Google Pixel Watch 3 battery life: 35% more battery makes it last 36 hours
You won't get 100 hours of battery life from the Google Pixel Watch 3 like some WearOS 4 smartwatches, but it'll get up to 36 hours. That's a big improvement.
⌚ Google Pixel Watch 3 has a large 420mAh battery in its new 45mm size
🔋 The battery lasts 35% longer than last year’s Google Pixel Watch 2
🤏 Pixel Watch 3’s 41mm size still has last year’s 306mAh battery size
🪫 Battery saver mode lets to last 36 hours, beyond the standard 24 hours
⚡ Both Pixel Watch 3 sizes will charge 20% faster – just 28 minutes to 50%
I tested the new Google Pixel Watch 3 at last week’s Made By Google launch event in Mountain View, California, and I can already tell you it’s a major upgrade over the Pixel Watch 2 from 10 months ago. Chiefly, it comes with a larger 45mm size in addition to the returning 41mm size, so all wrists will appreciate this 3rd-generation smartwatch.
One thing that will have to wait for The Shortcut’s full Google Pixel Watch 3 review closer to the September 10 release date is judging the battery life. But I can already tell you that the Pixel Watch 3 specs show a greatly improvement battery capacity for the 45mm watch size and much faster charging speeds over last year’s battery.
We saw a lot of similar battery life upgrades in our hands-on Google Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL review, Google Pixel 9 review, and Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold review, also at the Made by Google launch event. But the Pixel Watch 3 takes the cake.
Google Pixel Watch 3 has 35% longer battery life
Having re-tested the Google Pixel Watch 2 over the weekend, I can already tell you that its battery life issues are painful if you don’t charge daily. I even turned off the Wear OS smartwatch overnight, and the battery still died the next morning a few hours after I booted it up. The same was true in my Google Pixel Watch review a year prior.
A lot has changed in 10 months. The Google Pixel Watch 3 battery is 420mAh, or 35% larger when comparing the 41mm Pixel Watch 2. You’ll want to buy the larger 45mm watch size unless you have small wrists. If you’re in between, go big.
The 41mm size remains 306mAh. There’s still a chance the 41mm Pixel Watch 3 will last longer due to having a power-efficient dual-engine processor – it won’t use the Qualcomm SW5100 performance chip at all times. I’ll test both watch sizes to let you know the true battery life benchmarks to see if the official specs are accurate.
But 35% longer Pixel Watch 3 battery life on the 45mm size? That’s great news.
Up to 36 hours in battery saver mode
So how many hours will the larger Google Pixel Watch 3 battery last? Up to 36 hours, according to Google. But you have to note that this is in battery-saving mode, which turns on when the battery drops below 15%.
Battery saver mode turns off certain features like the always-on screen and tilt-to-wake functionality. Google is touting that battery-saver mode seamlessly turns on automatically (if you allow it) to ease the process. No need to tap the touchscreen.
I should note that this isn’t one of the Wear OS smartwatches that can last 100 hours. Earlier this year, we saw the OnePlus Watch 2 last 100 hours running two chipsets, the Snapdragon W5 performance chipset and a BES 2700 MCU Efficiency chipset. We’ve reached out to Google to ask why since the Pixel Watch 3 has a similar dual-engine processor architecture. We’ll update this story if Google reps respond.
Google Pixel Watch 3 vs Samsung and Apple
The Google Pixel Watch 3 is cheaper (just $349 for the 41mm size and $399 for the 45mm size) and lighter than its sportier smartwatch rivals, as seen in our Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra review. The same goes for the Apple Watch Ultra 2.
But the less robust Google Pixel Watch 3 casing means there isn’t room for an even bigger battery beyond 420mAh. I do appreciate the elegant, minimalistic design of this domed glass watch, though. So if style is your thing, the Pixel Watch 3 wins.
Basically, you can’t have both a rugged sporty watch with a giant battery and a light-and-sleek watch. Physics really gets in the way of that on the Pixel Watch 3 – until Google makes a sports-focused smartwatch in the future.
Pixel Watch 3 charges 20% much faster
While I’m focused on the Google Pixel Watch 3 battery life, it’s important to note that the smartwatch will charge 20% faster than the Pixel Watch 2. This will save you a full 15 minutes vs last year’s watch when going from 0% to 100%, according to Google.
Google Pixel Watch 3 (45mm) battery charging specs:
28 minutes to 50%
50 minutes to 80%
80 minutes to 100%
Google Pixel Watch 3 (41mm) battery charging specs:
24 minutes to 50%
35 minutes to 80%
60 minutes to 100%
If you’re wondering why the Pixel Watch 3 45mm seemingly charges more slowly than the 41mm version, you have to keep in mind that the battery sizes are different. The bigger 45mm size will take longer to get to 100% but will last a bit longer.
Stay tuned for our full Google Pixel Watch 3 review in both sizes as we close in on that release date of September 10.
The Google Pixel 9 Pro XL is already shipping to first buyers, beating Apple’s iPhone 16 release date by exactly one month