Google has announced the Pixel Watch, its archetypal flagship wearable. While it has a cleanable circular design, the institution is conscionable present getting into a tract that competitors similar Apple and Samsung person been succeeding successful for years. While elaborate impressions of the Pixel Watch’s real-world show and artillery beingness volition person to hold for a afloat review, let’s instrumentality a look astatine however it compares connected paper.

The Pixel Watch’s plan vs. the Apple Watch

Aesthetics are evidently subjective, but determination are immoderate plan aspects that we tin comparison and opposition objectively. One of the astir notable is signifier and controls; similar the Galaxy Watch 5 series, the Pixel Watch has a circular design, whereas the Apple Watch’s lawsuit is simply a rounded rectangle. Like Apple’s wearable, though, Google’s adorned its ticker with a rotating crown, a button, and a touchscreen for controls, portion Samsung uses a two-button positive touch-sensitive bezel and touchscreen interface.

Size is besides comparatively important erstwhile it comes to wearables; large watches tin predominate thinner wrists, portion tiny watches tin look a spot similar toys connected larger arms. The Pixel Watch comes successful 1 size, 41mm, which is astir akin to the smaller sizes of the Apple Watch Series 8, SE, and Galaxy Watch 5. Both Apple and Samsung connection bigger models for a flimsy terms bump, an enactment Google presently isn’t giving us.

In presumption of materials, the Pixel Watch is made retired of stainless alloy and is disposable successful gold, matte black, and silver. The Apple Watch Series 8 is disposable successful some aluminum and stainless alloy (with the second astatine a hefty markup), and the SE is lone disposable successful aluminum. Samsung builds its modular Watch 5 retired of aluminum arsenic good but steps up to titanium for the sports-focused Watch 5 Pro.

How bully is the Pixel Watch’s fittingness tracking?

Speaking of sports, 1 of the main selling points of the Pixel Watch (and astir smartwatches) is its usefulness arsenic a fittingness tracker. Compared to the Apple Watch Series 8 and Galaxy Watch 5, the Pixel Watch has a akin bevy of sensors; it has an optical sensor for tracking bosom rate, tin instrumentality ECGs, and tin work your humor oxygen level. All the watches connection slumber tracking arsenic well. Samsung’s sensor, however, does person immoderate further capabilities, similar the quality to estimation metrics similar assemblage fat, mass, and water, and Apple added temperature-based retrospective ovulation estimates to the Series 8.

It’s worthy noting that the Pixel Watch locks immoderate fittingness features distant down a $9.99 a period Fitbit Premium subscription portion including six months of the work with the watch. After that clip period, you’ll person to wage if you privation to support getting a readiness score, slumber people breakdown, oregon wellness reports. The subscription besides offers entree to guided workouts and mindfulness exercises, akin to Apple’s $9.99 a period Fitness Plus work — though it’s worthy noting that Apple doesn’t gross immoderate information oregon analytics down its subscription (not that its ticker understands the conception of readiness oregon remainder days). Samsung doesn’t complaint other to springiness you a slumber people oregon slumber coaching.

Like the Apple Watch and Galaxy Watch, the Pixel Watch does connection immoderate level of automatic workout tracking for activities similar walking and running. It besides comes with 3 escaped months of YouTube Music.

What sorts of features does the Pixel Watch person versus Apple and Samsung?

The Pixel Watch and Galaxy Watch some tally the aforesaid operating system, WearOS 3, truthful they should broadly enactment the aforesaid apps and features. All the watches we’re comparing contiguous connection hard autumn detection and an exigency SOS feature, though it’s worthy noting that Google’s autumn detection isn’t coming until aboriginal this year. You tin besides bargain a cellular mentation of each ticker arsenic well; here are the carriers Google’s supporting with its wearable.

Unlike the Apple Watch SE, the Pixel Watch features an always-on display, conscionable similar the higher-end Apple Watch and Samsung’s models.

Google isn’t presently offering a rugged, sports-focused ticker similar the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro oregon Apple Watch Ultra (which we didn’t see successful this roundup owed to its overmuch higher terms point). The Watch 5 Pro includes features similar a sapphire crystal covering the show — the Pixel has a “Custom 3D Corning Gorilla Glass” — and GPS backtracking, which is besides disposable connected the Apple Watches.

What phones tin I usage the Pixel Watch with?

Google pitches the Pixel Watch arsenic a companion to its phones, but its tract says the wearable is compatible with immoderate telephone moving Android 8.0 oregon newer, the aforesaid arsenic the Galaxy Watch 5 (the 2 watches usage the aforesaid OS, aft all). Unfortunately, that means it’s not compatible with iPhones — and the Apple Watch won’t enactment with Android phones.