The Pixel Watch 3 may be the shiny refinement Google's wearable lineup needs, but it's the last generation Pixel Watch 2 is still a great buy. That's especially true when you can get it for just $224 ($26 off) – that's the watch's current starting price at both Amazon and Best Buy.
Although the Pixel Watch 3 brings a number of solid improvements – including a larger and brighter display, a new 44mm size, AI-generated workout suggestions and offline Google Maps – the second-generation Pixel Watch is still a looker. It's only available in one size (41mm) and the usable display area is only about 10 percent smaller than the third-generation model. It also uses the same Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear W5 Gen 1 chip, although it lacks the ultra-wideband chip that lets you unlock nearby Pixel devices and select BMW vehicles.
Overall, the performance of the two models is similar and the battery life of the 41mm models is roughly the same, averaging around 24 hours per charge. With the Watch 2, all you really miss are the new workout features (other once-exclusive Wear OS 5 features have now also leaked to the Watch 2) and a screen that's supposedly twice as bright. If you don't think these Watch 3 features are worth the starting price of $350, we'd still happily recommend going for the older model.