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When you’ve been studying Android Authority over the previous few years, you could have seen some articles I’ve written concerning the unique Fitbit Sense. In a phrase, I love the Sense. I’ve printed hundreds of phrases right here speaking about it because it first launched in 2020. Even with the sequel touchdown in 2022 and numerous different superb smartwatches launching, the Sense has been on my wrist all day, day by day, for 3 years straight. That’s, till now.

I bought a Google Pixel Watch 2 free of charge with my Pixel 8 Professional and determined to offer it a shot. Though I’ve needed to change some habits, the Pixel Watch 2 is lastly an enough substitute for my years-old Fitbit. It’s good to have one thing recent!

Sadly, the Pixel Watch 2 continues to be poor in just a few areas, most notably battery life. Nonetheless, in the event you’re like me and nonetheless rocking an unique Sense (or one other older wearable), let me let you know why the Pixel Watch 2 lastly satisfied me to improve.

Throughout my overview of the Fitbit Sense 2, I lamented the staggering variety of vital unique Sense options the successor deserted. The most important, after all, was assist for Google Assistant. On condition that Google owns Fitbit, this was a genuinely bonkers determination. The Sense 2 additionally lacked Wi-Fi assist, third-party apps, and any music-related controls.

On the time, we assumed these intentional limitations of the Sense 2 have been put in place to make the primary Pixel Watch appear superior by comparability. Nonetheless, Google’s smartwatch debut didn’t have function parity with the Sense 2 — and even the unique Sense! The Pixel Watch lacked any stress-tracking or physique temperature options, for instance. It additionally had horrible battery life, particularly in comparison with the 5+ days of life you may simply get out of a Sense or Sense 2. In different phrases, the 2020 Sense was nonetheless superior to each the Sense 2 and the Pixel Watch in a number of areas regardless of being two years older.

The Pixel Watch 2, although, principally fixes these deficiencies. Whether or not you examine it to a Sense or a Sense 2, it does practically all the things they each do. Its app retailer is way extra sturdy than the one on the Sense (and the non-existent retailer for the Sense 2, clearly). It additionally has the Google Assistant, music controls, and Wi-Fi of the unique Sense. And all of the health modes and sensors of the Sense 2 make their strategy to the Pixel Watch 2.

With all these options, the Fitbit Sense lastly has some correct competitors. Up till now, I couldn’t even fathom dropping it as a result of there was nothing that got here remotely shut and nonetheless stored me within the Fitbit ecosystem. It took Google three years, however it did it.

After all, there’s nonetheless one huge downside with the Pixel Watch 2, and I’m positive you already know what it’s.

With my Fitbit Sense’s settings maxed out — AOD on on a regular basis, brightness all the best way up, vibrations set to the best setting, and many others. — I can get slightly over three days of use with no need to cost it. This makes it excellent for a tenting weekend or a backpacking journey abroad. I’ve grown very accustomed to not needing to be locked to an outlet each 18-24 hours as a result of my smartwatch wants juice — a privilege Apple Watch and Galaxy Watch customers might not respect.

Admittedly, the Pixel Watch 2 has a lot, significantly better battery life than the unique, however it nonetheless can’t examine to the Sense and even the Sense 2. It’s good that I can lastly get a full time out of it — and once I say “full day,” I imply utilizing all of it day and persevering with to make use of it for that evening’s sleep, a vital element that Google appeared to have forgotten about when it touted “all day” battery life for the unique Pixel Watch.

This isn’t the top of the world, although. It’s compelled me to vary some habits, however it’s workable. With my Sense, I used to put on all of it day besides when showering. Earlier than showering, I’d place the Sense on the charger. By the point I bought out of the bathe, dried off, bought my garments on, and brushed my enamel, it could be totally charged.

The Pixel Watch 2, although, requires a second spherical to maintain it going with none depletion issues. Now, I cost it whereas I bathe after which additionally give it an additional cost earlier than I sleep. My regular behavior is to get in mattress and skim a bit or make amends for the information, so these quarter-hour are perfect for a top-up. It helps that Google has considerably elevated the charging velocity, so that you not want two hours for a full cost. By charging at these two factors through the day, I haven’t had even one time that the Pixel Watch 2 ran out of juice on me and even got here near doing so. To be clear, that is with the identical maxed-out settings I used with my Sense, together with the AOD turned on always.

Nonetheless, the Pixel Watch 2, as I take advantage of it each day, won’t get me by a backpacking or tenting journey, that’s for positive. I’ll both have to drop down the settings for that or provide you with a backup energy resolution the subsequent time journey calls.

When you’re nonetheless hooked up to your Fitbit Sense (or different older watch) and hesitant to leap to a Pixel Watch 2 due to the tepid response the primary Pixel Watch acquired, I recommend you not fear about it. I churned by quite a few watches to search out an enough improve for the unique Sense, so I do know the place you’re coming from. However the Pixel Watch 2 is a positive substitute, assuming you may barely modify your charging habits to accommodate it.

Apart from, the Pixel Watch 2 can do many issues the Sense can’t. It’s been nice to sync alarms and Do Not Disturb modes throughout my cellphone and watch, for instance. Controlling my good residence with the Google Dwelling app on my watch has additionally been extremely helpful. Plus, the Pixel Watch 2 seems to be much more like a daily watch than any Fitbit product does, which is good once I’m carrying one thing formal, as I did at my brother-in-law’s marriage ceremony lately.

The one factor left on my thoughts is whether or not or not the Pixel Watch 2 will final me so long as the Fitbit Sense did. Will I be rocking this into 2026, or will I begin upgrading my watch yearly identical to I do with my cellphone? Time will inform, there. Let’s see how a lot Google can enhance battery life with the Pixel Watch 3. That would be the true take a look at!