Review: Google Pixel Watch 2: Keeping it simple is now smart

When it comes to smartwatches, Google’s Pixel Watch 2 shows that simple is probably best.

Google's second smart watch after acquiring Fitbit, the Pixel Watch 2.

One of the best new features on Google’s Pixel 2 watch might just be the access to Gmail.

While it doesn’t sound like much, it was one that was sorely missed when the first watch hit the shelves in 2022.

That device in itself had a few problems, but the 2023 model, which we’ve been taking on runs, rides and drives over the past few months, appears to have cleaned up most of those.

The true beauty of Google’s consumer electronics range is in its simplicity – its phones, for example, are so easy to use it’s almost hard to run into a problem.

And who doesn’t have a Gmail account or use Google Maps in 2024?

The Pixel Watch 2 retails for between $549 and $649 depending on whether you want LTE or the Wi-Fi version.

With LTE, you can leave your phone at home and still call a friend, text a date or stream music. You’ll also be able to use the Emergency SOS function if your phone falls flat.

Google’s Pixel smartphone, buds and watch.

As for the Wi-Fi option, you can still use some features like Google Pay, track a run and listen to downloaded playlists or songs – which is the reason why we like it. But adjusting the volume on Spotify while running, unlike for Apple, does require the user to unlock the watch and use the app.

Google’s Pixel Watch 2 and the US tech giant’s Pixel Buds A are a great combo for runners, as the ear buds are some of the most snug fitting we’ve tried and they’re yet to fall out during a workout, a run or ride.

Those who want to track a run but often forget to log it will enjoy the device’s ability to auto-detect a workout and then give the user a nudge. The watch can also nudge you as you move through different heart zone rates and what they mean in terms of weight loss.

Some of the major updates to the latest model were better sensors, with Google saying it can read your heart rate with up to 40 per cent more accurately.

The device also measures your body’s response to different activities – so long as you take it to bed with you.

It does this by getting a read on your skin temperature after you’ve slept wearing it on at least three occasions. It similarly requires getting into your bed to provide a blood oxygen reading (Sp02).

Wearing a watch to bed isn’t the sexiest idea for most. Who wants to wear anything but pyjamas? But big tech is trying to get a better read on people while they dream.

Samsung’s next bet, after the Galaxy smartwatch, is a ring that it hopes people will take under the sheets. Apple is reportedly working on similar things.

Google, however, is left with this watch and a dock that makes alarm clocks redundant – as it turns its Pixel smartphones into digital clocks and smart home remote controls.

Those new health features aren’t free, and the trade-off appears to be a new way to charge the device.

The 2023 charger has four more little prongs that make the Pixel Watch 2 incompatible with last year’s charger, and the same goes for the first Pixel Watch and the latest charger.

The designs appears to be a way to charge the device without interfering with the new sensors.

Some new safety features include in-built fall detection and emergency SOS. Another feature called Safety Check allows a user to schedule a timer while travelling and if they don’t respond on their watch after the time expires, location sharing and contact with emergency services will automatically be turned on.

The newer watch also has a slightly bigger battery at 306mAh, which is about one 16th the size of your average smartphone battery or power bank (5000mAh).

The verdict? If you’re a simple person who wants a wrist-mounted MP3 player with more smart features when you get home from a run, the $549 Wi-Fi version will work wonders for you.

And the three years worth of system updates promised by Google are a nice little guarantee that you won’t miss out on too much when new models arrive – at least until the end of 2026.

Originally published as Review: Google Pixel Watch 2: Keeping it simple is now smart