Google’s Pixel Watch is one of the best smartwatches you can get for an Android phone, but one thing that can be a little annoying is the band situation. Google’s proprietary connector limits your choices. Several months in, though, what Pixel Watch bands have you been using?
Officially, there are only a handful of bands for the Google Pixel Watch, all sold by Google. That includes the Active, Woven, Stretch, and a pair of leather bands. And, for a while, that’s all there was. Over time third-party options started to arrive, from known names like Ringke, as well as a plethora of third-party options you can find on Amazon and other online retailers.
Recently, I went to Amazon in search of a brown leather band, something that’s been missing from my collection from day one because, oddly, Google still doesn’t offer this classic look.
I quickly stumbled on a design that I was familiar with from similar bands I used on my Fitbit Versa 3 and my Galaxy Watch 5. The band, sold by “Abanen,” cost me a mere $17, and feels on the wrist just like those previous options. The leather on top looks the part while a nice silicone inner layer feels nice on my wrist and leaves me a bit less worried about sweat as warmer temperatures roll in. The matte black clasp also matches my Pixel Watch quite well.
But, as I suspected, the part that I’m not so satisfied with is the connector. The connection is made from a sturdy plastic material; I don’t worry about it coming loose, but it sits with so much excess space inside of the watch that it affects my experience. There’s a terrible rattling noise every time my watch vibrates, and it’s able to move around when I do, too. Again, I don’t worry about this simply falling off, but it’s a far cry from the connection I’ve experienced with Google’s official bands.
Top comment by Michael
Pixel Watch owners: "Yes, Google's bands are overpriced"
Apple Watch owners: "Take my money."
Despite Apple Watch bands being more expensive on average. 😂
That’s a story that’s similar across other third-party bands I’ve seen. Our Andrew Romero tried out one of the first third-party bands last year and he had a similar experience.
It’s hard to argue with the cheap price of these bands. The one I bought is down to just $15 right now, which is a fraction of the cost of all of Google’s official options. And, when Google’s collection is quite limited still, it’s hard to stay within that list. Plus, cheap bands will vary wildly in quality. The one I have doesn’t necessarily mean that somewhere out there there’s a band with solid quality that’s still less than half the cost of Google’s.
Personally, though, I keep gravitating back to the Active band and Woven band (both of which happen to be on sale right now) for day-to-day use, and only throw on this new leather band when it suits what I’m doing. In fact, inspired by a Redditor, I picked up Google’s white Active band and have been wearing it mixed with a black band for that classic Google “panda” look which I think looks great.
What about you? Are you using Google’s official bands? Have you tried third-party options? Drop a comment below and let’s discuss!
More on Pixel Watch:
- How to turn off or restart the Pixel Watch
- Hands on: This Pixel Watch screen protector is basically invisible, and hides scratches
- The Pixel Watch seems to be a hit as Google takes second place in wearable market
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