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In his Pixel Watch 3 review, Android Central's senior editor for wearables, Michael Hicks, said that the Watch 3 fixes most of the Watch 2's shortcomings. However, I'd like to focus on one irrevocable drawback of the Watch 3: band compatibility.
We're now on the third iteration of the Pixel Watch. Launched in August 2024, this year's Google smartwatch came out a little earlier than its older siblings. The original Pixel Watch made its debut at at the October 2022 Made by Google event.
Three generations onwards, and support for third-party bands is embarrassingly bad. We were all dismayed when the OG Pixel Watch launched with proprietary connectors. Unlike Samsung's Galaxy Watch series, you cannot use standard quick-release lugs with any of Google's watches. This limits most users to first-party bands. Just like the Pixel Watch 3 itself, you probably know how expensive that can be. Unless you get the Watch 3 on sale, for example, like the ongoing October Prime Day 2024, buying it along with first-party bands could bankrupt you.
To everyone's dismay, the Pixel Watch 3 continues to use proprietary connectors. People who want more variety end up using workarounds like quick-release adapters from no-name Chinese manufacturers on Amazon. Our very own Nick Sutrich tested them, and the result was very unreliable. You run the great risk of having the band and adapter pop out of Google's Pixel Watch connectors, which can result in breakage. Such a high-level risk isn't worth it for a wearable that cannot be repaired.
So, what gives? Why don't third-party brands work with Google to release affordable alternatives? Well, it's not like there are zero options. However, Google doesn't seem to have encouraged accessory makers enough as it usually does with phone case makers for the Pixel phone series.
For example, there's a wide selection of vetted third-party phone cases and accessories under the Made by Google moniker. But there are zero Made by Google brand collabs for Pixel wearables. This reinforces my belief that proprietary bands were not the right move for Pixel Watches. Yes, Google-made smartwatches are stunning and offer so many awesome features, but this lack of band support just might be a deal-breaker for many folks.
Not everyone can splurge so much money on a simple watch band. Third-party offerings almost always cost way cheaper than first-party options. This stands true for all accessories, be they watch bands, phone cases, USB cables, or chargers.
Spigen and its sister brand Caseology are two of the very few name brands that make bands for Pixel Watches. However, even their lineup for Google's wearables pales in comparison to what they offer for Samsung and Apple smartwatches. I reached out to them to look into why this is the case with the Pixel Watch, despite it being on the third generation now.
Spigen's answer was short and straightforward. According to them, there isn't enough demand for them to offer a larger variety of bands for the Pixel Watch. It boils down to sheer numbers, and the Pixel Watch community is relatively much younger than Apple and Samsung's wearable users. As the number of Pixel Watch users grows, Spigen plans to add to the lineup accordingly. This is probably what other manufacturers are thinking as well.
Until then, we're all forced to purchase first-party bands if we want assurance that the band will fit and lock in. There are plenty of cheap non-name offerings online, but none of them have great reviews.
Now, Google's first-party bands for the Pixel Watch series aren't half bad, but they are very pricey. The Active Band continues to be my all-time favorite, and with the release of the Pixel Watch 3, the size and color ranges have been expanded. There's nothing quite like it, and I say that as someone who uses Samsung, Amazfit, and Fossil smartwatches on the regular, among others. The Active Band's soft fluoroelastomer is of unrivaled quality, gentle on the skin, hypoallergenic, and waterproof. I wear it almost every single day, in fact.
There are loads of other options from Google, but they aren't available in every region. Worse than that is the cost of getting one. The cheapest Pixel Watch band starts at $50, which is ridiculous for a plain old synthetic rubber watch strap.
It gets even worse because the official Metal Links Band is more than half the cost of the basic Pixel Watch 3. Let that sink in — $200 for a bloody metal band. The joke doesn't end with the nonsensical pricing because this mega-expensive band doesn't even come in all three of the smartwatch's shades. If you want a Champagne Gold metal band that fits your Pixel Watch, you're stuck with the thinner Metal Slim Band, priced at $180.
Why wouldn't they offer this shade for the wider Metal Links Band as well? And did I mention that the Metal Slim Band hasn't even started selling yet? At the end of the day, we're forced to buy bands from Google for unreasonable sums of money, and the band range isn't even inclusive enough. Hopefully, the Pixel Watch 4 will be enough to convince third-party brands — as well as Google — that we need more variety and cheap Pixel Watch bands that are guaranteed to work well.
Comfiest strap for Pixel Watches
Of all the Pixel Watch bands that I have tested, the first-party Google Pixel Watch Active Band remains my favorite. There's nothing as comfortable or as soft and velvety to the touch as this waterproof fluoroelastomer strap.
