{"id":290409,"date":"2025-07-25T11:05:19","date_gmt":"2025-07-25T11:05:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/290409\/"},"modified":"2025-07-25T11:05:19","modified_gmt":"2025-07-25T11:05:19","slug":"i-swapped-my-apple-watch-series-10-for-a-google-pixel-watch-3-heres-what-i-liked-and-disliked","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/290409\/","title":{"rendered":"I swapped my Apple Watch Series 10 for a Google Pixel Watch 3 \u2014 here\u2019s what I liked and disliked"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you own an iPhone and you\u2019re fully locked into the Apple ecosystem, then it\u2019s hard to look past choosing the Apple Watch<\/a> as your smartwatch. Whether it\u2019s our top smartwatch pick<\/a> or the number one smartwatch choice for women<\/a>, it\u2019s a tough one to beat.<\/p>\n

There are other great smartwatches outside of the Apple Watch, including the Google Pixel Watch 3<\/a>. It\u2019s our favourite Android smartwatch and is proof that great Wear OS smartwatches exist.<\/p>\n

So what would happen if you swapped Apple Watch for Google Pixel Watch<\/a> to dish out those phone notifications, let you make payments from the wrist, or let the music play sans smartphone?<\/p>\n

You may like<\/p>\n

That\u2019s exactly what we did to find out if Google\u2019s best is a good enough alternative to the Apple Watch Series 10. Here\u2019s what we liked and disliked as we did smartwatch swapsies.<\/p>\n

What I liked1. The Fitbit-powered fitness and health tracking<\/p>\n

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(Image credit: Future)<\/p>\n

If there\u2019s one area in general I think Wear OS smartwatches struggle in comparison to the Apple Watch, it\u2019s with the native fitness and health tracking support. It\u2019s generally good in parts, but lacks as a package. That\u2019s where the Pixel Watch 3 differs, and that\u2019s mainly down to the strong Fitbit<\/a> integration, which essentially takes care of monitoring daily step counts, motivating you to keep moving during the day, and offers the kind of metrics and insights that are both glanceable and actually useful to pay attention to.<\/p>\n

A few features stand out particularly on the Pixel Watch. One is sleep tracking, which Fitbit has had quite a head start on Apple, both with tracking and with the level of metrics it can offer. Apple\u2019s sleep tracking support is pretty solid, but in contrast to what you get on the Pixel Watch, the presentation of data on and off the watch is a bit slicker.<\/p>\n

Readiness scores are another feature that\u2019s a win for Google over Apple. It\u2019s a good example of a metric that\u2019s powered by reliable tracking of heart rate and sleep. Once calibrated, these scores can offer a simple heads-up of whether you should work out or take a rest day. Currently, Apple doesn\u2019t offer a similar readiness-type score that is a great feature for fitness newbies and more experienced fitness lovers.<\/p>\n

Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.<\/p>\n

2. A bit more battery life<\/p>\n

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(Image credit: Future)<\/p>\n

The Google Pixel Watch 3 is hardly a battery powerhouse, especially compared to other Wear OS smartwatches like the OnePlus Watch 3 and many of Mobvoi\u2019s dual-display-toting TicWatches. It does manage to squeeze out a little bit more battery than the Apple Watch Series 10, based on my testing time.<\/p>\n

The raw numbers state the Pixel Watch 3 can last up to 24 hours with the screen set to always-on, or you can switch to the Battery Saver mode to get up to 36 hours. The Apple Watch Series 10 lasts 18 hours, and really will if you keep the screen on at all times. Granted, it\u2019s a pretty rapid charger, but it doesn\u2019t negate that you definitely do end up having to think about the battery. Especially if you\u2019re taking it to bed to track your sleep.<\/p>\n

While the Pixel Watch 3 isn\u2019t immune to similar concerns, it\u2019s definitely slightly less of one compared to Apple\u2019s smartwatch. Like Apple, it does try to remedy that with some pretty rapid charging support.<\/p>\n

3. A very likeable round design<\/p>\n

\"a<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Future)<\/p>\n

Apple\u2019s smartwatch has remained square since the original Watch and seems unlikely to shift from that angular look. While there\u2019s no shortage of round smartwatches, I\u2019d say that the Pixel Watch 3\u2019s round look stands out for the right reasons.<\/p>\n

For starters, it comes in two different sizes, which is great news whether you like a smartwatch to dominate on the wrist or you prefer something that lives a little smaller, letting you strap on additional wristwear alongside it.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re getting a fully circular case design in either a polished or matte aluminium finish, an elegant watch crown, and a bright AMOLED display, and it has those deep black levels you associate with a high-quality colour screen. Combine all of that and you get something that\u2019s sleek and really does set it apart from other smartwatches.<\/p>\n

You certainly can\u2019t accuse the Google Pixel Watch 3 of aping the look of the Apple Watch Series 10 or other Apple Watches, and while Apple also gets plenty of things right with its design, so does Google with its own.<\/p>\n

What I disliked 1. The sports tracking <\/p>\n

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(Image credit: Future)<\/p>\n

Apple beats Google when it comes to tracking your exercise. Quite simply, if you want a smartwatch that can closely match the performance of a dedicated sports watch, it\u2019s not the Pixel Watch 3 you\u2019ll want on your wrist.<\/p>\n

Take GPS performance, or the fact that it doesn\u2019t offer the latest dual-band GPS technology that now appears on a whole host of smartwatches, some of which cost less than the Pixel Watch 3.<\/p>\n

If you look at the supported sports tracking profiles, there\u2019s simply more on offer with Apple\u2019s smartwatch. Take swimming as an example, where the Pixel Watch 3 only supports tracking pool swims, while Apple\u2019s will track your movements in the open water and do a really good job of it.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re heading outside to track workouts, Apple gives you maps to view. Some of that mapping is available out of the box, with a host of apps in the App Store that are capable of extending that to other sports.<\/p>\n

That extensive third-party training and fitness app support gives Apple the upper hand to enhance its sports tracking capabilities. It also has the advantage of letting you pair external fitness accessories like a heart rate monitor, which you cannot do on the Pixel Watch 3.<\/p>\n

Yes, there\u2019s certainly enough on the Pixel Watch to track workouts and offer a satisfactory level of performance as well as a good array of metrics. The Apple Watch Series 10 is a much better performer across most, if not all, fronts.<\/p>\n

2. The Fitbit Premium paywall<\/p>\n

\"a<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Future)<\/p>\n

Having Fitbit take care of most of the Pixel Watch 3\u2019s fitness and health tracking was a smart move, but you will need to shell out more money, either on a monthly or annual basis, to get the most complete Fitbit experience.<\/p>\n

Thankfully, features like daily readiness scores, core activity tracking, and health metrics are available in the free version of the Fitbit App. The biggest features you\u2019re going to miss out on by not paying up for Premium are the extra analysis offered for sleep and stress data. You also miss out on Fitbit\u2019s workout videos and audio-based training sessions, but I\u2019d say that richer sleep and stress insights are the things that most users will most appreciate having access to.<\/p>\n

3. The battery life<\/p>\n

\"a<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Future)<\/p>\n

Yes, I did like the fact that the Pixel Watch 3 (the larger 45mm version) has a better battery than the Apple Watch Series 10, but it\u2019s not by a huge amount.<\/p>\n

This is still a smartwatch where you have to think about the battery pretty much every day, whether the screen is on at all times, or when using the raise-to-wake gesture support. Having spent time with other Wear OS smartwatches that can go for almost a week without charging, it\u2019s frustrating that Google didn\u2019t seize the opportunity to make the Pixel Watch 3 go much longer than Apple\u2019s Watches, or at least seek parity with the best WearOS battery performers.<\/p>\n

4. No iPhone support <\/p>\n

Now, this is exactly the same criticism that can be levelled at the Apple Watch and its inability to play nice with Android. This dislikable element of using a Pixel Watch is unlikely to change anytime soon. The lack of compatibility across the two biggest smartphone platforms instantly makes using the Google Pixel Watch 3 a restrictive experience for many.<\/p>\n

If you don\u2019t have the luxury to switch between Android phones and iPhones, then that\u2019s going to be a pretty major reason to dislike the Pixel Watch 3.<\/p>\n

Follow Tom’s Guide on Google News<\/a> to get our up-to-date news, how-tos, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.<\/p>\n

More from Tom’s Guide<\/p>\n

Today’s best Apple Watch Series 10 and Google Pixel Watch 3 deals<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If you own an iPhone and you\u2019re fully locked into the Apple ecosystem, then it\u2019s hard to look…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":290410,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3160],"tags":[1685,53,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-290409","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-gadgets","8":"tag-gadgets","9":"tag-technology","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114913550451571184","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/290409","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=290409"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/290409\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/290410"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=290409"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=290409"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=290409"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}