When I initially reviewed the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6, I was pleasantly surprised by the minor improvement in its battery life. It made me wonder if my opinion about the Google Pixel Watch would change if it had just a slightly better battery life. So, as soon as I finished my review of the Samsung watch, I immediately switched to the Pixel Watch to see if there were any improvements.
I had reason to be hopeful because I’ve noticed that Wear OS watches tend to get better over time. The first day or two after setup usually have the worst battery life, sometimes making me question if I got a defective unit. However, after a few days or even a week, the watch learns your usage patterns and the battery life improves. Furthermore, companies often release software updates months later that can significantly improve battery life. While this isn’t guaranteed on every Android watch, I have seen it happen with the Samsung Galaxy Watches 4 and 5. It seems that the same has happened with my Pixel Watch.
Over the past 10 days, I have been consistently getting 24 to 30 hours of battery life on the Pixel Watch with the always-on display (AOD) enabled. This may not sound impressive compared to a Garmin watch, but it is a significant improvement from when I first got the Pixel Watch. Back in October, I could only get 12 to 15 hours of battery life with moderate usage and AOD enabled, forcing me to charge twice a day or keep the charger with me at all times. Additionally, simple activities like making a phone call or going for a short run would drain the battery quickly. For example, during my initial review, I lost 41 percent of battery life after just an hour or so of use, with the run alone responsible for 30 percent of the drain.
However, this time around, a 45-minute GPS run with the AOD enabled only zapped 30 percent of the battery. It still isn’t perfect, but it took longer to reach the same level of battery drain. I now regularly go to bed with 35 to 40 percent battery, which was something I couldn’t have said last year. Sleep tracking also uses less battery, and I no longer wake up to a dead watch. Though I still have to charge daily, I am no longer worried about leaving my charger at home.
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While the improved battery life is a step in the right direction, it isn’t enough to make the Pixel Watch 2 the best Wear OS watch just yet. Having used Samsung’s watches this year, which have become somewhat predictable, I appreciate the finer details, but there are no real surprises. That’s not the case with the Pixel Watch. Google is still relatively new to the smartwatch market and has the capacity to surprise. This brings us to the Pixel Watch 2.
According to recent leaks, the next Pixel Watch is expected to have the Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 chipset and Wear OS 4, both of which should extend battery life. There should also be a slight increase in battery size. Additionally, the Pixel Watch 2 is rumored to feature the Fitbit Sense 2’s continuous electrodermal activity (cEDA) sensor, which measures minuscule amounts of skin sweat to determine stress levels.
In my opinion, battery life is the most crucial factor for Google to nail with the Pixel Watch 2. While the health features are nice, getting a reliable 40 hours of battery life or even multiday battery would be a significant improvement. Despite its first-generation quirks and poor battery life, the Pixel Watch was still well-received by customers, with Google shipping 880,000 units in the first three months of availability. It makes me wonder how those numbers would have been if Google had managed to deliver better battery life from the start.
Overall, I am cautiously optimistic about the Pixel Watch 2. The combination of a new chip, slightly larger battery, and Wear OS 4 made a noticeable improvement on the Galaxy Watch 6 series, and I hope the same holds true for the Pixel Watch 2. With better battery life, Google has a chance to make a significant impact in the smartwatch market and win over even more customers.
