Pixel Watch 3

GW5 LTE to PW 3 WiFi. My wife and I both switched. The Galaxy Watch never would keep a good connection to her heart rate due to her tattoos. The Pixel Watch rarely ever loses connection to it. We could not wear the Galaxy Watch during sleep as within a couple of days we would have a sore on our wrists. I wore the PW every night for 6 weeks before a sore appeared and that was my own fault for not cleaning it well enough after cutting the grass (dirt and sweat seem to be what did it). I swapped arms for a few days and then swapped arms back and make sure to clean it well with an alcohol wipe whenever I do yardwork in my watch. Step counting is off when I am cutting the grass where the GW was always pretty good with it. Not a big deal though as overall it counts a similar amount of calories which is more important to me. Counting steps when I am walking is pretty much the same on either. My workouts are primarily weights and walking. I actually like the way the Pixel Watch tracks those better than the Galaxy Watch. I am getting used to how Cardio Load and some of the other measures work, but I think I like them. The breathing rate, Blood Oxygen, Resting Heart Rate, Heart Rate Variability, and Skin Temp Variation are nice although I do not know how medically accurate they are. I will say that sync is not as instantaneous as the GW5 was. Sometimes it takes a bit to transfer data to the phone. I am not sure if there is a way to help that or not. Customization is lacking in things like ordering apps or changing sounds, but that is minor. One thing I absolutely miss is the hourly chime. I had not realized how much I counted on it for things.

Just switched to the [Google Pixel Watch 3](https://www.reviewni.com/product/B0D9138ZXM) after years on Fossil (RIP their smartwatch division), and seriously, this thing is the best smartwatch out there for Android users, hands down. I debated between this and the OnePlus Watch 2 (looked at Samsungs and Garmin too), but Wear OS 5 and that classic Pixel look won me over, and I haven’t looked back. Right out of the box, setup was a breeze since basically everything syncs through my Google account. The battery is a huge step up from my aging Fossil, even with always-on display, it gets me through a workday with plenty to spare. (I just plop it on the charger overnight, so it’s always fresh.) Functionally, it’s ace! Notifications are clear, calls come through loud, Google Assistant is snappy, and the Fitbit features are legit (I was worried about missing Google Fit, but turns out Fitbit’s better). Plus the screen is bright, crisp, and responsive, making old watches feel ancient.

I've used the Pixel Watch 3 for the last year and upgraded to [Samsung Galaxy Watch 8](https://www.reviewni.com/product/B0F7QD4HSD) recently. Honestly Watch 8 just nails it! The new bezel design took me a second to warm up to, but honestly, it gives the watch a modern, unique vibe that stands out. Switching up watch bands is super easy (once you get the hang of the latch thing), plus you get way more watchface options and can really tweak backgrounds and fonts, which is a nerdy dream. The new “folders” system for tiles/apps is a game changer. It keeps everything way more organized than the Google Pixel, and you can customize the heck out of it. Health, Fitness, Basic and set your own categories, stick your most used apps wherever you want. Battery life’s solid too, I wore it all day and only used 10%. And it's comfy, looks slick, and charges up with a little more info on the screen now. Honestly, Samsung’s attention to detail and customization blows the Pixel Watch 3 out of the water.

I recently compared heart rate tracking between the **Pixel Watch 3 (45mm)** and the **Galaxy Watch Ultra 2025**. I’ve heard a lot of good things about the Pixel Watch 3’s HR accuracy, so I decided to buy one and test it side by side with my GW Ultra during a **1-hour MAF training session** (focused only on HR tracking). Here’s what I noticed: * The **Pixel Watch 3** gave consistent and realistic readings. * The **Galaxy Watch Ultra** often deviated, sometimes spiking too much or even getting “stuck” for a few seconds before catching up with the PW3. In my opinion, for sports where heart rate tracking really matters, the GW Ultra doesn’t perform as well as the PW3. 👉 What do you all think? Anyone else had similar experiences? For me HR readings is important for sports because this is where the calculation of calories burned, cardio load, VO2 max reading started.

I have a pixel 9 pro xl and pixel watch 3 45mm and only complain is the slow charging of the watch. The rest is perfect, the size, the screen, the integration of Gemini with the apps and the appliances.

Have followed many of your comments here, u/cdegallo, over the years and appreciate your insights as always. And not surprisingly, I agree 100% with your comparison here. Every time I'm tempted to go back to my GW7 44mm, I appreciate some feature (typically \*slightly\* better fitness tracking and more responsive UI) of my PW3 45mm. I also wear my PW3 to track sleep-related metrics, and always felt it did a better job, providing more meaningful stats, than Samsung Health did.

Agreed...always felt like my PW3 has done a better job with HR compared to my GW7.

PW 3 is MUCH better than the OG. Sleep tracking works every single night. It charges much, much faster. The battery lasts longer. The UI is quicker. Apps update faster. Fitness tracking is more accurate.

This is already possible on the PW1 and has been in use since the market launch. When I tested PW3, I only got to max 36 hours. So in stayed with PW1.

That's interesting. I was really disappointed and had the PW3 with 45mm but then returned it and continued to use the PW1. I'm rather impressed that she still holds out so well. Another reason is the constant changes to the charging port. I charge the PW1 90% via Qi because my third-party pad is ironically compatible. Now I wanted to upgrade to the latest model this year, but the new charging port makes sure that every case looks terrible or needs to be removed when charging... Hopefully the PW1 will last another year and we'll just get Qi2.