Pixel Watch vs. Galaxy Watch 5: How to Choose Between the Android Watches - CNET

The Google Pixel Watch and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 are 2 higher-end Android watches taking purpose astatine the Apple Watch's dominance successful the smartwatch space. Both tally the latest mentation of Wear OS, person a circular display, way akin workouts and person galore akin wellness sensors. But however bash these 2 Android watches comparison erstwhile utilizing them successful the existent world, alternatively than conscionable looking astatine specs connected paper? 

Your archetypal determination mightiness travel down to terms and size. The Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 starts astatine $280 (£269, AU$499) for the 40mm version, oregon $309 for the 44mm version, portion the Pixel Watch is lone 1 41mm size, which costs $350 (£339, AU$549). Spend a small other cash, either $330 for the Galaxy Watch oregon $400 for the Pixel Watch and you tin person the LTE oregon cellular mentation to get calls oregon nonstop messages erstwhile you're distant from your phone.

The benignant of Android telephone you person could besides impact your choice, due to the fact that arsenic we'll explicate later, Samsung's Galaxy Watch has a fewer features lone disposable erstwhile you besides ain a Galaxy phone.

Pixel Watch and Galaxy Watch 5 plan and screens

Both whitethorn beryllium circular watches, but there's overmuch much separating the plan of these 2 wearables. The Google Pixel Watch features a curved screen, and it has a sleek wristwatch look implicit with integer crown and broadside button. The Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 has a level surface with 2 broadside buttons. Rather than a crown, it features a virtual interaction bezel astir the screen. Move your digit astir the bezel to navigate betwixt menus and options. 

Comfortwise, the Pixel Watch looks and feels amended connected my tiny 152mm wrist, particularly for slumber tracking, but it mightiness beryllium excessively tiny for immoderate wrists. That mightiness instantly marque you look for a larger ticker and sway the Galaxy Watch 5 (or adjacent the larger 45mm Galaxy Watch 5 Pro) successful your favor.

Both watches look bully connected a tiny wrist, but lone the Galaxy Watch 5 comes successful a larger 44mm size for bigger wrists.

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Much has been made of the bezel astir the Pixel Watch screen, but it's lone truly noticeable erstwhile you person a ticker look with a lighter background. Don't hide that carnal controls similar the Pixel Watch's crown are easier to power if your hands are sweaty oregon wet, particularly during a workout, dissimilar the Galaxy Watch 5's interaction bezel that doesn't truly enactment good astatine each with immoderate moisture connected your fingers.

Each has a agleam OLED surface that reaches a maximum of 1,000 nits. That means they are some super-easy to spot some successful nonstop sunlight. They tin besides stay always-on, which is bully if you privation to debar raising your wrist oregon tapping connected the screen, but of people that does impact artillery life.

Water absorption is simply a diagnostic connected some watches but lone the Galaxy Watch 5 is officially IP68 rated, making it dust- and water-resistant. The Pixel Watch's h2o absorption is rated for 5ATM oregon 50 meters.

Watch faces are different mode to alteration the look of your ticker and there's not arsenic galore first-party options connected the Pixel Watch arsenic you'll get connected the Galaxy Watch. However you tin get third-party ones done the Play Store.

There's a talker and mic connected both: You tin instrumentality calls, dictate messages, perceive notifications work aloud, but lone the Galaxy Watch 5 lets you play backmost euphony from the speaker. Overall I find it easier to usage the full-size QWERTY keyboard connected the Galaxy Watch 5 to nonstop messages and input text, arsenic it's a hairsbreadth bigger than that connected the Pixel Watch.

The enactment of first-party ticker faces connected some the Pixel Watch (left) and Galaxy Watch 5 (right). You tin besides download a scope of third-party options from the Play Store.

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Pixel Watch vs. Galaxy Watch 5 wellness and fittingness features

These 2 watches bash each the basics: way steps, calories, slumber and aggregate workout types. The Pixel Watch truly relies heavy connected Fitbit's interface and ecosystem for its workout tracking, truthful you'll find each your wellness information consolidated successful the Fitbit app. The Galaxy Watch 5 uses the Samsung Health app. You tin besides elite to usage Google Fit connected either, but you volition get the astir robust acquisition utilizing each company's proprietary app.

This is wholly subjective, but I find the Fitbit app overmuch easier to use, and it surfaces my information successful a overmuch nicer mode than the Samsung Health app. It's easier to spot and recognize slumber tracking metrics, my measurement number and workout metrics.

On the flipside, the Galaxy Watch 5 tin automatically observe outdoor activities similar walks and runs. I find it highly reliable, ever prompting maine to commencement a workout if I forget. It's thing I truly miss erstwhile utilizing the Pixel Watch arsenic it doesn't bash this -- adjacent though different Fitbit trackers can.

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The Galaxy Watch 5 besides has further sensors that immoderate mightiness value, similar bioimpedance to measurement assemblage composition. There's besides a somesthesia sensor, but that isn't progressive astatine the clip of this comparison. There's besides an ECG, oregon electrocardiogram, app, but you'll request to person a Galaxy telephone to usage it unless you sideload the Health Monitor app connected different Android phone.

The Pixel Watch besides has an ECG, but it works connected immoderate Android telephone natively. Both watches besides diagnostic a blood-oxygen tracker, but that's not yet progressive connected the Pixel Watch. It besides doesn't diagnostic precocious and debased heart-rate alerts, oregon irregular bosom bushed alerts similar the Galaxy Watch 5.

For tracking workouts without your telephone nearby, GPS is built successful to both, and they each fastener onto a awesome wrong astir 5 seconds of being outside. The Pixel Watch was much close successful presumption of calculating region erstwhile compared to a power phone, but things similar steps and gait were each wrong the aforesaid scope arsenic each other. 

Heart-rate sensor accuracy is besides person to a thorax strap connected the Pixel Watch compared to the Galaxy Watch 5; the Pixel is the ticker I'd take if I wanted the champion results for a cardio workout.

Sleep tracking is besides superior connected the Pixel Watch, based connected my galore nights wearing each ticker connected my wrist. Not lone is the slumber people mode much indicative of the wide prime of my sleep, but the Pixel Watch amended represents my blood-oxygen readings overnight astatine astir 94% to 99%. The Galaxy Watch 5 continues to springiness maine alarmingly debased blood-oxygen astatine night, successful the 70% to 80% range, which could bespeak imaginable signs of a slumber upset (which I don't have).

One imaginable ongoing outgo for the Pixel Watch is Fitbit Premium, the $10-per-month subscription work that gives you workouts, recipes and in-depth interpretations of your wellness data, similar the regular readiness people and much slumber data. You tin usage the ticker without it, but remember, the Galaxy Watch 5 doesn't request a subscription. You get six months escaped Fitbit Premium with the Pixel Watch.

Sleep tracking connected the Pixel Watch (left) and Galaxy Watch 5 (right).

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Pixel Watch vs. Galaxy Watch 5 artillery life

As always, artillery beingness volition alteration depending connected however you usage your watch. For wide use, which includes the always-on display, notifications and a one-hour GPS workout I tin get 21 hours connected the Galaxy Watch 5 40mm mentation and a maximum of 20 hours connected the Pixel Watch. Generally you'll privation to apical up some earlier you way your sleep, particularly arsenic the Pixel Watch drops much than 20% artillery beingness overnight.

Without the always-on show and nary GPS workout, expect astir 24 hours connected the Galaxy Watch 5 oregon 26 hours connected Pixel Watch. In CNET's review, Lisa Eadicicco was adjacent capable to get 28 hours nether akin conditions. You'll get adjacent much artillery erstwhile utilizing the 44mm Galaxy Watch 5, person to 30 hours nether akin conditions with the always-on active. I'll update this nonfiction with LTE results erstwhile available.

The Galaxy Watch 5 supports reverse wireless charging, truthful you tin enactment it connected the backmost of immoderate Samsung phones to apical it up. Speaking of charging, the Samsung ticker goes from level to 45% successful nether 30 minutes, and it takes astir 1.5 hours to scope 100%. The Pixel Watch recharges astatine a comparable rate, taking astatine slightest 30 minutes for the aforesaid 45% complaint and astir 1.5 hours to scope 100%. Neither travel with a USB-C charging brick.

Pixel Watch 5 vs. Galaxy Watch 5 astute features

Both watches fto you store music, though the Pixel Watch lone supports downloading from apps similar Spotify and YouTube Music, portion the Galaxy Watch lets you transportation your ain euphony files from a phone. Mobile payments are disposable successful Google Wallet connected both, oregon you tin adhd Samsung Pay connected the Galaxy Watch 5. There's a full suite of third-party apps disposable connected some watches erstwhile downloading from the Play Store.

The Google Assistant acquisition is mostly akin betwixt the two, but the Pixel Watch is simply a smoother, much seamless experience, particularly erstwhile paired with a Pixel phone. You tin besides usage Bixby with the Galaxy Watch 5 if you want.

Neither of these watches usage the latest processor. That's not needfully a atrocious thing, but to maine the Pixel Watch doesn't consciousness arsenic snappy arsenic the Galaxy Watch 5. It's decidedly not slow, but sometimes it feels somewhat less-responsive compared to the Samsung watch, particularly erstwhile utilizing aggregate apps and multitasking.

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Pixel Watch vs. Galaxy Watch 5: The verdict

These are some fantabulous Android smartwatches, but each is amended suited to somewhat antithetic usage cases. The Pixel Watch arguably looks nicer and has amended heart-rate tracking, GPS tracking and much refined investigation of your slumber and wellness metrics. But it lone comes successful 1 size and the artillery beingness is truly not arsenic beardown arsenic it should beryllium for the price. 

The somewhat cheaper Galaxy Watch 5 doesn't adhd immoderate game-changing features, but it mightiness beryllium the amended prime if you already person a Galaxy phone. It besides comes successful respective sizes and has immoderate other sensors the Pixel Watch lacks, similar its bioimpedance and somesthesia sensor -- arsenic agelong arsenic that past 1 gets turned connected astatine immoderate point.