I test smartwatches for a living — my favorite wearable of 2024 is a battery-life champ

Opinion
By published

This wearable outperformed the competition in this one crucial area

Google Pixel Watch 3 XL in hand
(Image credit: Dan Bracaglia/Tom's Guide)

The Apple Watch Series 10 battery provides roughly 18 hours of juice per charge. The Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 battery is good for closer to 24 hours. So, unless you switch on either device’s low-power mode, you will need to seek out a charger daily.

In 2024, battery life, or lack thereof, is the single biggest thing holding back smartwatches. Sure, if you don’t mind rocking a pricey, chunky monster on your wrist, there’s always the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra. Even still, the former will get you through just 36 hours between top-offs and the latter a more respectable 48 hours (double those figures for low-power mode).

Battery life for days

A close up of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 and Google Pixel Watch 3 next to on another with an out of focus background

(Image credit: Dan Bracaglia/Tom's Guide)

When the Google Pixel Watch 3 was first announced, it initially seemed that it too would be capped at roughly 24 hours of battery per charge, similar to the Galaxy Watch 7. Google even said as much in its launch presentation. However, much to my delight, the brand that ate Fitbit was wrong in its longevity estimates.

After extensive testing, I’ve confirmed that the new, larger 45mm Google Pixel Watch 3 model surpasses that battery life rating two-fold, providing two full days of juice before needing to hit the charger.

It’s worth noting that the smaller 41mm Google Pixel Watch 3 doesn’t see the same longevity improvement, and you can expect 24 hours of battery in normal mode and 36 in low power mode.

In the realm of non 'Ultra' full-featured smartwatches, this puts the Pixel Watch 3 XL in a league of its own. Sure, you’ll pay $70 more for it compared to the bigger (44mm) Galaxy Watch 7, but that’s a pretty reasonable cost when you consider the Pixel Watch lasts twice as long as the Galaxy Watch.

Meanwhile, the new, larger 46mm Apple Watch 10, by comparison, is $30 pricer than the 45mm Pixel Watch 3, despite the Google Watch offering nearly three times the longevity.

Sleek enough design

Google Pixel Watch 3 XL next to a Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra on a red table

(Image credit: Dan Bracaglia/Tom's Guide)

Android users who want the best battery life in 2024 and 2025 have two options, the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra or the Pixel Watch 3 XL. One is large, chunky and costs $649, the other is reasonably sleek, easy-wearing and priced at $399.

At 60.5 grams, it’s hard to ignore the heft of the Galaxy Watch UItra, especially when wearing it to bed for sleep tracking. The 45mm Pixel Watch 3, meanwhile, weighs almost half that at 37 grams and is far less cumbersome to sleep with.

Google didn’t make a ton of external changes to the watch, aside from adding the larger size option, but a keen-eyed observer will notice that the bezel has been slimmed down and more importantly, to me at least, the screen brightness has been doubled to 2,000 nits, which is a match with the Apple Watch 10 and more than bright enough for viewing in direct sunlight.

Solid fitness and wellness tracking tools

The Google Pixel Watch 3 in 41mm and 45mm sitting beside each other on a red table next to blue earbuds, purple flowers and a yellow compass

(Image credit: Dan Bracaglia/Tom's Guide)

Google acquired Fitbit back in 2021, and ever since has slowly been adding Fitbit’s best wellness tech and fitness tools into the Pixel Watch series. Unfortunately, Google has also been slowly killing off Fitbit devices… but that’s another story.

With the Pixel Watch 3 release, the brand’s flagship smartwatch now incorporates some of Fitbit’s previously paywalled wellness tools, including the useful Daily Readiness score. I also appreciate Google’s Morning Reports, with insights into sleep quality, workout recovery and estimated energy levels for the day.

However, when it comes to sleep analysis alone, I prefer Samsung’s level of detail to Google’s.

But still no loss of pulse detection…

A presentation slide showing the Pixel Watch 3's new Loss of Pulse Detection feature

(Image credit: Google)

Ultimately, Google knocked it out of the park with the larger Pixel Watch 3 — the third time really is the charm — which is why it’s my favorite smart wearable of the year, not to mention, one I’ve found myself recommending to folks again and again.

But one notable grievance about the Pixel Watch 3 remains: Loss of Pulse Detection, Google’s marquee new health safety feature, is still not available in the U.S. four months after the product’s launch.

This potentially groundbreaking tech is the type of feature that would tempt me to purchase a Pixel Watch 3 for my parents, who live on the other side of the country, for peace of mind. So I hope regulatory approval comes soon.

Still, even without the Loss of Pulse feature, the Pixel Watch 3 XL stands out to me as the most impressive smartwatch of 2024 in a sea of releases that included heavy-hitters not only from Apple and Samsung but also Garmin, Polar, Amazfit and many more.

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Dan Bracaglia
Dan Bracaglia
Senior Writer, Fitness & Wearables

Dan Bracaglia is the Tom’s Guide editorial lead for all things smartwatches, fitness trackers and outdoor gear. With 15 years of experience as a consumer technology journalist testing everything from Oura Rings to instant cameras, Dan is deeply passionate about helping readers save money and make informed purchasing decisions. In the past year alone, Dan has assessed major product releases from the likes of Apple, Garmin, Google, Samsung, Polar and many others. 

An avid outdoor adventurer, Dan is based in the U.S. Pacific Northwest where he takes advantage of the beautiful surroundings every chance he gets. A lover of kayaking, hiking, swimming, biking, snowboarding and exploring, he also makes every effort to combine his day job with his passions. When not assessing the sleep tracking and heart rate accuracy of the latest tach gadgets, you can find him photographing Seattle’s vibrant underground music community.