The News: Google introduced its new smartwatch, Pixel Watch 2, at its annual Made By Google event in New York City, but Google’s second-generation smartwatch design comes with more than impressive upgrades. As the only smartwatch released with all of Wear OS 4’s features, it is Google’s opportunity to showcase not only its hardware but also the platform’s complete feature set, including its unique integration with Fitbit’s own ecosystem. Read the full press release on the Google blog website.
Google Pixel Watch 2 Showcases Wear OS 4’s Complete Feature Set
Analyst Take: First, let us go over some basic specs. For Pixel Watch 2, Google ditched the previous generation’s aging Exynos chipset for Qualcomm’s more advanced and power-efficient Snapdragon W5 chipset. The watch is equipped with a 1.2″ 450 x 450 AMOLED display, 2 GB of RAM, 32 GB of storage, and a 306mAh battery, It also features LTE cellular connectivity and optical heart rate, SpO2, ECG, continuous EDA, and skin temperature sensors. The new low-power Cortex M33 coprocessor delivers 24 hours of battery life even with the always-on display, and the watch charges faster now (from 0% to 50% in 30 minutes). Pixel Watch 2’s new 41 mm housing is made from 100% recycled aluminum, dropping the watch to 31 grams (sans strap), or 10% lighter than the previous version. For this new iteration, the product team also made the crown a bit larger for better ergonomics (easier access and navigation).
Health Monitoring
Pixel Watch 2 comes with three new sensors to give users more data points and insights into their health: a new heart rate sensor with numerous LEDs produces far more accurate heart rate readings especially coupled with the watch’s upgraded AI-enabled heart rate algorithm. Google claims that it is up to 40% more accurate for vigorous activities such as high intensity interval training (HIIT), spinning, and rowing. In theory, this upgrade should improve the accuracy of other metrics such as calories burned, Active Zone minutes, Daily Readiness Score, and sleep.
Google also incorporated Fitbit’s continuous electrodermal activity (cEDA) sensor to enable its Body Response feature into Pixel Watch 2. The cEDA sensor uses a machine learning (ML) algorithm that combines heart rate, heart rate variability, and skin temperature to detect possible signs of stress. Whenever the algorithm detects positive or negative stress, the Body Response feature will send the user a notification and a prompt to either reflect on that data or take action to reduce the stress, for example, by using guided breathing. Third, the new skin temperature sensor is designed to track sleep quality and monitor any changes in overall wellness.
Unsurprisingly, AI found its way into Pixel Watch 2. For instance, users can, through the Google Assistant app, ask the watch questions about their health and fitness, and even create shortcut tiles for frequent or repeating queries.
Fitness Tracking
Fitness-minded users will be able to use Pixel 2’s new heart rate zone coaching and pace training features to track training goals. As an athlete, I imagine that the heart rate zone change alerts might get annoying pretty fast on intervals of HIIT training, but for athletes training with potential health risks or those who really need to be notified when they enter or leave a specific training zone, the feature is very useful. (Having access to real-time heart-rate zone feedback for marathon training or racing, for example, is invaluable.) Automatic workout start and stop reminders are also available for seven types of exercises, including running and cycling. All of the Fitbit features from the original Pixel Watch made it on Pixel Watch 2. Most are listed in the previous section, but the 40 workout modes stand out for fitness tracking.
Safety Features
Pixel Watch 2 offers fall detection and Emergency SOS features, which play well with older adults looking for a little extra peace of mind, especially if they live alone. Pixel Watch 2 also comes with Pixel’s proactive safety features such as Medical ID, Emergency Sharing, and Safety Check, which Pixel phone users should already be familiar with. These features live on the watch and can help users get assistance even if they do not have their phone with them.
Safety Check allows trusted friends or family members to lightly keep an eye on the watch wearer from a distance. This feature is very handy for users who go on late-night or early morning runs, for children walking to a friend’s house, or for cyclists going out for a ride, among other use cases. Users can simply choose an activity, set a timer for when they expect to arrive at their destination or be back, and select up to 15 emergency contacts to send a text to, alerting them that a Safety Check for a particular activity has begun. If the user is unable to check in once the timer is up, the selected emergency contacts will get another text letting them know and sharing the user’s current location on Google Maps — everything they need to get in touch with the user or contact emergency services. Note that for LTE-enabled Pixel Watch 2 users this functionality requires a Fitbit Premium subscription. Safety Signal allows the use of features such as Safety Check and Emergency Location Sharing even if the watch is not yet connected to a carrier.
I am also glad to see the medical information feature live on Pixel Watch 2. This feature allows a user’s medical information to be accessible on the watch even when the watch is locked, so emergency responders can have access to it even if the user is incapacitated. This data can also be made available to first responder systems during a call to highlight important medical information such as blood type, allergies, pre-existing conditions, and prescription meds. A Medical ID Tag can also be added to the band to let emergency responders know that the watch can provide them with important medical information.
Wear OS 4 as It Was Meant To Be Experienced
It pays to be a Made By Google device: Pixel Watch 2 is currently the only Android smartwatch featuring all of Wear OS 4’s capabilities. I think it would be a stretch to talk about true market differentiation here because all OS 4 features could trickle out to other Android watches, but Google showcasing its full Wear OS feature set on its own device makes sense. OEMs often do not implement complete platform feature sets on their devices, and although having the flexibility to customize user experience (UX) for their own clearly defined market segments is a value-add for them, I expect that platform vendors such as Google must find that a bit frustrating. Giving users the opportunity (and option) to experience a complete platform feature set as it was intended to be experienced is hugely important for platform vendors. This setup continues to be Pixel Watch’s primary value proposition, in my opinion. Even if you are not crazy about the watch’s aesthetics, you do get the opportunity to access the platform in its purest, most complete form. And if you are already invested in the Google and Pixel ecosystems, there are clear UX advantages to sticking to the same technology stack. (As it is with Apple, Samsung, etc.)
From what I have seen so far, Wear OS 4 brings improved accessibility and customization to a broad range of users, including easier-to-read bold text and much better text-to-speech performance for faster screen reading. Additionally, when users switch to a new phone or watch, Watch Transfer makes it easier to pair to a new phone and backup and restore to transfer not just data but customized settings and preferences from the previous Pixel Watch.
Unsurprisingly, Pixel Watch 2 syncs well with the redesigned Fitbit phone app, and Google indicated that new Pixel Watch 2 users will enjoy 6 months of Fitbit Premium with their purchase, which is a simple and clever way to get users hooked on the service.
Pixel’s Automatic Call Screener for Dialer is also reportedly coming to Wear OS later this year, which to me is a great use of the watch as a notification extension of the more cumbersome phone screen. The call transcripts will reportedly show up right on the watch screen. I really like this feature a lot, as it allows users to monitor the feature hands-free, with limited interruptions. (Handy while driving, exercising, and working.)
Pixel Watch 2 also comes loaded with new productivity shortcut features. For instance, in Gmail and Calendar, users can accept or decline events and get caught up on inbox-zero goals right from the watch. YouTube Music and Google Maps got a few UX upgrades as well, and the Google Play library for Wear OS now includes access to handy apps like AllTrails, Audible, and the essential WhatsApp.
This all feels very clean and streamlined to me, without any superfluous bloatware, and I feel that the Pixel line of products (not just the watch) has become a showcase for how Google’s OSs are meant to be experienced by users. Although Android is a far larger and inclusive platform ecosystem than Apple’s walled garden, Google’s hardware-software mix is starting to feel a bit like Apple’s own tech stack (only within the Android space), particularly the way it thinks about creating consistent, holistic, differentiated UX for its devices. We are still in relatively early days, but it has been interesting to watch the Pixel strategy borrow a page from Apple’s UX philosophy. I think it is smart.
Form Factor and Styling as Market Differentiators
Pixel Watch 2 also leans into a broad range of colors and aesthetics ranging from subtle and formal to fun and bright. Not exactly a novel concept for smart watches, but I find the effort especially effective with the Pixel Watch family because the watch itself is so neutrally round. This comment is not to say that Pixel Watch lacks personality. The simplicity of its minimalist styling just works well as a kind of blank canvas that users can customize with various strap styles and colors to express themselves while not necessarily turning their wrist into a brand advertisement.
Watches are funny that way: styling and branding can often be as important as specific features. In the world of analog watches, for example, why do brands such as Rolex and Cartier command more reverence than Casio and Timex? For the average consumer, is it really just about precision and quality? Probably not. Why do some consumers prefer the chunky aesthetic of dive watches while others favor thinner, more discrete designs? Is it because some are scuba enthusiasts while others prefer a more sedentary life? Again, probably not. Preference often comes down to intangibles, to abstract tastes that are difficult to pin down and quantify. Pixel Watch 2’s looks are not going to be everyone’s cup of tea, just like Apple Watch does not do it for everyone, and that is okay. But the more watch OEMs allow their customers to customize their watches and truly make them their own, especially because their watch choice already speaks to their own sense of identity and aesthetic expression, the better chance those OEMs have to broaden their product lines’ curb appeal.
In a way, Pixel Watch’s design seems to want to go where Apple Watch does not. Its clean rounded face is more inviting to the touch than Apple Watch. Is it prettier? No. But it does look friendlier and easier to use, especially to consumers who might be intimidated by wearable tech. It looks almost designed for children and elderly users, and that is not a ding. Quite the contrary: Interfaces should be inviting, reassuring, and easy and fun to use. What you might initially give up in style and gravitas, you gain in usability and user confidence. And although Apple has spent decades earning its reputation for slick UX and ease of use, Google and Android have not. It was critical for Pixel Watch’s design to break through consumer anxiety by looking so easy to use that a child or an elderly user could interact with it right out of the box with little to no learning curve. That level of inviting accessibility could not just be a software strategy. It had to inform the entire design of the watch, from its form factor to its core software. Software and hardware had to look easy.
I think the Pixel Watch product team understood the assignment and nailed it. I personally am not fond of that particular aesthetic, but I do understand it and respect its intentions: If you can make the watch appealing to younger and older users, the more competitive middle age groups will be easier to capture in time. (More on that in a moment.) To that point, the health monitoring and location tracking features also bring a lot of peace of mind to not only users but also parents and adult children of users, and I think this point does not get as much attention as it perhaps should.
Fitbit Integration
I want to spend a minute highlighting Fitbit integration because it is one of the Pixel Watch 2’s biggest market differentiators and value-adds. Although Google’s Fitbit acquisition still feels a bit wonky from an org chart perspective, Pixel Watch 2 definitely benefits from its enablement of Fitbit features and brand overspill. Fitness and health tracking features are pretty core to most smartwatches, but Fitbit comes with its own tailwind of familiarity, trust, and features that millions of consumers have already bought into. Extending the experience to the Pixel Watch product line provides Google with both an adoption on-ramp and a specific differentiator in a noisy wearables market in which consumers would be justified in asking “why do I need a Pixel Watch in the first place?”
Even if users do not necessarily want to make Pixel Watch 2 their all-day watch or even their everyday watch, it seems well suited to find its niche as a secondary watch: the one that users strap on before they go to sleep or before they go on a run or walk or bike ride or to the gym, the watch they wear during their morning meditation and yoga class, the watch they wear whenever they travel. (It might also make sense to use it that way because it does have to recharge sometime, and doing so at night robs users of its sleep tracking features.)
Why the Future of Pixel Watch Might Not Be Minimalist After All
All in all, I think the Pixel Watch product team is on the right track with its second-generation design. As Google’s device ecosystem continues to grow, I expect that so will its smartwatch features. My wish list for Pixel Watch 3 set of features next year already includes faster, smoother on-device AI/assistant capabilities, even smarter health and fitness tracking automation, more intuitive device controls (especially for Google Home), and more customizable interfaces.
This request list might seem like heresy to a design team that clearly favors as few moving parts as possible, but at the risk of being perceived as chasing Apple’s strategy, a larger Pixel Watch 3 Pro, with a diver-style rotating bezel and an extra chrono-style button or two (those customizable interfaces I was just talking about), might bring an additional layer of premium features and a more premium aesthetic to a market segment that Google currently is not addressing at all. This upgrade might also elevate the product line a bit and create additional price point versus value clarity for consumers in a market that, let us face it, remains dominated by Apple.
If Google really wants to compete against Apple in the smartwatch space, and I believe Google should, Pixel is also going to need to have an answer to the Apple Watch Ultra. Just look at how the bigger, sportier, slightly more analog-looking Ultra captured new market segments that it was a bit soft in (more physically active, adventurous consumers and watch lovers who favor chunkier watches regardless of their fitness exploits) and you will understand how a chunkier, more imposing Pixel Watch model might do the same without having to change the simplicity and minimalism of the more standard Pixel watches. I see this additional offering suggestion not so much as a challenge for the Pixel Watch product team as an opportunity to open up new market segments, bring more awareness to the brand, elevate Wear OS across the wearables ecosystem, and perhaps even turn the smartwatch category from the tech-forward addon product it is today to a more balanced, stylish, functional analog-digital hybrid that feels, well, indispensable.
Disclosure: The Futurum Group is a research and advisory firm that engages or has engaged in research, analysis, and advisory services with many technology companies, including those mentioned in this article. The author does not hold any equity positions with any company mentioned in this article.
Analysis and opinions expressed herein are specific to the analyst individually and data and other information that might have been provided for validation, not those of The Futurum Group as a whole.
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Author Information
Research Director Olivier Blanchard covers edge semiconductors and intelligent AI-capable devices for Futurum. In addition to having co-authored several books about digital transformation and AI with Futurum Group CEO Daniel Newman, Blanchard brings considerable experience demystifying new and emerging technologies, advising clients on how best to future-proof their organizations, and helping maximize the positive impacts of technology disruption while mitigating their potentially negative effects. Follow his extended analysis on X and LinkedIn.
