While I may not be a gym rat, fitness tracking is one of the main things I do with my smartwatch. My smartwatch of choice has been a Galaxy Watch for many years, but I’ve tried every version of the Pixel Watch as well. As much as I want to make the switch, the Fitbit integration keeps letting me down.
A Problem From Day One
Let’s start with the first Pixel Watch in 2022—our first look at Fitbit software on a Google device. At launch, it was missing basic features such as automatic workout detection. In my review, I ran with both the Pixel Watch and a Galaxy Watch 5 on my wrists. The amount of information that Samsung gave me blew away the Pixel Watch.
The Pixel Watch 2 gained a few more health and fitness sensors, but the Fitbit software was still lacking. This time I said: “Fitbit Is Not a Serious Fitness Platform.” Once again, I was severely disapointed in the amount of information I was getting from Fitbit—this time for swimming. The improvements were small.
It was during my time with the Pixel Watch 2 that I realized Fitbit is more about the “health” side of “Health & Fitness.” I liked sleep tracking and wellness features such as the “Readiness” score, but when it came to actually tracking an activity, I was always underwhelmed.
What About the Pixel Watch 3?
I was happy to hear Google talk a lot about fitness tracking when it announced the Pixel Watch 3. Unfortunately, many of the new and improved features are geared toward running, which I don’t do anymore (thanks, knees). However, it showed Google was taking this more seriously—and I was excited to try it out.
While I wasn’t able to run with the Pixel Watch 3, I did do some biking. The information I got from Fitbit and Samsung Health on my Galaxy Watch 7 was pretty similar. I also appreciated the new “Cardio Load” and “Morning Brief” features, along with the longstanding “Readiness” score.
All in all, the Pixel Watch 3 definitely offers the best fitness experience of the three models, and I can actually see myself using Fitbit. However, there are still a couple of elephants in the room I haven’t discussed.
Fitbit Premium
When you buy a Pixel Watch, Google includes a lengthy free trial of Fitbit Premium. Normally, this would be a nice treat, but in the case of Fitbit Premium, it’s pretty sneaky. There are a number of features you wouldn’t expect to be behind the paywall because they’re free on almost every other health and fitness app.
The big one is sleep tracking. Without Premium, all you get is a score for your sleep. You don’t get to see any details about your sleep stages (light, deep, REM, etc), heart rate, or breathing. Samsung Galaxy watches and the Apple Watch does this for free.
It’s pretty annoying that Google wants $10 per month for something I can easily get for free on other smartwatches (that are already better to begin with). You also miss out on workout recommendations and personalized run recommendations without Premium.
Almost Perfect
What annoys me the most about the Fitbit integration is it’s really the only thing I don’t like about the Pixel Watch series. I’m a big fan of the minimalist design—it looks great in any situation and is super comfy to wear in bed. I also prefer Google’s Pixel UI over Samsung’s One UI, even if there are fewer features.
But the fitness stuff just isn’t there yet. Samsung Health on my Galaxy Watch is far superior. To make this even more frustrating, you can install Samsung Health from the Play Store on a Pixel Watch, but it won’t actually open. Don’t tempt me with a good time!
The good news is I have noticed marked improvement with the Fitbit features in each iteration of the Pixel Watch. That leads me to believe Google will eventually get there, but it might take a couple more versions. I’m waiting.
