The Made by Google launch event is gone and we saw Google introduce all its finest gadgets for this year from Nest Products, the new flagships Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro and the Pixel Watch which is Google’s first smartwatch. Listen to the latest episode of The MacRumours Show podcast as we compare the latest gadgets from Google with Apple devices.
If you haven’t seen the Pixel Watch face to face you can see pre-teasers from Google that were shared before the actual launch or just read along. The smartwatch from Google comes in an outstanding round design with a stainless steel casing of 41mm, 24 hours of battery life, a screen display that is always on and Fitbit sleep tracking feature with a price tag of $350. If you’re impressed by these features remember Apple’s version of a smartwatch has blood oxygen monitoring, fall detection, ECG and an emergency SOS feature with a memory space of 32GB.
The Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro from Google have been built with many features that are similar to those of the iPhone series phones and many users will probably notice the 2x crop mode for stimulating telephoto lens, Face Unlock, Cinematic Blur for video and an Active Stabilisation mode available in iPhone series handsets.
But Google adds faster Night sight, a photo Unblur feature, 8GB or 12GB for memory and a custom-silicon Tensor G2 chip. The hardware design looks as if Google’s handsets are in direct competition with Apple’s latest handsets the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro while saving users about $100.
Google also offered a quick preview of the Pixel Tablet which the company will launch next year and this will likely be a dig after the iPad from Apple. The tablet will have a speaker dock that will be used as a charger and when connected to the tablet will turn it into a home-focussed device to look at information, display favourite photos, and control other smart accessories in the house.
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How Does the Pixel compare to Apple Watch Series?
The Pixel Watch offers Fast pair so you can easily connect to your phone. When it comes to battery life the Pixel Watch is offering exactly what a premium Apple Watch offers just 24 hours of battery life when other smartwatches by Samsung and other brands are going all the way to extend this to days without charging.
The Watch promises to seamlessly connect with other services offered by Google, is supported by the latest version of Wear OS unlike Apple’s but has a high price tag that one can easily associate with an Apple Watch. The Pixel Watch can be regarded as the best alternative to an Apple Watch because it dons the latest Wear OS in the industry
What may make the Pixel Watch stand out is that it is the first Android-powered smartwatch to have Fitbit health tracking but coming 7 years after the Apple Watch and with Apple promising to unveil the Apple Watch Ultra this month, it seems Google is still far behind to beat Apple with just one watch design.
Compatibility with other devices
Apart from having a different charging port from other devices, Apple also limited what handsets can connect with the Apple Watch, with only iPhone series phones able to do so. Google has turned the tide with the Pixel 7 which is compatible with all devices running on Android 8 or above that.
The Pixel watch will allow users with different smartphones apart from those in the Pixel Series to use the watch without a need to upgrade or change their phone altogether. The Pixel Watch gets a plus for being compatible with devices from other tech giants such as Samsung and OnePlus while the Apple Watch remains isolated.
Charging System
The need to have one standard charger for your devices can not be stressed enough especially when you need to charge one device and the charger won’t fit the port. Unlike the smartwatches in the Apple Watch series that charge using a Magnetic charger, the Pixel Watch charges using a USB-C charger with a magnetic cable. It looks like this is a good way for Google to comply with the new law on charging systems for devices in the EU.
Health Features
Both the Apple Watch and Pixel Watch come with health features and it’s heavy competition on which one is best. The Pixel Watch comes with Fitbit though one can easily use a smartphone to get the app or buy a Fitbit Watch so while Google wants you to think that a heart rate and blood oxygen sensor is a good addition to your watch, let’s not forget its technology you can get somewhere else.
The Apple Watch on the other hand has upped the stakes with a temperature sensor for ovulation estimates for menstrual cycles. That added to several workout types and an audio guide for walks and runs. Google can’t beat that even though an Apple Watch does not come with Fitbit support.
