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I used a Wear OS smartwatch for the first time and I liked it very much

I used a Wear OS smartwatch for the first time and I liked it very much

Since then original Apple WatchSmartwatches as a whole have really taken off. Although Apple largely dominates the market, there are still many companies that are not Apple. smart watches You can choose from .

I’ve been an Apple Watch-only user for the last decade, but I’ve been trying this: Google Pixel Watch 3 for the last few weeks. And frankly I love it.

A round smartwatch is much more stylish

Weather on Pixel Watch 3.

Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends

Apple has used a rounded square design throughout the life of the Apple Watch. Apple Watch Ultra. Although there are plenty of rumors of major redesigns Series 7 And Series 10Apple stuck to its tried-and-true square design. While it works, it also looks like a piece of technology on your wrist. It’s not as elegant as a traditional watch.

This is where Android smart watches differ. Popular models from Samsung and Google use a circular body that more closely resembles the traditional watch style. It looks less geeky or geeky on its own and I feel like it looks better overall.

Initially, I wasn’t sure if I wanted a circular watch face when looking at my notifications, messages, apps, and other things. But in practice the situation is not bad at all. Of course, some things will be cut off a bit due to the circular bezel, but the aesthetic looks more elegant overall and I think it makes up for it.

In the short time I spent with it, I grew to like the Pixel Watch 3’s rounded and smooth design more than the square shape of my Apple Watch Ultra.

Clock faces feel fresh and fun

Active watch face in Rosebush color scheme on Pixel Watch 3.

Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends

I’ve been a big fan of the Ultra Modular watch face ever since I got my Apple Watch Ultra. Before the Ultra I was pretty much using the regular Modular face. While these aren’t the most exciting watch looks, they give me all the information I need to know at a glance. But they’re not really entertainment.

I decided on the Active watch face in the Rosebush color theme because it combines two of my favorite colors currently on my Pixel Watch 3: pink and green. It’s cool and unique, and it gives me enough space for the apps I want to check throughout the day.

Changing watch faces on Pixel Watch 3.

Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends

I love how much variety there is in watch faces and color schemes. Apple Watch dials that allow for color changes usually come in a single color or multi-color, but surprisingly Apple doesn’t have dual-tone color schemes for most of its existing color schemes. Apple Watch faces.

Pixel Watch 3 features a variety of watch faces with fun fonts, bold colors with dual-tone combinations, gradients, and more. It feels so much fresher and fun and so many of these color combinations are great. I’ll be reviewing more watch face and color combinations on my Pixel Watch 3 in the coming weeks, but for now I’ll stick with Active Rosebush. This is much easier to match with outfits or events.

Wearing OS 5 is pretty cool

Sleep on Pixel Watch 3.

Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends

Just as someone who uses watchOS In all these years, I had no experience with Wear OS until the Pixel Watch 3. I must say I was quite impressed.

Pixel Watch 3 has a Snapdragon W5 chip inside. Pixel Watch 2. So far I’ve found performance to be fast, snappy and very responsive. There was no lag when I opened apps, which I can’t say about my Apple Watch Ultra; sometimes when I use the Action button shortcut it takes a while for the workout to start.

I also noticed that the Pixel Watch 3 was better at automatically detecting if I was exercising, like a long walk from Disneyland to my car. This warning came up at least twice during my entire day in the parks, but it didn’t appear on my Apple Watch Ultra.

What’s more, I enjoyed the clean aesthetic of Wear OS on the Pixel Watch 3, and navigating the interface is actually pretty simple. Swipe left and right to view your tiles/widgets, swipe down for Quick Settings, and swipe up for notifications; This is all very intuitive. I wish watchOS had a faster way to access settings like this.

A great smartwatch that doesn’t belong to Apple

Notifications on Pixel Watch 3.

Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends

Again, I’ve been an Apple Watch user for the last decade and this is all I know so far. However, after using the Pixel Watch 3 for a while, I have to say that I like it.

The round design looks much nicer than the square shape of the Apple Watch and brings the traditional watch aesthetic into the digital age. When you combine the round design with the fun and colorful watch faces that Pixel Watch 3 offers, there are plenty of ways to make it nicer or smaller. I also like that there are unique dual-tone faces with some color combinations. I really can’t get enough of these.

Wear OS 5 is also much more intuitive than I thought it would be. It’s easier to navigate, its interface is simpler than watchOS, and its performance is fast and smooth. Battery life is also impressive, matching my Apple Watch Ultra most days (about 50% left).

I’ve always been an Apple Watch user, but the Pixel Watch 3 showed me that there are some great non-Apple smartwatches on the market. If I were using mine first Pixel 9 Pro instead of me iPhone 16 ProI’d be happy to make the full switch to the Pixel Watch 3 – it really is that good.