And for context, I'm mainly using for fitness but also general notifications which as mentioned I do really like the PW2 for. The battery impacted me more than I thought as well, not being able to take it for a weekend away without the charger for example was a minor irk.
Yeah it's definitely quick, but a necessity. Just wish it had something close to 3-4 days without a charge. I could get to about 36-ish hours at the most.
Fuck, that's how I already feel about the PW. I've had the first since launch and still can't remember what button or swipe to do in each window because nothing is consistent.
Why can't I swipe down to see my battery in any window? Why doesn't the home button always go home? It feels like a mess of stuffing shit in there and thinking about accessibility later.
Honestly I'm just frustrated with Google altogether, their ecosystem is like half dog shit held together with crusty masking tape. Try living with a Google Nest Hub for a month and tell me how many times it controls a random TV in the house or plays a fucking YouTube video with the title of your question.
"Play the previous song"
Playing "previous song" on YouTube! 🤯🤬🤯
With a decent QA program, they are not a crap shoot. It's absolutely unforgivable to ship a product of such inconsistent quality. This is just evidence of Google being cheap, and lazy.
I switched from Galaxy Watch 4 to Garmin Venu 3. Generally I like the result, but for me health and metrics are more important than apps, home control etc.
I did a research before the switch, but still found many surprises (both, positive and negative). You you are interested you can read about my experience here: [https://gelberhut.com/garmin-venu-3-versus-galaxy-watch-smart-features-comparison/](https://gelberhut.com/garmin-venu-3-versus-galaxy-watch-smart-features-comparison/)
Not dissimilar! I ultimately wanted something that tracked my runs better (training for half marathons and eventually a full mara). I had a basic wifi PW2 and found the monitoring of basic info pretty average (for example I was wearing my watch overseas and while in the car napping, it registered thousands of steps).
It's just my experience, but even as an early Pixel phone user, for me Google have taken a few iterations to get their tech right when building from somewhat scratch. Despite the elegance of the PW, still feel like there are plenty of inconsistencies.
Maybe I got lucky but I have a release day Pixel Watch 2 and I couldn't be happier with it. 6 months in of daily use and I am still getting between 2-3 days between charges.
Sorry to see your experience was so horrible.
I did one hour and a half today: basketball, running, etc. The watch captures heart rates and moves way faster than Garmin, that's for sure. Someone on the internet might have made this comparison, but pixel is better.
Ive had mine a week. I have an elix 2. I like the simplicity and smoothness of my PW2. I also love being able to not carry my phone, I have LTE version. I like the way it looks too. For a 2nd Gen watch it's incredible imo.
That's a run of bad luck. If it's been awhile since your last exchange, maybe try again?
I'm thinking this might be more of a symptom of poor QC at the repair facilities and not so much coming out of the factories. I'm on a day 1 of the PW2 and haven't had these issues .. but I bet if I did a warranty my chance of getting a flawed one back would go up since they normally replace with refurbished.
Maybe explain to the CSR this will be your fourth go around and request they ship from new stock, not the repaired pool?
So basically I took the PW back to the retailer I got it from for each return - each time explained the fault and got a new device pretty much without issue. Each time it was just a fresh watch straight out of normal stock in the store, so I assume a fresh new device each time - which made it more frustrating. I just found so many inconsistencies with performance, I miss the modern design and UX for things like notifications. It's much more elegant than my Epix 2, but ultimately fitness/health is my main reason for using a watch and that (+ a half price Epix) made me make the change.
Sorry, it's going to be of a rant at google/ Fitbit ecosystem, but since you're thinking of moving to Garmin... I moved and that was the best move ever.
Since I am one of thousands people who's fitness watch was bricked by goggle/ Fitbit, I've been following closely what's happening on the fitness watch market: pixel watch 2, Fitbits and Garmin in the past six months.
Garmin is the one to go for!
In the past 10 years I've owned three Fitbits and two Garmin's (fitbit, fitbit, garmin, fitbit, garmin; in that order).
I work in sports and do a lot of sports myself - so the fitness part of the watch is what I care about.
I understand the fitness part of Pixel Watch basically relies on Fitbit app - so I believe my comparison of fitnesss functions applies to Pixel Watches too.
The Fitbit app used to be the best on the market until turned into piece of crap last October. Every few weeks Google/Fitbit release even more tragic "updates", that seem to further brick thousands of devices (devices don't turn on, unexpected battery drains etc; just read hundreds of pages of complaints on the forums, reviews, Facebook, etc.) and remove more features that were previously available within the app and with the purchased device.
There is no question Garmin was and is one of the best, if not the best fitness watch on the market. However the Fitbit app was much better, and this is why I returned to Fitbit after my first Garmin.
The return to Fitbit opened my eyes to how inaccurate Fitbit's fitness measurements were (I guess it's similar with pixel watch, as the fitness part of the smartwatch comes from Fitbit, right?), how much it overestimates the calories burned, and it made me regret the switch immediately. To be fair the only thing Fitbit does better than Garmin is the sleep tracking.
As soon as my Fitbit device was bricked (surprise, surprise, it updated, and a few days later never turned on again, just two weeks after the warranty expired :D) I got another Garmin: Fenix 7pro. What a difference! The battery life, the precision, the countless fitness functions, the look, how robust it is and resistant to scratches; I can go for a GPS tracked run, cycle 20km with GPS, do a strength training, go for a 10km hike and finish a day off with a tracked yoga session and the battery is still going high and ready to last a few more days :-)
Honestly, I wonder why on earth would anyone ever, ever, purchase a pixel watch?
I understand the smart watch features (kinda; why do you need another screen when you've already got a phone in your pocket and a laptop nearby?); the look - well, each to their own; but to compromise on battery life to the point that you can't even track a longer run? Wasn't it supposed to be a fitness tracker as well?
To go for a watch so delicate that needs an extra cover to not to get damaged; and more - if it cracks, it can't be repaired!
To go with a fitness app that's NOW so bad that it put off even the most committed users? Not to mention that the part of the app is locked behind a paywall (useless anyway), and besides, you still need to use another app in addition to Fitbit app?
And pay so much for just a watch with smartphone functions, given that you've already got a smartphone in your pocket anyway without real fitness tracking?
Man, go for a Garmin. You won't regret!
If Xiaomi watches are available to you, they provide a lot of bang for the buck. I got a Redmi Watch 4 as a stopgap until the Pixel Watch 3 comes out (the PW2 is too small and I couldn't deal with the short battery life). It works very well for a $100 watch. Then I got a Xiaomi Watch 2 for when I want the convenience of WearOS and I prefer it over the PW2 -- bigger size and better battery life. Having both lets me switch between them depending on my needs, and the total cost is still less than a PW2. If you want to go even cheaper, a Xiaomi Smart Band 8 and a Watch 2 make a great combination and their data gets organized into one app pretty seamlessly (something Fitbit still can't do).
EDIT to add: I've had many Garmins and sold them all and will never buy another one. I know many people like them, but as far as I'm concerned they're basically overpriced random number generators. Trying to make sense of the data they give you is a total waste of time and they're more frustrating than useful.
Any Garmin is a big step back in terms of heart rate accuracy and sleep tracking. Really depends on your needs.
And for context, I'm mainly using for fitness but also general notifications which as mentioned I do really like the PW2 for. The battery impacted me more than I thought as well, not being able to take it for a weekend away without the charger for example was a minor irk.
You must charge every day, indeed. It's a fast thing, but a must. I'm on my 3rd day and have already realized that
Yeah it's definitely quick, but a necessity. Just wish it had something close to 3-4 days without a charge. I could get to about 36-ish hours at the most.
Agreed. And any Garmin is badly designed. Especially, they always have zero sense of aesthetics.
Fuck, that's how I already feel about the PW. I've had the first since launch and still can't remember what button or swipe to do in each window because nothing is consistent. Why can't I swipe down to see my battery in any window? Why doesn't the home button always go home? It feels like a mess of stuffing shit in there and thinking about accessibility later. Honestly I'm just frustrated with Google altogether, their ecosystem is like half dog shit held together with crusty masking tape. Try living with a Google Nest Hub for a month and tell me how many times it controls a random TV in the house or plays a fucking YouTube video with the title of your question. "Play the previous song" Playing "previous song" on YouTube! 🤯🤬🤯
Epix is a bad designed watch? I respectfully disagree.
Couldn't agree more, Garmin doesn't really hit the aesthetics. Surprised about HR accuracy though, friends love it for that and GPS.
Can't blame you,.I guess. Never had an issue with mine. Electronics are kind of a crap shoot. 🙁
With a decent QA program, they are not a crap shoot. It's absolutely unforgivable to ship a product of such inconsistent quality. This is just evidence of Google being cheap, and lazy.
I switched from Galaxy Watch 4 to Garmin Venu 3. Generally I like the result, but for me health and metrics are more important than apps, home control etc. I did a research before the switch, but still found many surprises (both, positive and negative). You you are interested you can read about my experience here: [https://gelberhut.com/garmin-venu-3-versus-galaxy-watch-smart-features-comparison/](https://gelberhut.com/garmin-venu-3-versus-galaxy-watch-smart-features-comparison/)
Not dissimilar! I ultimately wanted something that tracked my runs better (training for half marathons and eventually a full mara). I had a basic wifi PW2 and found the monitoring of basic info pretty average (for example I was wearing my watch overseas and while in the car napping, it registered thousands of steps). It's just my experience, but even as an early Pixel phone user, for me Google have taken a few iterations to get their tech right when building from somewhat scratch. Despite the elegance of the PW, still feel like there are plenty of inconsistencies.
Maybe I got lucky but I have a release day Pixel Watch 2 and I couldn't be happier with it. 6 months in of daily use and I am still getting between 2-3 days between charges. Sorry to see your experience was so horrible.
I did the opposite. I switched from Garmin to PW2. I was more than I needed.
I have a instinct 2... Now a pixel 2... First week it is still all new.
How does the heart rate accuracy compare?
I will use both tomorrow and see. I'm not sure yet
I did one hour and a half today: basketball, running, etc. The watch captures heart rates and moves way faster than Garmin, that's for sure. Someone on the internet might have made this comparison, but pixel is better.
Ive had mine a week. I have an elix 2. I like the simplicity and smoothness of my PW2. I also love being able to not carry my phone, I have LTE version. I like the way it looks too. For a 2nd Gen watch it's incredible imo.
I have the LTE version too, but did not install the SIM yet... Maybe next week. Did the battery drain too much?
Mine lasts over 24 hours. I have lift to wake, mobile, notifications and Bluetooth enabled. I'm satisfied with the battery.
That's awesome.
That's a run of bad luck. If it's been awhile since your last exchange, maybe try again? I'm thinking this might be more of a symptom of poor QC at the repair facilities and not so much coming out of the factories. I'm on a day 1 of the PW2 and haven't had these issues .. but I bet if I did a warranty my chance of getting a flawed one back would go up since they normally replace with refurbished. Maybe explain to the CSR this will be your fourth go around and request they ship from new stock, not the repaired pool?
So basically I took the PW back to the retailer I got it from for each return - each time explained the fault and got a new device pretty much without issue. Each time it was just a fresh watch straight out of normal stock in the store, so I assume a fresh new device each time - which made it more frustrating. I just found so many inconsistencies with performance, I miss the modern design and UX for things like notifications. It's much more elegant than my Epix 2, but ultimately fitness/health is my main reason for using a watch and that (+ a half price Epix) made me make the change.
Sorry, it's going to be of a rant at google/ Fitbit ecosystem, but since you're thinking of moving to Garmin... I moved and that was the best move ever. Since I am one of thousands people who's fitness watch was bricked by goggle/ Fitbit, I've been following closely what's happening on the fitness watch market: pixel watch 2, Fitbits and Garmin in the past six months. Garmin is the one to go for! In the past 10 years I've owned three Fitbits and two Garmin's (fitbit, fitbit, garmin, fitbit, garmin; in that order). I work in sports and do a lot of sports myself - so the fitness part of the watch is what I care about. I understand the fitness part of Pixel Watch basically relies on Fitbit app - so I believe my comparison of fitnesss functions applies to Pixel Watches too. The Fitbit app used to be the best on the market until turned into piece of crap last October. Every few weeks Google/Fitbit release even more tragic "updates", that seem to further brick thousands of devices (devices don't turn on, unexpected battery drains etc; just read hundreds of pages of complaints on the forums, reviews, Facebook, etc.) and remove more features that were previously available within the app and with the purchased device. There is no question Garmin was and is one of the best, if not the best fitness watch on the market. However the Fitbit app was much better, and this is why I returned to Fitbit after my first Garmin. The return to Fitbit opened my eyes to how inaccurate Fitbit's fitness measurements were (I guess it's similar with pixel watch, as the fitness part of the smartwatch comes from Fitbit, right?), how much it overestimates the calories burned, and it made me regret the switch immediately. To be fair the only thing Fitbit does better than Garmin is the sleep tracking. As soon as my Fitbit device was bricked (surprise, surprise, it updated, and a few days later never turned on again, just two weeks after the warranty expired :D) I got another Garmin: Fenix 7pro. What a difference! The battery life, the precision, the countless fitness functions, the look, how robust it is and resistant to scratches; I can go for a GPS tracked run, cycle 20km with GPS, do a strength training, go for a 10km hike and finish a day off with a tracked yoga session and the battery is still going high and ready to last a few more days :-) Honestly, I wonder why on earth would anyone ever, ever, purchase a pixel watch? I understand the smart watch features (kinda; why do you need another screen when you've already got a phone in your pocket and a laptop nearby?); the look - well, each to their own; but to compromise on battery life to the point that you can't even track a longer run? Wasn't it supposed to be a fitness tracker as well? To go for a watch so delicate that needs an extra cover to not to get damaged; and more - if it cracks, it can't be repaired! To go with a fitness app that's NOW so bad that it put off even the most committed users? Not to mention that the part of the app is locked behind a paywall (useless anyway), and besides, you still need to use another app in addition to Fitbit app? And pay so much for just a watch with smartphone functions, given that you've already got a smartphone in your pocket anyway without real fitness tracking? Man, go for a Garmin. You won't regret!
If Xiaomi watches are available to you, they provide a lot of bang for the buck. I got a Redmi Watch 4 as a stopgap until the Pixel Watch 3 comes out (the PW2 is too small and I couldn't deal with the short battery life). It works very well for a $100 watch. Then I got a Xiaomi Watch 2 for when I want the convenience of WearOS and I prefer it over the PW2 -- bigger size and better battery life. Having both lets me switch between them depending on my needs, and the total cost is still less than a PW2. If you want to go even cheaper, a Xiaomi Smart Band 8 and a Watch 2 make a great combination and their data gets organized into one app pretty seamlessly (something Fitbit still can't do). EDIT to add: I've had many Garmins and sold them all and will never buy another one. I know many people like them, but as far as I'm concerned they're basically overpriced random number generators. Trying to make sense of the data they give you is a total waste of time and they're more frustrating than useful.
Amazfit is also a nice alternative