Don’t listen to Google. The Pixel Watch 2 isn’t a smartwatch…

I don’t think the Google Pixel Watch 2 is a smartwatch. I think this is just being offered as a rumor, because once again, Google hasn’t treated the design like a smartwatch at all.

Why? Because it only made it in one case size, which is the same mistake it made with the first Google Pixel Watch, and it’s shocking to see it do it again. Because of this, it’s time we stopped calling it a smartwatch, as it has more in common with another popular type of wearable: a fitness band.

How are smartwatches and fitness bands different?

Why do I think the Pixel Watch 2 is a fitness band, not a smartwatch? Let me explain. Smartwatches have a dual role. In addition to all the smart features that connect to your phone, in addition to the health and fitness features provided through sensor arrays and software, a smartwatch replicates the feeling of wearing a traditional watch through its design, style, fit, and finish. Must repeat. , It is taking up valuable wrist space and is often chosen for the way it looks as well as its functionality.

A fitness tracker has been selected Almost completely For its functionality. It plays a role and adopts a minimalist design so as not to impact your wrist. Wearers accept it because the design is secondary to the data it provides. And as long as they’re not the size of a wart on your wrist and come in some pretty colors, fitness bands are accepted and largely forgotten once worn. Just look at every single Fitbit, Xiaomi smart band, or cheap knockoff available on Amazon for proof. They’re functional, but never very desirable, and we wear them for their potential, not because they make us feel Some.

Telling the time is no longer a good enough reason to strap a watch on your wrist, because we can check the time on our phones, so the watch needs to make us feel something. Making sure it’s desirable and looks good on a variety of wrists is therefore important, and the key to making that happen is offering it in a variety of case sizes.

If you don’t do this, it either turns out too big or too small – and very rarely goes right. Fitness trackers, because the design is not highlighted, are smaller, so they are less noticeable and less likely to clash with a watch or jewelry. want to wear.

No changes for Pixel Watch 2

The Pixel Watch 2 looks exactly the same as the Pixel Watch. It’s small, unassuming, and made of aluminum, with a domed glass over the screen. The different bands are attached using a proprietary system, and it comes in four different color combinations – polished silver/bay blue, polished silver/porcelain, matte black/obsidian, and champagne gold/hazel. The case back has been redesigned to accommodate the new sensor. It’s round like a watch, but when you describe it, it sounds like a fitness band.

Its shape is simple to the point of being invisible, and it still only comes in a 41mm case size. Other models like the Apple Watch Series 9, Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 and Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, and the Tag Heuer Connected Caliber E4 all come in two different case sizes. Google says it did a lot of research into what size watch best suits most people before deciding on the 41mm case size, and on paper, this general size should work well. But in reality, the minimalist, no-lug design makes it absolutely tiny, and it wears like a 39mm watch or even smaller.

I don’t mind the minimalist design of the Pixel Watch 2, even if it’s a little unimaginative. I’ve also intentionally purchased traditional watches with 41mm cases, as they fit my wrist better than smaller versions of the same watch. This means I should actually be able to put the Pixel Watch 2 on my wrist and not feel like I’m accidentally wearing a kid’s version — or not feel like my wrist has mysteriously grown by 6.5 inches overnight. Has increased to 8.5 inches. Still, that’s exactly what I think, and I don’t think I’d be alone.

The solution would be to simply select the size, as I do with the Galaxy Watch 6 and Apple Watch. I’ve worn a 41mm Apple Watch in the past just for the look, and it looks weird on my wrist, which is why I wear the 45mm model. Except I can’t get the next size up with the Pixel Watch because Google has done its research and thinks 41mm is good enough to satisfy everyone. This is the idea of ​​a fitness band, not making a watch.

Fitbit’s impact goes deeper than software

This complete belief in a single, one-size-fits-all number proves that Google has created a fitness band, not a smartwatch. Google may even call it a smartwatch or a timepiece, as it bravely does in some press materials, but very few watchmakers offer a single watch in only one size. If I’m going to wear a watch all the time, I want it to suit my wrist, and case size dictates that more than anything else. If there’s only one size and it looks a little silly to me, I’m not going to buy it. Watch makers know this, and most smartwatch makers have wisely adopted the same philosophy.

Fitness bands, on the other hand, almost always come in a single, small size and have a minimalist, simple design. They can be shown off at the gym, then hidden when you don’t want to look like you’re running everywhere. Fitbit has followed this formula from the beginning, and its so-called smartwatches are jazzier versions of its fitness bands. Fitbit, now a Google company, is a major part of the Pixel Watch 2’s software, but its influence clearly extends beyond that and into the design. There’s nothing wrong with fitness bands, but they aren’t smartwatches. not even close.

If you’re thinking about buying the Pixel Watch 2, don’t compare it to the Galaxy Watch 6, Apple Watch Series 9, or even the Huawei Watch GT 4. Google may say that Pixel Watch 2 is a smartwatch. But it’s designed like a fitness band, and you may find that it doesn’t quite fit your wrist or your lifestyle. It definitely doesn’t fit me. Instead, think of it as an alternative to something like the Fitbit Sense 2.

Google has, perhaps unknowingly, treated the Pixel Watch 2 exactly like a fitness band, and you should too.