I have an iPhone and I love the Pixel Watch 2 but Google must try (even) harder

To put it plainly, the Pixel Watch 2 flies compared to the Pixel Watch 1. The lag when scrolling through menus is pretty much gone; the watch is faster to wake up, and it just has that level of responsiveness you’d expect from a $350 smartwatch like the Apple Watch, for example. This also means the Pixel Watch 2 should stay faster for longer, especially after a few WearOS upgrades down the line.

The Pixel Watch 2 became much less annoying to charge compared to the Watch 1 too as the worst charger I’ve ever come across has been upgraded with additional and stronger magnets. It now sticks to the Pixel Watch 2 properly without falling off on its own. Who could’ve known this was possible?! That being said, I must point out that Google has gone for a much cheaper-feeling, plasticky charger with the Pixel Watch 2 compared to the old one, but I couldn’t care less. I’m glad it sticks now.

And last but not least when it comes to the meaningful upgrades I’ve discovered after a month with the Pixel Watch 2, although not perfect, the sleep tracking also seems to be more reliable now. I can’t tell you if it’s more “accurate” but it does seem more intuitive when it comes to knowing when I wake up and fall back asleep to then add up the total sleeping time (although you need to refresh the FitBit tile manually several times to see the upgraded result).

While the Pixel Watch 1 totally missed tracking my sleep a couple of times while I was using it, this hasn’t happened (yet) with the Pixel Watch 2, which is nice.

The Pixel Watch 2 looks so good, other smartwatch maker are now copying Google (but there’s one problem)

The Vivo Watch 3 looks like a Pixel Watch 2 with much thinner display borders. Can this be the Pixel Watch 3, Google? Please?

The Pixel Watch 2’s design is certainly capable of dividing a room but I happen to dig how simple it looks and how comfortable it is to wear. It’s inoffensive, yet different enough to make me feel less “basic” compared to an Apple Watch user, for instance.

• I prefer the way the Pixel Watch 2 looks compared to the Apple Watch 9 - it’s round, and it’s… round, and… not square…

• Despite the fact the display on the Pixel Watch doesn’t go all the way to the edges (not even close), the overflowing glass is super elegant - perhaps too elegant for those who prefer a more rugged design

• Unlike me, the gold paint job on my Pixel Watch 2 looks moderately classy with the Hazel band it ships with - it also looks good when paired with black/dark green straps; I actually had the black variant of the Watch 1 but I’m glad I picked gold this time as it doesn’t look pompous at all - perhaps because the glass overflows and hides most of the aluminum

If you like dressing up your Apple/Galaxy Watch in new straps on the regular, you’ll hate the Pixel Watch 2

But there’s un problemo with the design of the Pixel Watch 2, which can be easily explained with how young Google’s timepiece is, and that’s accessories. Or rather, the lack of accessories available online.

Third-party Pixel Watch 2 bands and straps are hard to come by, which is a real shame since they are the only way to dress up your smartwatch. I looked on Amazon, eBay and even Temu but the choice was still very limited, showing why it certainly doesn’t hurt your watch to be as ubiquitous as the Apple Watch.

To give you a better idea of the accessory situation, I also looked for a “case” to make the Pixel Watch 2 appear more rugged, and there weren’t many to choose from. In fact, even Samsung and Huawei’s smartwatches come with a much wider selection of accessories.

Now, could this be because they’ve been around much longer? Sure. But if you look at the accessories available for the Galaxy and Pixel phones, you start to see a trend that makes Google appear to be ignored by accessory makers.

Google’s “2nd gen” rule: Pixel Watch 2 proves Google always gets it right from the second try but can we… stop doing that?

All in all, yes, the Pixel Watch 2 looks, feels, and works as expected for a €350 watch. However, I can’t help but notice the illusion Google has become so good at creating over and over again, and I’m not letting this one slide.

What’s with the tendency to get things right from the second try and 2nd generation, Google? A company with Google’s resources and reputation should certainly keep prototype-level devices far away from the market but they don’t seem to get any better at that.

• The Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro were full of bugs, but then Pixel 7 came around, and it seemed pretty reliable compared to Pixel 6 series

• The Pixel Watch 2 is almost everything the Pixel Watch 1 should’ve been, which makes me think the original was never even supposed to go on sale to begin with

• I can almost certainly guarantee Google’s “2nd gen rule” will be true for the Pixel Fold 2 (too), since what I see now isn’t what I’d call a “polished foldable experience” - at least in terms of hardware

• The Pixel Tablet is another Google pilot study, which might turn into a higher-end device if deemed successful enough - the biggest giveaway there is that Google didn’t commit to the Pixel Tablet’s special stand, which was “all the hype” but doesn’t even have Bluetooth

The Pixel Watch 2 is awesome compared to the Pixel Watch 1 but Google must try even harder with the Pixel Watch 3

In the end, the Pixel Watch 2 is almost everything the Pixel Watch 1 should’ve been, and that’s enough to keep it on my wrist until Apple makes something truly interesting enough to get my attention - remember I’m an iPhone as of now.

That being said, my job is to have a critical view on the smartphone market, but even if I didn’t, I can tell you that Google needs to try (even) harder if it wants to keep users happy…

Pixe Watch 3 early wishlist:

• Two Pixel 3 watches, two sizes
• Larger display, slimmer bezels
• Even longer battery life, which can make it through three full days with sleep tracking (and Sleep mode on)

• The speaker on the Pixel Watch 2 is pretty hideous; realistically speaking, I only use it when talking to Google Assistant but I’m sure some of you like taking calls right from their watch (while driving, for example), which makes this speaker quality unacceptable (for any smartwatch)

• The band swapping mechanism on the Pixel Watch 2 remains annoying - let’s figure out a more clever way to swap bands, which might make people actually want to do it?

Ultimately, if my Pixel Watch 1 experience was 5/10 and I only wore it because I wanted to track health metrics, the Pixel Watch 2 would be a solid 7/10. Of course, depending on what’s important to you, the 7 could become a 6, or even a 9.