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Get to know the new Google Pixel Watch

Get to know the new Google Pixel Watch

By Valentina Tuta

Recently, Google introduced their first watch built inside and out that brings together helpfulness and convenience from Google and Fitbit’s best health and fitness features, all in a beautiful new design.

In fact, the full-featured premium smartwatch Google Pixel Watch is a natural extension of the Pixel family, and it is part of their latest offering of Google devices this fall. This beautiful watch includes Fitbit’s health and fitness expertise, and we are sure you will love it.

A design you can truly make your own

The first aspect we have to highlight is its comfortable and resistant design. As you’ll see, the Google Pixel Watch is sophisticated for a night out or a business meeting, can endure your activities and workouts, and is pleasant to sleep in.

Actually, its bold, circular 3D domed glass blends seamlessly into the stainless steel body, giving it a slim look on the wrist, and if that wasn’t enough for you, you should know it’s both water-resistant (up to 5 ATM/50 meters) and scratch-resistant, so that you can wear it all day and night. 

From its tactile screen, you can add or delete shortcuts and initiate the app tray to get you the helpful information you need. The side button subtly above the crown opens your most-recently used apps, so favorites are just a click away.

Now, we will talk about its unique band attachment mechanism (inspired by how a camera lens attaches to a camera body) that is easy to change for another one and transforms the overall look of the watch. By the way, Google has designed around 20 different band choices for you to switch them up according to your style.

And the comprehensive family of 19 customizable watch faces, each with many personalization options (from the colors to the layout and the information you need most), provides thousands of options. With Google Photos, you can even set your favorite photos as your watch face.

Google help goes with you

Powered by Wear OS by Google (Wear OS 3.5), the Google Pixel Watch delivers the information you need at a glance, making tasks more convenient and providing help whenever and wherever you need it. Thanks to its easy-to-use design, the interaction is extremely smooth and responsive.

Furthermore, its screen is completely customizable and you can add all that you need to see it at a glance. And with Google Assistant built in, your personalized help on the go is quick and hands-free. 

Then, you can easily control your smart home devices through the Google Home app or just say “Hey, Google” to your watch to adjust the thermostat, turn on or off the lights, and get notifications from your Nest doorbell when a person or package is at the door (with compatible smart devices).

But that’s not all, since you can check your notifications from Gmail and Calendar, make payments with Google Wallet, and even get turn-by-turn directions with Maps, including an interactive view that makes it easy to see where you are and where you’re going.

If you have YouTube Music Premium, be prepared to listen to over 100 million songs and cache your favorite playlists using ample 32GB of on-device storage, or stream phone-free over built-in 4G LTE-cellular. And access even more apps with the Google Play Store right on your wrist, including Adidas Running, Calm, Spotify, MyFitnessPal, and Strava.

Okay, but you are probably wondering what their relationship is to other Pixel devices, aren’t you? Well, the new watch includes Fast Pair, with which your Pixel Buds will automatically connect to your watch once paired with your phone, and you can start a call on the watch and conveniently transition to your phone once within reach.

Moreover, the Pixel Watch provides you with music playback controls and turn-by-turn directions on it, even if you start them on the phone, and it’s equipped with an Emergency SOS feature to alert emergency responders or trusted contacts when you’re in an emergency or feeling unsafe.

According to Google, fall detection will arrive in 2023, so that the watch will sense if you’ve taken a hard fall in order to connect you to emergency services and even auto-dial if you’re unresponsive.

Health and fitness favorites from Fitbit

For this device, the company focused on a deeper integration with Fitbit so that the watch could provide leading health and fitness features, including their most accurate heart rate tracking yet.

You will get an accurate measurement of your heart rate continuously tracked at once per second due to its on-device machine learning and deep optimization down to the processor level. 

Also, we have to say that the Fitbit experience is completely redesigned for the Google Pixel Watch, with 40 exercise modes available to track your favorite workouts and all-day activities, including steps, distance with built-in GPS, and Active Zone Minutes, to help you push for that extra rep during workouts.

In this update, Google bet on some features that allow you to control your health with an ECG app to detect signs of Atrial Fibrillation (AFib), better understand your sleep with Sleep Score and Sleep Stages, and receive guidance powered by Fitbit’s 20 billion nights tracked.

Keep in mind that your watch is going to compile all this data into key metrics like your breathing rate, heart rate variability, and more, all on the Health Metrics Dashboard in the Fitbit app.

Furthermore, you can upgrade to Fitbit Premium to get deeper insights and access to features like Daily Readiness Score so you know when to go all-out in your workout or prioritize rest. And don’t forget that you will have more than 1,000 workouts and 400 mindfulness sessions available to help you take action and approach each day based on what your body is telling you.

Getting started is easy

Beyond its compatibility with Pixel phones, the Google Pixel Watch also works with other Android 8.0+ phones and is available in two connectivity configurations: integrated 4G LTE for phone-free convenience or Bluetooth/Wi-Fi only. 

Plus, Google Fi users can even set up LTE with no additional line charges on most plans, and as we said earlier, Fast Pair will help you link and set up your watch with other devices in the same family. 

Another benefit is that if you’ve used Fitbit before, you can pick up where you left off on your current device and won’t lose any stats or personal data.

The Google Pixel Watch gets you through the day reliably with up to 24 hours of battery life, including continuous heart rate per second throughout the day and activity and health tracking.

It is currently available for $349 for Bluetooth/Wi-Fi and $399 for 4G LTE, including six months of Fitbit Premium and three months of YouTube Music Premium (available in applicable markets). In addition, its accessory bands range from $49 to $199.

You can purchase yours starting today online from the Google Store, Fitbit.com, and select global retailers and your favorite carriers, with availability in nine countries, including the U.S., Canada, UK, Ireland, Germany, France, Japan, Australia, and Taiwan, starting October 13.

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