Pixel Vs. Apple Watch: which premium smartwatch is best for you?

While it’s been more than a decade since Apple started selling smartwatches, Google’s smartwatch hardware debuted less than four years ago, after it acquired Fitbit, a brand known for its fitness trackers and smartwatches. That said, Google has been working on smartwatch technologies for almost as long as Apple, through its involvement in Wear OS (and like Android Wear in its previous avatar). Although both companies offer some of the best smartwatches, the Pixel Watch hardware and the various Apple Watch models are locked to their respective ecosystems, making Pixel smartwatches best suited to Android owners and Apple Watch models to iPhone owners.

However, ecosystem restrictions aside, the Apple Watch and Pixel Watch lines include a number of features that set them apart from each other and give them an advantage over the other. For example, Google’s Pixel Watch shines in terms of AI implementation, while Apple’s integration with its device ecosystem remains unmatched.

One of the most visible differences between Apple and Pixel smartwatches is the variety of design and hardware. While Google has opted for a circular design resembling traditional wristwatches, Apple gives its smartwatches a “circle” format. While design is a subjective choice and preferences vary, Apple has a slight edge in hardware variety, as it offers several models in its smartwatch lineup, including its rugged Watch Ultra models, which have no direct competitor in Google’s lineup.

More importantly, the Watch Ultra models not only have a more durable build, thanks to their Grade 5 titanium case, but they also include professional-grade features aimed at athletes, such as certification of a depth gauge for scuba diving and precise start of workouts, which you don’t get in the Pixel Watch. That said, Android owners considering the Pixel Watch for their next smartwatch purchase have a good, rugged alternative in the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra. However, it also lacks advanced diving tools and satellite SOS, among other features. If you want to look beyond Wear OS, the number of alternatives grows exponentially, with options from Garmin, Polar and others. That said, the Pixel Watch offers a more subtle look that blends in with most outfits, so if you’re looking for something that doesn’t scream smartwatch, Google has you covered.

Apple and Google’s offerings feature most of the health and fitness essentials you’d expect from a smartwatch, such as heart rate tracking, blood oxygen monitoring, and the ability to track various workouts. However, the two diverge in their training philosophies and exhibit certain characteristics that one does not get in the other. For example, Google’s Pixel Watch focuses more on your readiness score and target cardio load, while Apple Watch models establish a statistical baseline and compare it to your training load, providing retrospective insight.

In terms of passive health screening, Google’s offerings are limited to irregular heartbeat (AFib) detection, while some Apple Watch models may offer hypertension alerts, sleep apnea notifications, and AFib detection. That said, the Pixel Watch 4 can measure your stress levels using the built-in cEDA sensor, which isn’t available on Apple Watch models.

Most importantly, while basic health and fitness tracking is free on the Pixel Watch, if you want historical biometric trends or Google Health Coach analytics and an adaptive running plan, you’ll need a premium subscription. Apple Watch does not require a premium subscription to access current or historical data.

Apple and Google have taken different approaches to integrating AI into their smartwatches. Google has integrated full Gemini AI on its Pixel Watch 4, so you can talk to the AI ​​whenever you want using the Raise to Talk gesture. It can handle complex queries on the go, making it much more useful than the old Google Assistant. You also benefit from AI integration in Smart Replies functionality in various communication apps, such as Google Messages and WhatsApp. These can come in handy because a smartwatch doesn’t really have a large screen for typing and sending messages. Most importantly, you benefit from AI in Google Health Coach, which can create personalized fitness plans for you; However, you have to pay for it, and it’s just out of preview. Other AI improvements include using machine learning to augment GPS data to achieve better sleep tracking accuracy and precision.

Apple is more subtle with its AI integration, and instead of putting an AI assistant in the foreground, it enhances different features and functions with AI in the background. For example, it uses local machine learning to order and place items in the Smart Stack to make them more useful based on your location, time of day, and historical data. The Apple Watch also leverages Apple Intelligence to provide live translation of messages. Additionally, machine learning is used to improve the smartwatch’s various health, safety, and fitness features, but none of them are visibly enhanced by AI. While Google explicitly uses AI to make its smartwatch more useful, some people might prefer Apple’s more discreet implementation.

Google’s claimed battery backup for the Pixel Watch 4 has a slight advantage over the more common Apple Watch Series models. However, the Apple Watch Ultra 3 matches or exceeds the Pixel smartwatch. The Pixel Watch 4 is rated to last up to 40 hours in normal mode and up to 72 hours in low power mode (depending on size), while the Watch Ultra 3 can last up to 42 hours in normal mode and up to 72 hours in low power mode.

The Series 11 and Watch SE 3 are limited to approximately 24 hours and 18 hours respectively in normal mode. Low Power Mode increases the backup to 38 hours in the case of the Series 11 and 32 hours for the Watch SE 3. The charging speed of the Series 11 and Pixel Watch 4 models is largely the same, with both taking around 30 minutes to go from 0 to 80 percent. The Watch Ultra 3 and SE 3, however, can take up to 45 minutes for the same thing. If, as an Android user, you are looking for longer battery life, you may want to consider the previously mentioned Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra, which can last up to 60 hours in normal mode and 100 hours in power saving mode.

Another area where smartwatch offerings from Apple and Google have stood out is in built-in safety and lifesaving features. One of the Pixel Watch 4’s standout features is support for Satellite SOS, which lets you call emergency services even when you have no cellular network and your phone is dead. While the Apple Watch Ultra 3 has a similar feature, you don’t get it on the more mainstream Series 11 model or the cheaper Watch SE.

Not all Apple Watch models also have a “Loss of Pulse Detection” feature, which on the Pixel Watch automatically calls emergency services and shares your GPS coordinates in the event of a sudden, complete loss of pulse. This can be very useful in rare life-threatening scenarios. That said, Apple Watch models have crash detection for calling emergency services, similar to the Pixel Watch. Both watches have ECG functionality.