I Compared The Best Smartwatches By Google And Samsung - Here's How Pixel Wins Out

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• Google's Pixel Watch 4 starts astatine $349 and is now disposable to order
• It has a longer artillery life, fluid AI, and an upgraded interface.
• Its AI features require immoderate choreography, but yet work.

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Google has graced america pinch yet different smartwatch. The Pixel Watch 4 is yet disposable to purchase, aft Google unveiled nan instrumentality earlier this summer. 

I tested nan smartwatch for a fewer weeks to familiarize myself pinch respective of nan latest upgrades. After a thorough review, I was pleasantly amazed by moreover nan smaller, little show-stopping features. 

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Google upgraded nan watch successful large and mini ways, pinch nan much notable features for illustration a larger artillery and much convenient charging taking halfway stage. Still, immoderate of nan little flashy upgrades, for illustration a UI design, bring thoughtful touches and further usability to nan AI-powered smartwatch. 

When Google announced its latest Material 3 Expressive UI, I thought it would beryllium 1 of those characteristic upgrades that made a marginal quality successful my personification experience. But aft a fewer weeks of testing, this creation upgrade really makes nan watch nosy to look astatine and cool to use. It was amazingly 1 of my favourite upgrades. 

Tiles and buttons return up much of nan watch's face, or, arsenic Google likes to telephone it, "hug nan edges." It makes clicking done apps and buttons faster and nan apps themselves much viewable. On nan taxable of creation changes, different update that gives nan watch surface show a larger and much viewable look is its Actua 360 domed display, which increases nan watch screen's area by 10% and nan highest brightness from 2,000 to 3,000 nits. 

Also: I tried nan Apple Watch Ultra 3 for a week to fig retired who should upgrade - here's my master advice

Design upgrades are 1 of 2 features Google knocks retired of nan parkland connected nan Pixel Watch 4. The different is its artillery life, caller charging dock, and faster charging capabilities. The watch easy lasts maine astir a time and a half. I charged it to 100% 1 Sunday nighttime and woke up astatine 6:30 a.m. Tuesday greeting to find nan watch's artillery astatine 35%. 

Pixel Watch 3 (front) and Pixel Watch 4 (back). 

Nina Raemont/ZDNET

And erstwhile I americium fresh to complaint nan smartwatch, Google yet fixes a symptom constituent I had utilizing its Pixel Watch 3. The Watch 3's charging dock lied flat, and it required immoderate finagling to get nan watch's sensors to perfectly align pinch its charging points. Google fixes this pinch nan Watch 4's sideways charging dock, changing nan position of its charging larboard for easy and magnetic alignment that takes little clip to connect. The caller larboard adds accelerated charging that speeds up nan clip it takes for my watch to spell from 0 to 100 by 25%. 

Retroactive activity discovery and stats logging is 1 characteristic I haven't seen connected respective competing smartwatches, pinch nan only objection being nan Oura smart ring. I dream this comes to Samsung and Apple's smartwatches soon. It's a awesome characteristic to person connected nan watch for search my workouts extensively, moreover erstwhile I've forgotten to do so.  

Also: Samsung's newest Galaxy Watch 8 sewage maine moving again (and it's already connected sale)

I tested retroactive activity discovery retired connected a 5K tally 1 greeting by logging a tally connected my Apple Watch Series 11 and not logging 1 connected my Pixel Watch 4. I logged a 41-minute workout connected my Apple Watch, and nan Pixel Watch 4 picked up a 39-minute workout. The Apple Watch recorded a 3.4-mile run, while nan Pixel Watch recorded a 3.3-mile run. My full calories burned connected each watch were wrong 7 calories of each other. 

Outdoor enthusiasts will astir apt emotion nan Standalone Satellite connectivity characteristic disposable done nan Pixel Watch 4. It connects users to satellites erstwhile they don't person their telephone handy, truthful if a personification is lost, they tin nonstop texts aliases pass pinch emergency services done their watch. 

I tested retired this watch successful my ultra-connected Brooklyn vicinity and my reasonably connected Illinois hometown, truthful I can't vouch for its off-grid capabilities. I'll time off this characteristic reappraisal to ZDNET's outdoor enthusiast Matt Miller to connection an in-depth first-person relationship of Standalone Satellite's viability. 

From near to right: Samsung Galaxy Watch 8, Pixel Watch 4, and Apple Watch Series 10.

Kerry Wan/ZDNET

AI powers respective aspects of Google's latest smartwatch, including smart replies and Raise to Talk. Unlike erstwhile watches, users nary longer person to activate Google's AI by saying "Hey Google." Once enabled, each personification has to do is raise their wrist adjacent their rima and inquire a mobility aliases command. Raise to Talk useful for simpler questions, but would sometimes falter if I asked 2 queries successful a row, aliases if I wasn't swift capable successful my limb raise. I recovered that nan watch doesn't registry a slower limb raise arsenic a Raise to Talk initiation. 

Using nan AI connected nan watch was fast, conversational, and responsive. Not having to initiate a query by saying "Hey Google" made questions spell by quicker and instantly dropped maine into a much conversational, individual context. The watch's reside and responses are besides much conversational, fluid, and to nan point, minimizing immoderate of nan tech-y lag that sometimes comes pinch querying a individual assistant. 

Also: Why I committedness by this Garmin smartwatch complete competing models (including nan Apple Watch Ultra)

When I asked what nan quality betwixt ray roast and acheronian roast was, nan watch delivered a consequence immediately. Querying nan watch to adhd a almanac arena was seamless -- it responded successful earthy connection without reciting my petition connection for word. The relationship was soft and easy -- acold little time-consuming than creating a almanac assignment myself. 

ZDNET's buying advice

Compared to Google's nearest competitor, nan Galaxy Watch 8, I'd opportunity nan Pixel Watch 4 excels successful nan mini stuff, for illustration retroactive activity logging, a seamless Raise to Talk characteristic that keeps AI usage elemental and fluid, and a thoughtful creation interface pinch its Material 3 Expressive UI. The artillery life connected some watches clocks successful astatine astir nan aforesaid usage time. 

When I tested nan Galaxy Watch 8, I enjoyed its wellness features, for illustration Running Coach, which kick-started my information to tally again pinch a gamified training regimen and nan Antioxidant Index sensor that tracks my nutrient levels connected nan backside of nan watch. 

Because of these features, I'd still urge nan Galaxy Watch 8 to novice runners and wellness enthusiasts, but I'd urge nan Pixel Watch 4 to group who want a much well-rounded smartwatch that nails nan mini stuff, for illustration personification creation and AI implementation, arsenic good arsenic wellness and fitness.