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Pocketnow recommends the Google Pixel Watch as the Best Wear OS watch for Android users who need a smartwatch with excellent build, design, top-notch software — which is both fast and feature-packed — as well as best-in-class fitness tracking.

This is the Google Pixel Watch, and you know what? I never thought this day would come. I thought Wear OS was going to be yet another one of those products that Google would kill early over its lack of success. RIP Stadia, for which I'm still waiting on a refund. Thing is, it's been nearly 10 years, and I never thought there would finally be a day when I could recommend one of these watches.

We've tried everything from Fossil, to Mobvoi, to my Moto 360 darlings, to even Samsung before and after. Some have stayed, others have left, most were bad, some were good, but there was never really a great Wear OS Watch, one that would check all the boxes of what consumers look for today. Not until now, and it's crazy that the reasons I think Google finally nailed it, has nothing to do with Wear OS.

I know a lot of you are already scratching your heads over that introduction coming from me, so let me explain. Smartwatches at this moment are pretty much split into two categories. On one end we have the ones that try to mimic a phone on your wrist and can do some fitness tracking, which is where you have the Apple Watches, the Galaxy Watches, and pretty much every previous Wear OS offering. On the other we have the Fitness Watches that can do some smartwatch features, like say notifications. This is where you have the Garmins, the Fitbits and a few others.

Until today I had yet to find a single smartwatch that could look fashionable enough to be worn on a typical day, and that took fitness seriously. Fine, the one exception is the Polar M600 that I reviewed years ago, which did run Wear OS on a MediaTek chip, but which I wasn't going to wear on a night out.

What I like

This is why the Pixel Watch is so important. This is not just another "me too" attempt from Google, but instead, a completely different ball game which I'll explain in a sec. Let me start this review with the things I like, and believe it or not, it begins with the design. I know the leaks didn't make it look too glamorous, but it's a very different thing once you use it. There are very few options out there at this price that provide polished stainless steel, and a body this minimalistic. Your concerns about the bezel on the reports should be put to rest; once you see this watch in real life, I'd say it's comparable to an Apple Watch Series 6. From the craftsmanship on the crown, the buttons and the glass, my experience is that this watch succeeds in turning heads.

The second reason might sound basic, but it's the fact that these watch faces are finally less about looking like a watch, and more about being useful to you. Complications have always been a big deal for me on the Apple Watch. Garmin figured it out with the Epix2, and now Google pulled it off. Pick your favorite and customize it to your heart’s content with whatever data you care about, whether digital or analogue.

Third is the reason why this watch changes the ball game. The best way to understand it is to not think of this as a Wear OS watch. Instead, think of it as a Fitbit running on Wear OS. Noticed how it was introduced by Fitbit's CEO? Yeah Fitbit is not just an app running on the watch, it almost feels like the complete opposite where we finally see the fruits of this acquisition. As a result, forget about the clunky Wear OS, where apps would take forever to launch. I seriously can't believe everything runs so well on a chip from nearly four years ago. Not sure if it's because it has more RAM than the average watch, or that storage finally is on-par with an Apple Watch. I've been testing the LTE variant which doesn't even have the latest Wi-Fi and the experience is pretty fluid.

Again, this feels more like a Fitbit that has Wear OS shortcuts, and not just a skin. Sure you can install apps, but out of the box this watch is already pretty complete. Google Maps, YouTube Music and other essentials are already here and run like butter, but I'm glad Google Fit is not. See, taking fitness seriously is not just about closing rings. Gamifying it works for the average consumer, but real fitness is about how smart you're training, and Fitbit is already miles ahead in that department. Instead of daily goals that lead to nowhere, Fitbit provides a comprehensive view of your fitness that takes into account your sleep, stress, maximum and resting heart rate, and other essentials in a cohesive way, which adapts as your fitness grows or decreases.

This is why we couldn't rush this review. Instead of having a watch pester you to be active every day, this watch knows if rest is a better idea based on what you've been doing. This is pretty much a smaller, less expensive Fitness Computer, and its metrics were pretty epic. It kept mileage, pace, heart rate zones and even calorie burn on par with my $1,000 Garmin Epix Gen2, something which not even the Apple Watch Ultra has been able to achieve, with far better specs. I seriously had no idea Fitbit had grown so much since the last time I used it in 2014. Yes, I have heard some Fitbit purists complain that not all features are supported, and maybe that's why this is not marketed as a Fitbit in the first place. The flexibility of this being a Wear OS watch is that if you want whatever other fitness service you prefer, just go on the Google Play store and knock yourself out.

What I don’t like

But alright, you know I'm not an expert at writing love letters and sure, this is not a perfect watch. I can't tell you there are things I don't like, but there are a few things I'm mixed about. The first is, well, the design for a couple of reasons. I know the folks at The Verge already cracked their unit, and yeah, I do wonder just how much this Gorilla Glass 5 will last on a watch where the crystal is so exposed all around.

Then there's the footprint of this watch. One size does not fit all, and for a guy with large wrists like mine, sadly this watch does not look good. The irony is that this is the one watch where a larger variant would've helped a lot because battery life is not great. It'll end the day, but you'll have to charge it every morning, and a good 45 minute workout will drain as much as 20% of the battery. The added size would've also helped with larger text which would help the visibility of all its metrics as you're on a run on a bright sunny day.

I also am a bit concerned about the proprietary design of the watch bands. Sure they're great and easy to apply and remove, but I know it'll take a very long time for third parties to jump on board, and also depending on how successful this watch is.

Last but not least there's the Fitbit paywall for some of their insights. Listen, I understand how certain companies want to make you pay for extras, like say Apple with its Fitness+ workouts, but I do have a problem in a company charging for essentials. This pretty much means that everything I loved about this watch costs an extra $10 a month, and that's a pretty hard sell for anyone doesn't need to pay that for a Garmin Venue, Galaxy Watch or any Apple Watch.

Conclusion

To conclude, let me just say I walked into this review thinking I wouldn't do it. Not sure if you've noticed but my reviews on the Apple Watch Ultra and Galaxy Watch 5 Pro are still not done, and it's mainly because I feel those products in many ways have overpromised a ton of things I'm still waiting for them to deliver. They're good watches, but more new designs on almost the same experiences we knew before.

The Google Pixel Watch is none of those things. We knew very little about it when it was announced, it wasn't until I started using it that I realized that it's more than just a pretty face. This little watch might look all cute and all, but trust me it means business. I don't think I was prepared to be so delighted by an experience so complete, that now I wish every Wear OS watch was this good going forward.

Sure the Galaxy Watch 4 and 5 have given Wear OS a new life, but aside from their design and battery life benefits, I'm not sure their approach is better than the Pixel Watch. Seriously if you're in the market for a great watch for your Android Phone, I highly recommend you give the Pixel Watch a try. Even if you're not into fitness, this watch gets so many things right, that I seriously can't wait for a larger variant to fit my personal needs better in the future.