Pixel Watch 3 hands-on: Go big for the best Wear OS

As someone with smaller wrists, I’m glad that the Pixel Watch started out at 41 mm. Going into the Pixel Watch 3, I fully expected to be happy with the smaller model’s tiny screen increase due to shrunken bezels, but the 45 mm version is giving me the best kind of doubts.

Ideally, using a smartwatch requires significantly less scrolling and tapping compared to phones. As Google’s Wear OS apps got richer over the last year or so, I’ve found myself interacting with the Pixel Watch 2 much more. The experience has not been particularly ideal, with the Gmail and Tasks Tiles only showing two items being a bit ridiculous. Meanwhile, the bezels are thick enough to feel constraining. 

45 mm Pixel Watch 3 vs. Pixel Watch 2

You can see meaningfully more on the 45 mm Pixel Watch 3. Compared to the PW2, it’s 40% more screen and watch faces take full advantage of that. Active is the flagship face with 5 circular and 4 ring complication slots. When the Adventure face on the Pixel Watch 2 attempted that, it was just too cramped. On the PW3, legibility and glanceability does not suffer whatsoever with that much information.

There are various other new faces that shine on the Pixel Watch 3 thanks to the big screen. Field (left below) shows 4 circular + 4 ring complications and 5-minute markers without cluttering the face. Meanwhile, Track (right) has been updated to let you monitor up to two metrics, while also having space for a third slot. 

Tiles get a meaningful boost on bigger screens that let them live up to their glanceable nature. The one for Forecast now shows a four-hour forecast on the 45 mm, while the 41 mm drops down to three hours, in addition to the current temperature and high/low. In my day-to-day routine, this updated Tile will save me from having to open the full Weather app. Elsewhere, Tiles from Google Maps and Fitbit get to show more shortcuts per screen. 

45 mm Pixel Watch 3 vs. Pixel Watch 2

On that note, with Google clearly aligning new Wear OS apps and big updates to Pixel Watch launches, this year’s haul does not disappoint. Pixel Recorder on your wrist looks so convenient when you need to quickly save a memo. Meanwhile, Google Home for Wear OS continues to get more useful with a TV Remote and Doorbell/camera controls. 

That being said, Now Playing still does not have an always-on display mode. Zooming out, the big user-facing change to Wear OS 5 is an app grid that just shows much more per screen than the list, which you can quickly switch to when you scroll all the way down. 

41 vs. 45 mm Pixel Watch 3

On the Fitbit front, the big focus this year is what’s essentially a running coach that lets you create workouts directly on the watch with target metrics. When exercising, you get real-time guidance, with a personalized readiness score and cardio load. As a runner, my focus is just on time over a set distance. If Fitbit can get me to care about other metrics, I’d be very interested.

Google added Ultra Wideband (UWB), with most people using it for what should be more accurate Watch Unlock. It also works for Digital Car Keys, but most people don’t have a compatible (luxury) vehicle at this point. 

While the PW2 saw some tweaks to the crown and underside over the original, the 2024 version is identical to last year’s wearable. I have no complaints with the design, though I personally wear the watch so the side button for Recents and Assistant is below the crown. Otherwise, I have a tendency to accidentally tap the wrong thing. On a related note, the 45 mm watch has more than enough space to fit another button. Google should add something that users can customize/set on the next version. The space feels a bit wasted right now. 

In terms of pricing, the $50 price difference between the two sizes is normal. It’s $100 more for the LTE versions.

I will most likely stick with the 41 mm Pixel Watch 3, but the 45 mm is so much more tempting than I imagined it would be. If you thought the first two generations of Pixel Watch were too small, the bigger one is the way to go. If your wrists can work with either, I think 45 mm is worth seriously considering for the best possible Wear OS experience.