tuning precisely for these difficult circumstances.”
Primarily, it is the identical declare Samsung made with the Galaxy Watch 7 and Galaxy Watch Extremely , promising higher coronary heart fee knowledge for onerous runs. Samsung did fairly effectively in our health exams, however we’re excited to check if Google does any higher in our upcoming evaluation.
An additional yr (?) of assist: Google promised the Pixel Watch and Pixel Watch 2 would obtain three years of safety updates. We do not know but whether or not that applies to the Pixel Watch 3, but it surely’s not more likely to get fewer updates than the Watch 2, so it ought to obtain assist by means of 2027 at the very least, whereas the Watch 2 will lose its assist in 2026. We’ll replace this put up when we’ve got affirmation of this.
Google Pixel Watch 3 vs. Pixel Watch 2: Do you have to improve? (Picture credit score: Andrew Myrick / Android Central) If you happen to love the Pixel Watch 2 however want it had a bigger show, the Pixel Watch 3 might be an ideal possibility for you. It offers that further house, naturally adjusting the interface so that you see extra data directly, and makes it a lot simpler to learn outdoor because of the additional nits.
In any other case, the upgrades to the Bluetooth, wi-fi, and coronary heart fee accuracy are pretty area of interest; the sooner charging velocity and enhanced show specs are nice, however you won’t be prepared to pay one other $349, except you get some good trade-in credit score to your Pixel Watch 2.
If you happen to order from the Google Retailer , they’re providing a $220 mail-in rebate to your Pixel Watch 2, so it’d price you $180 to leap to the Pixel Watch 3 45mm. That is not a nasty worth, in idea!
The Pixel Watch 2 is among the greatest Android watches at the moment, and whereas the Pixel Watch 3 ought to take its place on our record after we evaluation it, the Watch 2 will obtain lots of its greatest perks just like the revamped Fitbit coaching instruments and higher Pixel telephone integration. You could determine to be affected person and await the Pixel Watch 4, within the hopes it has extra vital upgrades to efficiency and battery life.
Greater (in order for you) and higher
Select the Google Pixel Watch 3 when you’re sick of the Watch 2’s small show and gradual charging, particularly in order for you the Pixel Watch 3 45mm. Skip it when you’re already pleased with the smaller Watch 2, or when you want a watch that constantly lasts longer than a day.
One dimension matches many
Stick to the Pixel Watch 2 when you do not want a bigger show, or purchase it at the moment when you handle to seek out it at a big low cost. In any other case, we would suggest upgrading to the Pixel Watch 3, if just for the additional yr of software program assist.
