Pixel Watch review. Not recommended at all

 

　I've been using Pixel Watch for about a month. Is it really recommended while comparing with Apple Watch and Galaxy Watch5 Pro? I will review.

Preface: circle and square smartwatches

　When it comes to wristwatches, circles are common, so I think the “circle” is the norm for wristwatches. However, the Apple Watch has a square shape.

　There is a reason why squares are adopted. There is an advantage unique to wearable devices, which is different from watches, where sentences are easier to read when squared . If it is a normal watch, there is no problem if only the time can be seen, but if it is a wearable device, you will see an amount of characters that is impossible with a normal watch, and a circular display area will be greatly reduced. Squares are highly visible and consistent with many devices.

　Then, was there no "yen" wearable device? That's not the case. Clearly, there are a certain number of people who prefer looks over legibility. When Android Waer was announced in 2014, the LG G Watch (square), Samsung Gear Live (square), and Motorola Moto360 (circle) released three models, and I remember that Moto360 was overwhelmingly popular. increase.

　Since then, circular devices have been released continuously, and among them, Samsung's Galaxy Watch series is impressive with a rotating bezel to compensate for visibility in circular devices. It is an excellent thing that you can scroll without blocking the screen by rotating the bezel, and the scroll speed can be changed depending on the speed of rotation. In the latest model, instead of physically rotating bezels, it is implemented by tracing the edge of the display, which I think is very good.

　It's been a long digression. What I want is that a circular device is no good . I was slightly hoping that Google, the latest entrant, who provides Wear OS by Google, would newly define ``wearable devices like this'' if they entered the wearable device market.

Appearance is perfect.

　I will check the appearance. The appearance is very good compared to other companies' products. The curved glass on the front keeps the joints and sensors from being exposed, making it easy to forget that it's a device.

　The case is made of stainless steel and does not feel cheap. The buttons are minimal and very simple with only a crown and side buttons. Isn't it perfect as a watch?

　However, if I may say so from an otaku point of view, the thickness of the bezel when the display is on is a big concern. As a luxurious person who has become accustomed to the ultra-thin bezel these days, it is not thick for a device in the 4th year of Reiwa ...? I thought.

software sucks

　I don't know what to complain about anymore, but I will introduce them one by one.

Wear OS is terrible

　Wear OS has been around for eight years since Android Wear was released in 2014. Apple Watch was announced in 2014, but released in 2015 and Wear OS is older. However, there were many things that Wear OS could not do on Apple Watch .

　For example OS update. I thought the OS update would be done from the smartphone, but it seems that it needs to be operated from the Pixel Watch side. Well this is still better. It's not something you do often.

　The biggest surprise was the app update. This also means that you have to open the Play Store from the Pixel Watch side, not from the smartphone side, scroll to the bottom and select Manage Apps to update. This can be exempted by turning on automatic updates, but it is inconvenient that even if you update the app on the smartphone side, you have to update the app on the Watch side separately. When I tried to use the Google Pay app on the first day, I was prompted to update the app. Why is the Google Pay app on my smartphone the latest? Just as I was thinking about it, I stumbled upon this pitfall. Set your Watch app to auto-update.

I was also surprised that 　the passcode does not support automatic unlocking . Passcode registration is required to set up Google Pay. Even if the Apple Watch is locked, if you unlock the iPhone while wearing it on your wrist, it will be automatically unlocked. You can of course turn this setting off. However, the Pixel Watch does not have such a mechanism in the first place. In other words, after you put it on your wrist, you won't get notifications on your wrist unless you unlock the Pixel Watch. When I thought that I didn't get any notifications, it was often locked.

　Notifications can only be selected per app . With Apple Watch, you can limit notifications for each account only for genuine apps such as mail and calendar, but with Pixel Watch, you have two choices: whether to use notifications for all apps, regardless of genuine apps. I don't need this account, but I can't make detailed settings.

Poor performance of the Google app

　If you think you can see Google Calendar, there is only a list of upcoming appointments . I would like you to show me at least the calendar for January.　Speaking of Google, Gmail. It would be very useful to be able to preview emails, but I don't even have an email app.

　Google Home can be controlled in the same way as the smartphone version, which is very convenient. However, it takes a long time to load, so it's faster to say the command with your mouth.

Competition between Fitbit and Google Fit

　With Google's acquisition of Fitbit, the Pixel Watch has plenty of Fitbit technology...! On the contrary, Google Fit is also installed by default, so it's hard to tell which is the Fitbit app and which is the Google Fit app. I think that the company is not sure whether to integrate with Fitbit or Google Fit. This is the Google Fit app. An environment in which the two coexist is prepared by default, and users may be confused.

　A clever function that automatically detects activities like the Galaxy Watch5 Pro introduced the other day and notifies them, automatically starts recording when it is determined that the user is not aware of it, and automatically ends recording when it determines that the activity has ended. It is equipped.

　Fitbit has a function to automatically recognize and record after exercise. It may be even smarter not to let them be aware that they are recording in the first place. However, the data that can be recorded is very low level. It is obvious when compared with S Health that can be used with Galaxy Watch5 Pro.

　And the poor thing is that you can't use the full Fitbit features on the Pixel Watch. Well, I would like to expect future updates around here, but since Fitbit Premium can only be used for 6 months after purchase, I think most people will discontinue it.

Annoyances of Google Pay

　After the first impression, we received various reactions and verified it , and found that there are various patterns.

　Also, when using contactless payment (NFC payment) with Google Pay, most cards cannot be used, and it is important to note that only a small number of cards can be used for contactless payment

　For example, EPOS cards can be registered and used as contactless payments without any problems, but Sumitomo Mitsui Card supports contactless payments on smartphones, but not on smartwatches. Inconvenient. A list of supported cards can be found on Google's help page .

　And at the bottom of the help page is the following notation:

If your card issuer is not listed or you are unable to register your credit card for mobile payments, we encourage you to contact us at the phone number on the back of your card to provide feedback.

　There is no motivation for users to give direct feedback .

　By the way, when Apple Pay landed in Japan, about 90% of card companies supported it . It's a sloppy response that's typical of Google, but I feel it's very risky to put it in the main.

with battery

　Very bad. In my usage, the Apple Watch took a day and a half, and the Galaxy Watch5 Pro took three days, but the Pixel Watch is good for one day. Another drawback is that a dedicated charger is required. It might be a little easier if there are many accessories from third parties like the Apple Watch.

Overall review

　Not recommended. that's all.

　Considering that the price is 39,800 yen and the US sells for 349 dollars, it is sold at a large bargain sale with a conversion of about 104 yen per dollar. Pixel 7 series is called Pixel Watch, which is very powerful this time. Even before the announcement, a lot of information was leaked and it was a product that attracted a lot of attention, but it was a very subtle terminal with only a gawa.

　However, the long-awaited Suica compatible device on Wear OS. I would like to use it a little more while expecting future updates.