5 Things the Pixel Watch Can Learn From the Apple Watch
It’s a great watch, but there’s room for improvement!
The Google Pixel Watch is an excellent smartwatch and possibly, my favourite Android smartwatch, but I still think it has a long way to go, especially when we compare it to the Apple Watch.
That is why as a long-term user of the Pixel Watch and various Apple Watches, I decided to share the 5 things I believe the Pixel Watch should learn from the Apple Watch.
Just a disclaimer, I’m currently the owner of a 1st generation Pixel Watch and the Apple Watch SE 1st generation, so most of my comparisons will be based on my experiences with those. But I think that the things I will be mentioning here will also be accurate for newer models.
So without any further ado, here are 5 things the Google Pixel Watch can learn from the Apple Watch…
1. More charging options
I wanted to start with something that I find very surprising about the Google Pixel Watch range and that’s the fact that they don’t support battery share.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with this feature, Battery Share allows us to wirelessly charge QI-certified phones and accessories by simply placing them on the back of a compatible phone.
For example, I used to constantly charge my iPhone SE using my Google Pixel 7 Pro.
I think that in this day and age, this is an essential feature, and I am surprised that I can charge my Pixel Buds Pro, but I can’t charge my Pixel Watch using the back of my Pixel 7 Pro.
I like to charge my Apple Watch using the Benks 3-in-1 Magnetic Charging Stand, as it keeps my desk tidy and clear of any clutter. But I can’t do that with the Pixel Watch.
As a workaround, I had to buy a rubber charging stand for the Pixel Watch and attach the original cable to it, which is better than nothing as it means I can hide the cable.
2. Improve app availability and quality
My biggest annoyances when it comes to WearOS are app availability as well as the overall quality of the apps.
Don’t get me wrong, both of these things have drastically improved over the last few years, but based on my experience, I feel that there are more apps available on the Apple Watch and that they are genuinely better built.
I definitely think that both WearOS as a platform and the Pixel Watch could benefit from more mainstream apps being made available and from better quality apps.
As an example, many apps that I’ve tried on WearOS are nowhere near as good in terms of features, interface, and support if compared to watchOS.
I also think that Google would benefit from perfecting its current apps and making more of them available on the Pixel Watch. For example, I think it would be great to see a dedicated Google Tasks app or a basic version of the Chrome web browser being made available.
3. Improve the way the Google ecosystem functions with the Pixel Watch
That brings us nicely to the 3rd thing I think the Pixel Watch needs to learn from the Apple Watch, and that is the way it functions within the ecosystem.
When I come home from work, I like to use my MacBook in the folded state, connected to 2 monitors. To log in, I like to use my Apple Watch, as that saves me from having to type my password in or from having to take my MacBook out of the stand and open it to use the fingerprint reader.
That is a perfect example of how Apple utilises the Apple Watch with other devices in their ecosystem. I get that this will be more difficult with the Pixel Watch as Google doesn’t currently have a line-up of laptops, but they could do it with Chromebooks.
However, I don’t think that it’s in Google’s best interest to introduce this particular feature, I think they should introduce something that integrates the watch in a similar way with the Pixel Phones, tablets, the Google Home ecosystem or even the Google Chrome Browser.
Thinking about it, I think that integrating the Pixel Watch with the Google Chrome web browser on a desktop or smartphone actually makes sense. For example, it could be used to authenticate logging into websites using Google Password Manager.
I guess the overall point that I’m trying to make is that it would be nice to see more ecosystem features like this implemented, what these features may be, I’m not sure, but it would be nice to see something.
4. Give buyers more size options
I’m a big fan of the Pixel Watch, I think it looks great, especially with some of the default watch faces that are available, but I wish it was bigger!
If you use it as your main watch for a while, you tend to get used to the size, but if you switch to a bigger watch such as the TicWatch Pro 5 or a bigger Apple Watch, the small size becomes noticeable.
If we compare the Pixel Watch (1.2-inch) and the TicWatch Pro 5 (1.43-inch), there is a big difference, and it’s nice to see that space on the screen as it makes things clearer to read, and it generally makes apps look better.
But with that being said, the UI on the Pixel Watch is fantastic, and it works great on a smaller screen.
5. Fitbit needs improvement
The last thing I wanted to talk about is Fitbit, which I find disappointing.
When I first heard that Google were integrating Fitbit with the Pixel Watch I was very excited, especially as someone who used to own the Fitbit Blaze and Charge 2 in the past.
My first experience with Fitbit on the Pixel Watch was that it was actually pretty good, then Google decided to get rid of social challenges which I actually used, especially as I have many friends who own a Fitbit.
I really think that Google should bring that feature back, as I found it motivational, and it made boring activities such as walking fun.
I also wish that they dropped that high subscription price as I don’t think it offers enough value to justify it. At the time of writing this article, the premium version costs £79.99 per year or £7.99 a month, which, I think, is just too high for what you get. If anything, it should be £5 per month or less. But that’s just my opinion.
If we compare that to the Apple Health and Fitness apps I think you get a lot more with them for free and if I want to add workouts and meditations, I can subscribe to Fitness+, which isn’t really something I currently use.
Final Thoughts
To summarise my thoughts on the Pixel Watch, I think that Google has gigantic potential, but they still have a long way to go with both the Pixel Watch and WearOS.
I believe that they need to prioritise making the WearOS platform more appealing to app vendors, that way we can get more of the mainstream apps available on the platform.
It would also be nice for them to have more sizes available.
But as a whole, they have gone a long way since releasing the first Pixel Watch, and it’s nice to see that the platform is continually being improved.
It’s also nice to see more vendors support the platform, such as WhatsApp, which tends to be used a lot in the UK.
As a long-term WearOS user, I can definitely see the difference of what the platform used to be compared to what it is today.
I will be writing a similar article about the things that the Apple Watch can learn from WearOS, so don’t forget to subscribe so that you don’t miss it!
Have you used the Pixel Watch (any version)? What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments!