Google Pixel Watch 2 review: Accurate GPS and a fast processor make it a great smartwatch for Android users

The Google Pixel Watch 2 is an upgrade over the first-gen model in almost every way. It's now an accurate fitness tracker and a premium smartwatch.

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Google's second-generation Pixel Watch 2 has everything you want in an Android wearable. It functions as an effective smartwatch, has fast, reliable GPS, and has a battery that lasts longer than one day.

But before I tested the watch, I doubted it could compete with others in the space like the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic or the Fitbit Sense 2, two of the best Android smartwatches you can buy. This is because the original Pixel Watch was a disappointment. It was a great smartwatch but a terrible fitness tracker due to glaring issues with its GPS. 

Thankfully, Google fixed the GPS and the Pixel Watch 2 is a fully functional smartwatch I can actually recommend. It retains what worked with the original but now has a new, faster processor, an updated operating system (which is also compatible with the Pixel 1), and a longer battery.

The Pixel Watch 2 has a minimal, lightweight, and comfortable design

Google made no change to the Pixel Watch 2's design compared to the original model, but that's OK. I like the look of its round watch face and soft rolling edges which achieves a sleek on-wrist aesthetic that feels more classy than sporty. My review model came with a rubber sports band but the watch is compatible with a variety of the best Google Pixel Watch 2 bands that do well to change its overall look.

While I appreciate the overall design, I would've liked to see Google offer multiple sizing options. Its 41mm case size works well enough for various wrist sizes but I know some people prefer smaller or bigger smartwatches. The lack of variety fails to cater to that crowd. I'm used to wearing larger wearables like the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, so the Pixel Watch 2 felt dainty when I first put it on.

This is the best smartwatch for Android users

Smartwatch capability was the original Pixel Watch's strong suit, and the Pixel Watch 2 is even better. This is due in large part to a fast new processor, the debut of Wear OS 4, and a few new native features.

The most noticeable of these changes is the processor. The quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 processor makes the Pixel Watch 2 noticeably faster than its predecessor. I never experienced any lag while scrolling through menus or opening applications and its notifications would always pop up as soon as they buzzed on my phone.

It's that kind of seamlessness that stood out to me. The watch wasn't just an extension of my smartphone but something I could reliably use as my smartphone. Sending text messages, answering phone calls, and interacting with app notifications is intuitive and incredibly easy to do.

This kind of use case is where the Wear OS 4 operating system also shined, particularly with new features like the native Gmail and Google Calendar access. It was so easy for me to quickly read and respond to emails, and I appreciated being able to look at my calendar without fishing my phone out of my pocket.

Wear OS 4's new phone-switching feature is also a major perk as it allowed me to easily switch between phones without repeating the entire set-up and factory reset process. Since I tested the Pixel Watch 2 on both a Google Pixel 7 and a Samsung Galaxy S23, this feature was used a lot — and it made my life so much easier.

Google also debuted a Pixel Watch 2-specific feature called Safety Check which can alert preset emergency contacts via a text message if you haven't communicated with them within a certain time. I tested it by checking in with my partner while on a particularly long bike ride, but it can also be used by people on first dates or traveling home late at night.

Overall, the Pixel Watch 2 excelled as an extension of my Android smartphone and it's one of the best smartwatches you can buy. Notifications were easy to interact with, responding to texts and emails was a breeze, and I could even take phone calls right on my wrist.

It delivers the same experience across any Android smartphone

Although the Pixel Watch 2 is a Google-branded Android smartwatch, it functions the same on a Google smartphone as it does on something like a Samsung smartphone. I tested the watch using the Google Pixel 7 and the Samsung Galaxy S23 and experienced no difference in performance or usability.

This is a big deal. For example, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic offers a far more seamless and complete experience when it's paired with a Samsung smartphone. When that same watch is paired with a Google phone, the performance suffers.

This isn't the case with the Pixel Watch 2. The experience remained the same regardless of which smartphone I had it paired with. There are no exclusives, no missing features, and nothing that would make one phone better to use than the other.

The main reason for this is that you only need to download both the Fitbit app and the Google Pixel Watch app. Since both are downloadable via the Google Play Store, a platform all Android phones have access to, there's no such thing as a preferred use case.

Delivers accurate and reliable health and fitness tracking

The original Pixel Watch's fitness tracking was a letdown. Poor GPS syncing and reliability produced inconsistent results, making it difficult to recommend to active users.

This was the single biggest problem Google needed to fix with the Pixel Watch 2. Thankfully, it did. GPS syncs quicker and is far more accurate, making the data it tracks also a lot more accurate.

I tested it alongside the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, our pick as the best Android smartwatch overall, and my favorite active wearable, the Apple Watch Ultra 2. On everything from bike rides and multiple-mile runs, the Pixel Watch 2 produced similar pacing and distance results. I even enjoyed wearing it while working out which I could not say about the original model.

I also appreciated just how much it's able to track. There are the basics like running and cycling but also a variety of advanced workout types like strength training, hiking, and trail running. Its small design and light weight make it particularly valuable on longer outings, too. I wore it for a 10-mile run and a 30-mile bike ride and hardly noticed I was wearing it at all. You can't say that about the Watch 5 Pro or Ultra 2.

The watch is an excellent health tracker, too. It has in-depth sleep tracking, all-day heart rate monitoring, and ECG readings, as well as a new skin temperature sensor and heart rate sensor. These last two were particularly useful as they provided unique insights into my sleep quality. I could see my skin temperature and heart rate variability throughout the night but it also informed me that I have low heart rate levels while I sleep — which is something I now monitor more frequently.

I was also fond of the watch's stress monitor. As someone who goes for several long walks each day, I used this feature often as a way of knowing exactly when to put a pause on my work day. The watch would ping me whenever my stress levels spiked and that was my cue to take a break. This wasn't a perfect system as it would sometimes notify me mid-meeting, but it did make me more aware of managing my stress throughout the day.

It's worth noting that there are several features locked behind the $10 per month Fitbit Premium. These include things like advanced sleep data, additional stress management tools, and Fitbit's unique Daily Readiness Score. While you don't need a membership to use the Pixel Watch 2, I do feel as though it's worth it to those who want the added insight. The watch does come with six free months of the service, allowing you to test drive it before officially signing up.

Solid battery life and fast recharge times

Battery life is yet another area where the Pixel Watch 2 shows marked improvement over its predecessor. While I needed to charge the first-gen model nightly, I could consistently go at least a full day and night before the Pixel Watch 2 needed to be plugged in.

This is an important upgrade because it allowed me to get full usage out of the watch; I could track my activity and workouts during the day and still have enough battery to track my sleep.

Certain features, like the Always-On Display, drain the battery a little quicker, but I could still get a full day of use out of the watch with it turned on. My routine consisted of charging it in the morning after going for a walk, then wearing it the rest of the day and night once it was fully charged. I was only ever not wearing the watch for roughly two to three hours daily.

The watch also charges quickly and often went from 0% battery to 100% charge in around two hours. I could get enough battery for a full day of use with less than an hour on the charger, too.

Should you buy it?

If you're an Android user looking for a well-rounded wearable that's both a premium smartwatch and a reliable fitness tracker, then yes. The Google Pixel Watch 2 is a quality generational upgrade that's able to compete with the likes of Samsung's Watch 5 Pro and Watch 6 Classic, two of the best Android smartwatches on the market. It's also the best wearable Google makes, as it's far superior to the Fitbit Sense 2 or Versa 4. 

Its most notable upgrade is its capability as a fitness tracker. Poor GPS syncing plagued the first-gen model but the Pixel Watch 2 avoids the same fate. With fast, quick, and consistent GPS, activity-tracking is now one of the wearable's fortes.

The same can be said of the Pixel Watch 2's smartwatch experience. It has an easy-to-navigate interface and a fast, new processor, and its integration with Google's suite of apps, like Gmail, Google Assistant, and Google Calendar, is handy. The fact it can be used on any phone running Android 9.0 or later, without sacrificing any features, is a major plus, as well.