Google's Pixel Watch 5 ships with Gemini built into its interface and a new AI feature called Health Coach, and a review published by India Today Tech on October 23 says the coaching tool is the best reason to buy one, with a catch: it costs extra.
The review, written after several weeks of daily use, describes Health Coach as software that takes the raw health and fitness numbers the watch already collects and turns them into actual plans, meal suggestions, workout timing, rest-day nudges. The reviewer called it more engaging than just opening an app and staring at a chart of numbers. But Health Coach sits behind a paywall, much like a human trainer would. Core health data, including heart rate, sleep, blood oxygen and skin temperature readings, stays accessible without a subscription, according to the review.
Specs and what's inside
The Pixel Watch 5 comes in 41mm and 45mm sizes, both running a 3,000-nit Actua 360 AMOLED display with a 60Hz refresh rate and an always-on mode. Qualcomm's Snapdragon W5 Gen 2 chip handles processing, paired with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, and the watch runs Wear OS. Sensors cover heart rate, sleep, blood oxygen, ECG and skin temperature, alongside dual-frequency GPS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and NFC.
Google claims up to 30 hours of battery life on the 41mm model and up to 40 hours on the 45mm version, with fast charging support, figures that come from the company rather than independent testing in this review.
Build, display and the strap problem
The reviewer, testing the 45mm unit, said the round, pebble-shaped design is largely unchanged from the previous generation and didn't feel bulky despite a relatively thin wrist. The IP68-rated build held up through gym sessions, commutes and the occasional knock against a wall without visible scratches, per the review.
One complaint stood out: the default silicone strap trapped moisture during humid, rainy weeks in Delhi, leaving skin underneath damp and occasionally itchy. The reviewer noted this won't affect everyone equally since it depends on individual skin tolerance, and pointed out the strap can be swapped for another.
Gemini on the wrist, and where tracking falls short
The review said Gemini handled quick tasks well, like checking emails, reading WhatsApp messages and surfacing caller information, without needing to reach for a phone. Health and fitness readings were described as largely consistent with a comparison run against an Apple Watch Series 8 and a dedicated heart rate monitor, though the review stopped short of calling the comparison a formal test.
Activity recognition was flagged as inconsistent. The reviewer said the watch sometimes detected movement without correctly identifying the activity type, and that some gym exercise options were missing from the app altogether.
Neither pricing nor an Indian availability date for the Pixel Watch 5 appeared in the review. Google has not published Indian retail pricing for the watch as of this report, and any cost tied to Health Coach itself also remains unspecified.
GDFiled by The Gadgets Desk
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