Google Pixel Watch 3 review: A well-worn spin on a familiar formula

Google's first stab at a smartwatch was nice to look at but saddled by enough caveats to give you second thoughts. The inevitable successor drilled down on those pain points and now the Pixel Watch 3 is here to finish the job. Not even Apple got everything right on the first try and while Google has yet to graduate to offering the kind of heavy-duty hardware like the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra or Apple Watch Ultra, this is a pretty decent step in the right direction.

The Pixel Watch 3 is a smart update on the smartwatch formula that doesn't try to reinvent the wheel but does include meaningful improvements that make it a better buy overall.

In Australia, pricing for the new Pixel Watch 3 starts at $579 for the 41mm model and $669 for the 45mm model. The cellular version of the 41mm comes in at $749 while getting on-the-go connectivity on the 44m will cost you $839.

Regardless of color and connectivity, every Pixel Watch 3 comes arrives with a free six months of Fitbit Premium. Here's a quick round-up of how each retailer rates when it comes to buying the Pixel Watch 3 in Australia.

The biggest thing that the Pixel Watch 3 brings to the table is extra options. Google's premium smartwatch now comes in two sizes. That might sound like a small tweak to the formula but it makes for a finished product that's a little easier to recommend. The 41mm model is lighter and cheaper. Its 44mm counterpart can't make that same claim, but it does include a larger bigger battery as a consolation price. Regardless of the size you settle on, you're still more or less getting the same experience here when it comes to sensors and software.

Overall, the fundamentals here are more similar to last year's Pixel Watch 2 than not. You're still getting a circular AMOLED screen rather than a squared one, with a digital-crown-inspired dial on the side. The watch band mechanism here is also the same as the one on previous models, which means that all your old bands should play nice with the newer watch.

The few design differences between this and the Pixel Watch 2 are slight but significant. For example, the Pixel Watch 3 is the first Google smartwatch to ship with one of the brighter Actua displays introduced in recent Pixel devices.

In addition to a new higher peak brightness of 2000 nits, the Pixel Watch 3 also boasts a 16% reduction in bezels, 20% faster charging and a variable refresh rate with greater power efficiency. Those improvements don't add up to a fitness wearable that feels all that different, but they do shore up what already worked about Google's premium smartwatch.

Unfortunately, little has been done to resolve the repairability issues that have plagued previous Pixel Watches. If something happened to the screen on the first-gen Pixel Watch, there was literally no process to get damage repaired. As with last year's Pixel Watch 2, that's still the case for the Pixel Watch 3.

Light up the screen and you'll be looking at the same interface powered by the latest version of Wear OS 5. Meanwhile, the inside of the Pixel Watch 3 is host to all the usual sensors. You've got optical heart rate and skin temperature sensors sensor, plus red and infared ones for sleep tracking and some electrical ones for ECG. This health-tracking hardware comes protected by the expected 5ATM and IP68 durability ratings, which is nice but to be expected for a premium smartwatch nowadays.

Under the hood, the Pixel Watch 3 is powered by the same Snapdragon W5 processor seen in the Pixel Watch 2, plus 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. Despite that, it doesn't feel like the everyday performance ever falls short. Still, given the price-tag, it's a bit lame that Google hasn't included even a small spec bump here.

Without it, the Pixel Watch 3 ends up feeling a little bit too much like a reprise on its predecessor. Like the Pixel Watch 2, there are two main reasons to consider strapping Google's premium smartwatch to your wrist.

The first is that you're looking for a fitness tracking gadget that'll help you get the most out of the Google ecosystem. The second is that you're looking to get the most out of what the Fitbit app can offer.

If you fall into the first camp then you'll probably dig the fact that the wearable can now be used as a remote control for the Google TV Streamer or look through the camera on your Nest Doorbell. None of these integrations are make-or-break for the Pixel Watch 3, but if you're deep enough in that particular ecosystem it's easy to imagine how they could add up something really cool.

One of the big questions I had when it came to last year's Pixel Watch 2 was the degree to which Google's AI ambitions might shape the future of its smartwatches. Love it or hate it, it's easy to imagine a version of The Pixel Watch 3 that leans in on tech's biggest trend. Unfortunately, this ain't it. For now, the Pixel Watch 3 can only summon the old-school Google Assistant rather than Gemini.

Likewise, those who are coming to the table for fresh fitness features may be disappointed to find that the Pixel Watch 3 has relatively little to offer on that front. There are no major additions here when it comes to the sensors inside Google's latest flagship wearable. The companion app experience has been updated to incorporate a new AI-powered workout builder and running coach, but that's about it.

The other big catch here is that you have to sign up to Fitbit Premium to access these new features. While the wearable does come with a free six month subscription to the service, that still stings.  As with the Pixel Watch 2, it's annoying to have to set up and involve multiple apps and services to get the most out of the hardware you've already paid top dollar for.

As for battery life, the Pixel Watch 3 makes the most of the fact that Google's promises here aren't far from the bar set by last year's Pixel Watch 2. Where that device boasted up to 24 hours of battery life on a single charge, so too does this one. In practice, I could get a day and a half to two days of usage out of a single charge. In other words, it's about what you'd expect from a premium wearable in 2024.

Despite this wiggle room, I'd usually put the device on to charge overnight to eliminate any potential pitfalls. In situation where I didn't, the fast-charging here helped ease my anxieties by topping the Pixel Watch 3  back up to 80% in just over thirty minutes.

Three years in, it feels like Google's vision of a premium smartwatch is really starting to come together. Repairability aside, the hardware seen in the Pixel Watch 3 sings in unison and the seams are becoming harder and harder to spot. If you're looking for a companion piece to any Android smartphone, this one is hard to beat.

That said, it does suffer from the same lack of ambition. For as much as the Pixel Watch 3 refines the hardware, it can only do so much when it comes to other constraints. The longer I spent messing with the Pixel Watch 3 the more I couldn't help but wish for more. It's a little more expensive than last year's model but only a little better.

The Google Pixel Watch 3 is as good a modern and premium smartwatch as you can buy right now, but the jury's still out on whether Google can make one that transcends the pursuit of its competition and finds its own way.