Introduction
I was excited to get my hands on Google’s newest gadget – a smart watch that doubles as a medical device. As an early adopter of new technology, I was intrigued by the potential health benefits of having advanced sensors on my wrist at all times. In this in-depth review, I’ll share my experiences using Google’s smart watch over the past few weeks and examine how well it performs as both a timepiece and a health monitoring tool.
Unboxing and Setup
After excitedly unboxing my new Google Smart Watch, I was impressed by its sleek design and vibrant AMOLED display. The setup process was straightforward – I just had to install the companion app on my Android phone and pair the devices via Bluetooth.
I chose to activate all of the available sensors and health tracking features during setup. With these enabled, the watch can continuously monitor metrics like heart rate, blood oxygen levels, sleep patterns, steps, calories burned, and more.
Daily Use as a Smart Watch
As a handy wrist companion, Google’s smart watch performs very well. The intuitive Wear OS interface provides quick access to notifications, apps, Google Assistant, and more. I love how notifications are synced from my phone – I can discretely check messages and alerts without pulling out my phone.
The watch face is highly customizable – I’ve enjoyed experimenting with different styles and info panels. Accessing apps like timer, calendar, and weather is quick and easy. I also often use Google Assistant on the watch to set reminders or control smart home devices with just my voice.
With the always-on display active, the battery easily lasts a full day even with heavy use. The fast charger can fully recharge the battery in about an hour. Overall, it succeeds as a versatile, productivity-enhancing smart watch.
Health Tracking Capabilities
While the smart features are great, I was most interested in testing the integrated health sensors and tracking capabilities. Here’s an overview of my experience with the medical side of Google’s smart watch:
Continuous Heart Rate Monitoring
One of the most useful medical features is continuous heart rate monitoring. The watch passively checks my heart rate throughout the day and stores a detailed log.
I can check my current heart rate manually at any time, which is cool when I want to see how different activities affect it. Abnormal heart rate alerts have also helped me identify potential issues.
Blood Oxygen Tracking
The pulse oximeter sensor lets me check my blood oxygen saturation on demand. It also runs periodic overnight checks while I’m sleeping to identify any drops, which could signify health problems.
While I haven’t noticed any oxygenation issues yet, it’s great to have visibility into this vital sign every day.
Sleep Tracking
The watch automatically detects when I fall asleep and wakes up and records my sleep stages throughout the night. This gives me insights into how long I spend in light, deep, and REM sleep.
The motion sensors even track metrics like restlessness during sleep. Over time, the sleep analytics have helped me tweak my sleep habits and routines to optimize my rest.
Step Counting and Activity Tracking
Like all fitness wearables, Google’s smart watch counts my steps, distance covered, and calories burned each day. I found these metrics to generally be quite accurate based on my activity levels.
The watch motivated me to get more active by nudging me when I’d been inactive for too long. I could even set custom goals for steps or exercise time.
Emergency Services
My favorite medical capability is the ability to quickly reach emergency services from the watch. Pressing and holding the side button activates Emergency SOS mode – this shares my location and medical info with emergency responders.
Fortunately, I haven’t needed to use this yet, but it’s reassuring to have this safety net available at all times.
Conclusion
Overall, I’m highly impressed with Google’s newest wearable. It offers everything I want from a smart watch paired with vitally useful medical capabilities. The health sensors provide actionable insights while potentially identifying serious issues early.
If you’re looking for a wearable that goes beyond basic activity tracking, Google’s new multifunction smart watch is an excellent option. I wholeheartedly recommend it for both enhancing everyday convenience and monitoring important health data.
