At a gaze
Expert’s Ranking
ProsStunning develop Easy to voice At ease performance Packed with featuresConsInconsistent battery lifestyles Aged chipsetLacks correct computerized workout detection No Qi wireless chargingOur VerdictThe Pixel Peep is an intellectual all-rounder for a smartwatch with most productive shrimp caveats stopping it from getting stout marks. That is the Apple Peep for Android.
Be aware When ReviewedFrom $349.99
Simplest Costs Lately: Google Pixel Peep
$279
$279.99
$279.99
$299.99
Having made a smartwatch working machine for nearly a decade, Google at closing made its bask in smartwatch in 2022.
After I first seen the LG G Peep in 2013 forward of its legit launch I was angry, but having been keen on Google’s bask in hardware for a while, I’ve continuously puzzled what an bask in-trace smartwatch will likely be like.
Google makes Wear OS finally, and while I’d nearly given up hope diverse times over time, the Pixel Peep used to be price the wait in nearly every system.
Starting up at $349/£339/€379, it is priced in between the Samsung Galaxy Peep 5 and Peep 5 Expert besides to the Apple Peep SE and Collection 8. For a first-generation machine, Google has finished an intellectual job to produce something that at closing seems to be to be like a real Apple Peep rival for Android fans, but it’s now not without its flaws.
Is the Google Pixel Peep quiet price shopping for?
The Pixel Peep has now been succeeded by the Pixel Peep 2. On the opposite hand, don’t let that put you off, as the upgrades are reasonably minor.
The unique Peep doesn’t provide as many strap alternatives, and is somewhat heavier than its successor. It also has a less spectacular heart rate video display, and entirely forgoes physique-response and skin temperature sensors.
That aside, the devices are very the same. The Pixel Peep quiet seems to be to be immense, is overjoyed to wear, has hundreds of immense tech and works brilliantly as a result of the mix of the intuitive Wear OS 3 tool, a digital crown, and a beautiful hide.
Moreover, it has come down in price because it first launched, so its absolutely price a get when you happen to’re brooding about it. In most cases we survey one of the vital vital finest reductions throughout sale seasons similar to Dim Friday and Top Day.
The finest element letting it down is its battery lifestyles. If that’s a dealbreaker, eliminate a gaze at our chart of the finest smartwatches.
Construct & Produce
Recycled stainless metal
Customized 3D glass
50ATM
The develop of the Pixel Peep is one of many principle lures for me. It in actuality is a element of magnificence and in some plan lives up to the renders we seen earlier than the legit launch which is awfully rare.
Google has made the physique out of 80% recycled stainless metal and the entrance is custom 3D Gorilla Glass 5. I’ve obtained the Polished Silver color and it seems to be to be every bit as top rate as you’d search recordsdata from though I acquire this is capable of well also be the worst color, with Matte Dim and Champagne Gold also on provide.
Henry Burrell / Foundry
The rounded and gentle pebble-like develop affords the Pixel Peep an opulent quality, in particular must you add within the system the proprietary band seamlessly flows into the principle physique. The total neutral honest correct seems to be to be beautiful and makes diverse smartwatches survey plain or even gruesome.
Google affords two sizes of band within the field to produce obvious you are going to furthermore derive the precise fit. The long-established Fluoroelastomer band works well with a metal nodule you are going to furthermore put by technique of any of the holes.
There is a fluctuate of extra straps you are going to furthermore get from Google alongside side Stretch, Woven and Leather.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
I was a tad tremendously shocked about how thick the behold is at 12.3mm but it sits perfectly well on my wrist and is also light-weight at 36g now not alongside side the band. Total, right here’s a slight smartwatch which is immense when you happen to search out others on the market too gigantic.
That Gorilla Glass entrance gained’t be as durable as sapphire, but I’ve now not had a single mark or scratch in over a week. The Pixel Peep is also water immune to 5ATM (50m) so can hurry honest correct about anyplace with you unless you’re a deep sea diver.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
All around the perimeters of the physique you’ll gain a mic, speaker, button and a digital crown. It’s most likely you’ll furthermore wear the behold in any orientation so the crown can hurry on both aspect depending on your need.
Screen & Audio
AMOLED
1000 nits brightness
Mic and speaker
The compact develop of the Pixel Peep does indicate the verbalize is on the shrimp aspect and an inexpensive bezel around it doesn’t help matters, even supposing diverse the behold faces and UI hide it well.
Google doesn’t list a size for it but as a long way as I will web it’s 1.2in which is the identical as the Galaxy Peep 5.
The AMOLED hide has a correct pixel density of 320ppi and DCI-P3 color, though Google doesn’t grunt to what accuracy stage. Regardless, the hide is crisp and vivid with up to 1000 nits brightness, in accordance to the agency.
Henry Burrell / Foundry
I absolutely haven’t had any concerns viewing the Pixel Peep begin air in solid sunlight. It’s most likely you’ll furthermore make a selection out three ranges of brightness within the settings, but the behold also has adaptive brightness because of an ambient light sensor, so I haven’t desired to adjust it manually.
There are also Bedtime and Cinema modes you are going to furthermore urged for particular eventualities to defend away from annoyance and to assign battery lifestyles.
I’ll focus on in detail about battery lifestyles later but it’s price noting now that there may well be an continuously-on option for the verbalize but it’s off by default as this is capable of furthermore simply shorten the lifestyles vastly. In every other case, you are going to acquire faucet-to-wake or lift-to-wake as you’d search recordsdata from though I stumbled on the latter now not continuously legit.
As talked about, there’s a microphone and speaker on one aspect of the behold and the mic does a solid job of selecting up my remark for issues like commands or dictation. The speaker is restricted in quality as a result of the size of the Pixel Peep.
Henry Burrell / Foundry
I switched off audio notifications nearly steady away, but you may well perhaps well also voice it to acquire a cellphone name if vital, though you are going to battle when you happen to’re now not sat in a reasonably restful room. Oddly, you are going to furthermore’t voice it to listen to tune.
Gadget & Aspects
Wear OS 3.5
Truly helpful ‘Tiles’
Very honest correct Google integration
There are now not any prizes for guessing that the Pixel Peep runs Wear OS. On the opposite hand, this Pixel-tinged model of Wear OS 3.5 isn’t something we’ve viewed earlier than and is expounded to how when you happen to get a Pixel smartphone, you derive the pure uninterrupted Android journey.
Google has been working with Samsung on the tool but the Galaxy Peep 5 fluctuate comes with a One UI overlay, as an illustration.
Chris Martin / Foundry
Organising with Pixel 7 is a walk as you derive an computerized pop-up and the aptly named Pixel Peep app affords an intellectual tutorial on guidelines on how to voice the machine’s hardware and tool. But happily you don’t want a Pixel cellphone to voice the Peep – honest correct an Android cellphone running Android 8.0 or above. iPhone users are out of success.
From the principle behold face, you are going to furthermore swipe up for notifications or swipe down for snappy settings and data similar to battery stage. Scrolling may well perhaps perhaps also be finished with the digital crown which is suitably gentle and nice with intellectual haptic suggestions. And haptic suggestions is immense in different locations, too.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
You are going to need the touch hide to take issues though besides to swipe left or precise from the behold face to derive entry to Tiles. These are basically widgets for issues like climate, calendar, sleep, heart rate and more.
They’re customisable with regards to the portray they sit in, and also you are going to furthermore even extinguish this on the behold itself as a substitute of the companion app, besides so that you can add or eliminate them to your liking.
By default, there are eight behold faces to take from and also you are going to furthermore edit diverse ingredients to derive issues honest correct precise. There are also loads more by capacity of the Pixel Peep to take from when you happen to love. Some hide the bezel better than others.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
It’s most likely you’ll furthermore reply to message notifications straight from the behold by dictation or utilizing the hide to take an emoji. I was also shocked by how well the on-hide keyboard worked to produce a message utilizing swipe enter.
Pushing the digital crown goes reduction to the behold face or opens a list of apps depending the build you are within the UI and the button above opens lately historic apps or a lengthy press summons Google Assistant.
It’s all very pretty and intuitive and the integration with Google services, as you may well perhaps well hope, is intellectual.
I’ve already talked about Google Assistant can even be accessed by lengthy pressing the aspect button but you may well perhaps well also grunt “Hi there Google” or produce a complication shortcut on some behold faces. It works in actuality well and intended I didn’t in actuality need the Google Home app to total issues like flip lights on and off.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
The Home app on Wear OS is in beta and a exiguous bit overall so that you are going to furthermore’t extinguish issues like behold Nest cameras, adjust the quantity of a speaker, or regulate a Nest thermostat. Most taps lead to a message asking you to derive your cellphone out.
There’s also Google Maps for on-wrist directions, meaning you don’t acquire to retain getting your cellphone out when discovering your system and this even entails a mini-plan which works surprisingly well on the compact hide.
You even acquire Google Wallet to produce payments by capacity of NFC, even supposing you are going to acquire to dwelling up a PIN for safety.
The pre-loaded apps duvet most bases but you are going to furthermore head to the Google Play Store to derive more with tons accessible alongside side Spotify, Still, Outlook and tons more.
Health & Tracking
Fitbit integration
A lot of sensors
The diverse Google carrier that’s tightly woven into the Pixel Peep is Fitbit, since Google lately obtained the company. In a system, the Pixel Peep is the most top rate Fitbit machine you are going to furthermore get with Google announcing it has “Fitbit’s most apt heart rate monitoring yet.”
This form it is miles vital to trace your stats on your cellphone utilizing the Fitbit app, which it is miles vital to acquire an chronicle to designate into – you at the moment can’t designate in utilizing your Google chronicle. It’s one other nail within the coffin for the Google Match app, which is left out of the total equation.
As customary, the optical heart rate video display is stumbled on on the aid of the behold and presses up against your skin. The digital crown is then historic as somewhere to arena your index finger when you happen to acquire to total an ECG (electrocardiogram).
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
The Pixel Peep will likely be ready to trace blood oxygen ranges in future – there’s a sensor in-constructed but it isn’t functional yet. That ought to comprise a tool update. It also has hundreds of diverse sensors for monitoring similar to an accelerometer, gyroscope and altimeter.
All this means you derive broad monitoring whether or now not you honest correct desire to depend steps and energy or plan more. Link the Pixel Peep with the Fitbit app and also you’ll derive every model of recordsdata with graphs of your heart rate and Zone Minutes – i.e. must you’ve reached particular heart rate zones throughout voice similar to ‘stout burn’ and ‘cardio’.
There are more than 40 diverse actions to take from and even supposing some rival watches provide plan more, these duvet the commonest. Your most historic ones will appear on the Fitbit tile and constructed-in GPS system you are going to furthermore hurry out without your cellphone and quiet file your route.
Oddly, computerized monitoring within the identical system as particular Fitbits like the Sense 2 – with Auto Commence, Stop and Live – is now not accessible on the Pixel Peep. The machine can quiet robotically tune particular actions and also you are going to gain them within the Fitbit app after you’ve finished.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
That is a disgrace and doesn’t in actuality produce sense brooding about Google owns Fitbit. In a bid to 9to5Google, the agency acknowledged, “Over time, we are capable of work to bring more on machine workout recognition to our behold portfolio.” I’m hoping right here is added sooner as a substitute of later but unless then, you’ll desire to intentionally originate an activity to produce obvious.
One thing that is certainly on the system is fall detection which Google says will come ‘this winter’. It’s a feature in model on Apple Watches that can repeat when you happen to’ve fallen and can help you to alert contacts or emergency services.
While you wear the Pixel Peep at evening, which is overjoyed to total in my journey, you may well perhaps well also derive detailed sleep monitoring. This uses more battery, unnecessary to claim, and I’m of the concept that I don’t desire to learn how badly I’ve slept because it will produce me feel worse.
Pondering the battery lifestyles (more on that below) you’ve opinion to be making an strive to leave the Pixel Peep on its charger while you slumber.
You’re now not restricted to Fitbit though and diverse standard health apps will likely be found for the Pixel Peep alongside side Strava. You extinguish derive to study out out Fitbit Top class without cost for six months which entails diverse tutored exercises and mindfulness classes besides to a deeper dive into your recordsdata. After that though, it charges $9.99/£7.99 month-to-month – a exiguous bit galling.
Specs & Efficiency
Exynos 9110 processor
2/32GB memory and storage
GPS, NFC and now not vital LTE
Kicking off the core specs is a Samsung Exynos 9110 processor which is constructed for wearables. On the one hand, this somewhat beautiful as right here is the chip that used to be viewed within the first Galaxy Peep reduction in 2018.
Essentially the most modern Galaxy Peep 5 has a more most modern Exynos W920 also viewed within the Galaxy Peep 4 but it uses a 5nm manufacturing process as a substitute of 10nm of the Exynos 9110.
The chip is paired with 2GB of RAM which is more than the Peep 5 and, no topic the archaic chip, I’ve stumbled on the performance of the Pixel Peep perfectly gentle and serviceable other than just a few very minor blips – mainly opening a notification to read your total element and being presented with a blank grey field.
The greater impact of getting this chipset, it seems to be, is on battery lifestyles (survey below).
Henry Burrell / Foundry
There’s also 32GB of storage on-board as long-established giving you more dwelling than key rivals for apps and downloading tune. It’s most likely you’ll furthermore extinguish this with YouTube Song or Spotify.
By system of diverse specs, you derive the total forms of property you’d search recordsdata from from a top rate smartwatch alongside side Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, GPS and the sensors talked about within the outdated section.
These attempting recordsdata on the hurry without the need for pairing with a smartphone can decide for the 4G LTE model of the Pixel Peep for one more $50/£40 over the Wi-Fi most productive model. In any case, recordsdata plans come at an additional price and networks are restricted to EE and Vodafone within the UK but there’s a much wider decision within the US.
Battery Lifestyles & Charging
294mAh cell
Sporadic battery lifestyles
Posthaste charging
Sadly right here is the build we hit the Pixel Peep’s Achilles heel. It’s now not a total battery failure but it is inconsistent.
The Pixel Peep has a shrimp 294mAh battery, which is now not irregular for a smartwatch of this size and while Apple claims 18 hours for the Collection 8 and Google quotes 24 so on paper it beats a key rival while being less pricey.
The be troubled right here is that you may well perhaps well now not derive to that figure. As talked about, ‘inconsistent’ is the predominant observe right here as a weekend at dwelling seen me derive nearly 48 hours of battery lifestyles, while a day out into London seen it closing honest correct over 12 hours.
And I wasn’t even utilizing the Peep plan more other than filming a video about it within the afternoon and by that point, it had already dropped to below 20%. There are many factors that will have an effect on battery lifestyles, unnecessary to claim, so issues like running with GPS, Spotify and utilizing the continuously-on hide feature will suck juice.
Presumably a more most modern chipset on a smaller manufacturing process will help on this department, as a substitute of the ageing Exynos 9110.
Fortunately, charging is beautiful snappy and with the equipped charger and a 15W wall hump, I obtained to 39% after 15-minutes and 53% after 30.
The charger itself is plan like many obtainable and is accessible within the construct of a shrimp magnetic puck. On the opposite hand, I’d gain a stand like Motorola has finished.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
One other be troubled is that you are going to furthermore’t voice diverse chargers as the Pixel Peep doesn’t toughen Qi wireless charging. So even when you happen to can acquire a Pixel Stand 2, or desire to voice the reverse wireless charging on the aid of a Pixel 7, you are going to furthermore’t.
Present that even when you happen to survey a charging animation and seems to be to be working, the behold isn’t in actuality being topped up which is miserable construct from Google.
Be aware & Availability
The Pixel Peep used to be priced at $349/£339/€379 for the Wi-Fi/Bluetooth model with a decision of any colourway. While you desire LTE connectivity (extra community charges observe) then the RRP starts from $399/£379/€429.
It’s most likely you’ll furthermore get it steady away from Google besides to the likes of:
US
Amazon
Simplest Rob
UK
Amazon
Currys
Argos
This made it more pricey than the Galaxy Peep 5 and Apple Peep SE 2022 but less pricey than the Galaxy Peep 5 Expert and Apple Peep Collection 8. On the opposite hand, it has come down in price because it first launched.
In any case, there are many diverse alternatives obtainable so take a look at out our chart of the finest smartwatches and most productive Fitbits to survey more.
Henry Burrell / Foundry
Verdict
While you happen to wait see you later for something, it becomes more tough for it to are living up to expectations. On the opposite hand, the Google Pixel Peep has long past beyond mine in many ways.
It in actuality is the finest smartwatch I’d eliminate into chronicle wearing beyond the review duration and this largely comes down to its handsome develop. No longer most productive does it survey and feel immense, with its bask in persona, but it’s also compact, light and overjoyed, too.
The originate quality is also unparalleled so all of this mixed makes it very tremendous indeed. It’s a long way stuffed with hundreds of immense tech and works brilliantly well as a result of the mix of intuitive Wear OS 3.5, a digital crown and beautiful hide.
Sadly, Google hasn’t nailed it in every department with unpredictable battery lifestyles, restrictions when it involves charging and, most abnormal of all, missing correct computerized workout detection which you’ll gain on diverse Fitbits.
I will forgive most of this for my non-public usage, in particular when most rivals can’t hurry for lots longer within the battery lifestyles department. But I’d also perceive when you happen to’d somewhat decide for the Pixel Peep 2.
Specs
Wear OS 3.5 (appropriate with Android 8.0 or greater)
1.2in AMOLED, 320ppi, 1000 nits
Exynos 9110
2GB RAM
32GB storage
Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n 2.4 GHz
Bluetooth 5.0
GPS
NFC
LTE (now not vital)
Mic
Speaker
Optical heart rate video display/ECG
Blood oxygen sensor
Accelerometer, altimeter, gyroscope, ambient light sensor, compass
Tumble detection
40 workout modes (Fitbit)
294mAh battery
As much as 24 hours of battery lifestyles
Waterproof to 5ATM / 50m
80% recycled stainless metal physique
Customized 3D Gorilla Glass 5 entrance
Digital crown
Aspect button
36g (physique most productive)
Commence colours (physique): Matte Dim, Polished Silver, Champagne Gold
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