Google Pixel Watch 3 vs. Fitbit Sense 2: Similarities drive these two apart

Google owns Fitbit, so we have two devices here that share some things in common but also diverge a fair bit in some key areas. The Pixel Watch 3 offers a great experience running on Wear OS and now comes in two sizes with the 45mm model adding some variety to Google’s own smartwatch. The Fitbit Sense 2 bears some of the markings of Google’s ownership but is also missing a lot of others, making it feel like an odd middle ground between a smartwatch and a fitness tracker. Better battery life makes it an interesting option, but when you consider the best smartwatches for Android, it becomes clearer which of these two is the better buy.

Like its predecessor, the Google Pixel Watch 3 starts at $350 for the 41mm model and $400 for the 45mm size. For an extra $100, you can get the LTE variant for either one, giving the watch constant connectivity. Color options for the 41mm include Matte Black with an Obsidian band; Polished silver with either a Porcelain or Rose Quartz band; or Champagne Gold with a Hazel band. The 45mm version comes in Matte Black with an Obsidian band; Polished Silver with Porcelain; or Matte Hazel with a Hazel band.

The Fitbit Sense 2 only comes in one model, though there are two band sizes in the box to accommodate more wrists. Color options include Graphite Aluminum with a Shadow Grey band; Platinum Aluminum with a Lunar White band; or Soft Gold Aluminum with a Blue Mist band. It costs $250 for any of the variants, though an LTE one isn’t available, leaving you only with Bluetooth as the single choice.

Both watches come with a six-month trial of Fitbit Premium, which applies to new and returning customers. You can buy either watch from Google directly, making it easier to compare the two purchases, though both are also pretty widely available at various retailers. Google offers trade-in deals, including taking products from Google and Fitbit, as well as those from Apple and Samsung. Google’s website lets you add your device to get a general idea of how much trade-in value you can expect.

Google continues to roll with the same Pixel Watch design, so the Pixel Watch 3 unsurprisingly looks like a clone of the previous two models. There’s a bright side to keeping things familiar, like how bands from the previous two also fit the Pixel Watch 3 41mm size because the same proprietary connector is used. For the 45mm, however, you will need to get different bands, despite the connector being the same.

The screen is brighter this time at 2,000 nits peak brightness (applying to both sizes), which is great for viewing in brighter sunlight. Unlike other smartwatches, its face is more exposed, and though it gives it a more refined look, the Gorilla Glass 5 protection may not be as sturdy as Sapphire Crystal glass. The Pixel Watch 3 is undoubtedly more durable than its predecessors, but you still want to be careful of any nicks or scratches.

The Fitbit Sense 2 isn’t all that different in that regard, though its aluminum frame offers some display protection. Its square-ish form factor contrasts with the rounded Pixel Watch 3, so it becomes a matter of personal preference about what you prefer to have on your wrist. Fitbit wisely has a physical button to manage the interface in certain ways, but doesn’t have the Pixel’s rotating crown to scroll through menus without touching the screen.

Both offer similar water resistance — at least based on what Google claims. The Pixel Watch 3 has IP68 protection, capable of reaching depths of 50 meters. But the Fitbit Sense 2 doesn’t have any official IP protection, yet Google says it will be perfectly fine down to 50 meters. That includes saltwater, by the way, so wearing either one at the beach should be fine. Just make sure not to dive too deep when wearing them and to rinse off any salt and sand with fresh water afterward.

Since there’s crossover, these two devices have similar features. The Pixel Watch 3 borrows a lot of Fitbit’s existing tracking abilities, especially on the software side, since the Fitbit app can be used to sync the data and view progress. Fitbit Premium hides some of the extras behind a paywall unless you retain a subscription. Various workout and training videos, recipes, and expanded sleep are among the features excluded. Features like Readiness, Target load, Cardio Load, and Morning Brief are staples of the Pixel Watch 3, making this every bit a fitness tracker within its smartwatch bona fides.

The big difference is that Google seems to only want its own Pixel watches to have all the third-party apps under its umbrella. It inexplicably culled them from the Sense 2 when it launched, which still feels like a major omission without just cause. As a result, the apps you might take for granted, like Spotify, WhatsApp, Shazam, Calm, Google Home, Accuweather, Todoist, and others aren’t available for the Sense 2, whereas they’re ready to go when you want them on the Pixel Watch 3. That even extends to core and exercise apps. Strava, 7 Minute Workout, Lifesum, and Adidas Running are good examples, as are Google Home, Google Keep, and Gboard. Even Google Assistant is silent on the Sense 2, leaving only Alexa as the lone voice assistant.

Granted, a big reason for these discrepancies lies in the fact the Pixel Watch 3 runs on Wear OS, while the Sense 2 doesn’t, but some of the aforementioned third-party apps used to work with Fitbit’s smartwatches, so it feels like a loss. Instead, you almost have to look at Fitbit’s device as more of a fitness tracker in the guise of a smartwatch. It has a pretty sensible health tracking set that ranges from an ECG (electrocardiogram) to look for an irregular heartbeat to an EDA (electrodermal activity) sensor that can keep tabs on skin temperature variations. Discrepancies with either feature could signal something’s up with your health. Fitbit also finds ways to use these (and other) measurements to produce daily scores and Body Response alerts to help you pause and reflect in moments where stress, anger, or frustration set in.

Even on the exercise side, there’s a lot to like about how the Sense 2 tracks how you’re doing. You’re just limited by app integration while wearing the device. It’s a feeling you have to get used to even more when it comes to non-exercise apps, considering how few there are. Google Maps is nice to have when navigating an unfamiliar place, as is Google Pay to make payments from your wrist. If you’re a YouTube Music subscriber, it’s your only real ticket to hearing tunes from the watch itself. Apart from that, though, the pickings are seriously slim.

It’s kind of fitting that the chargers for these devices are interchangeable. Both use pins to hold the devices in place, a design that Google actually migrated from Fitbit to its own smartwatches going back to the Pixel Watch 2. But there is an advantage to charging the Pixel Watch 3; it takes considerably less time — about an hour or less — to fully charge. It’s closer to two hours for the Sense 2. In a pinch before a workout, you could get a sufficient charge after about 10 to 15 minutes from either one to get through it, unless you’re running GPS the whole time, which drains the battery faster.

The advantage reverses when it comes to how often you have to charge. The Sense 2 can last up to a week depending on how you use it, whereas the Pixel Watch 3 will make it past 24 hours on a good day. That means you will definitely need to take the charger with you, even if you travel for a short trip, while the Sense 2 can easily get through a weekend.

This choice becomes pretty easy when you factor in the elements you want to have handy. If it’s Wear OS and all the third-party apps that come with that, the Pixel Watch 3 is an obvious winner. If it’s a matter of size, Google gives you two options compared to Fitbit’s single option. Accessorizing the Pixel Watch 3 is also generally easier because the number of bands available varies in both materials and sophistication. While the Sense 2 has been on the market longer, it doesn’t have the same level of ecosystem support.

Google clearly wants the Pixel Watch 3 to feel substantive on anyone’s wrist, and to do so, it borrowed heavily from Fitbit to shore up the health and fitness tracking side of the user experience. It’s been that way from the beginning. So, going forward, you’ll need a Google account just to use a Fitbit device and sync it with the app. That was already a must for the Watch 3 and only adds to why it’s the stronger of the two choices here.

But considering the Sense 2 purely on its merits as a health and fitness tracker, it feels like a compelling alternative. That is, of course, if you care less about third-party apps and aren’t all that interested in something more deeply integrated with your phone and favorite apps. Still, it’s a pricey proposition when assessing the value between these two devices. Rather than strengthen the value proposition of the Sense 2, Google has only hindered it by limiting the scope of what it could truly be as a smartwatch.

But the Fitbit Sense 2 actually set the tone for what the Pixel Watch 3 aspires to be when it comes to an all-around tracker. It has more sensors to do the job than the Watch 3 does and is good at doing it for longer. What sets it back most as a smartwatch is that it doesn’t always feel “smart.”

Source: https://www.androidpolice.com/google-pixel-watch-3-vs-fitbit-sense-2/