Even though Google just came out with its first smartwatch, it isn't new to the smartwatch world. It has had Wear OS for nearly a decade and has experience working with many OEMs during this time. Google acquired Fitbit not too long ago, a company synonymous with fitness tracking. With so much going in Google's favor, you would want the Google Pixel Watch to be the perfect smartwatch for Android phones as the Apple Watch is for the iPhone.

The Pixel Watch is more of a premium fashion accessory with health features that could use some polishing, and that's despite its headlining Fitbit integration. At its premium price point, it's natural to put it against the market leader, the Apple Watch. Here's how the Pixel Watch's fitness tracking capabilities fare against the Apple Watch.

Round vs. squircle case

Round cases are generally associated with some of the most notable Wear OS smartwatches, as the Apple Watch has created a unique identity for itself with a squircle design.

The Google Pixel Watch doubles down on the circular style. However, it's available only in a 41mm dial size, leaving out those who prefer larger wristwatches. When you pair that with thick bezels, you get a smaller amount of usable screen estate. So, tapping the right thing on that teeny display will be a task when you're out for a morning run.

A square display is better suited for smartwatches as they need to display text and buttons instead of having three clock arms running in circles.

Where the Google Pixel Watch shines (quite literally) is its stainless steel case, which is more durable than aluminum that you get on similarly priced Apple Watches. But Apple's timepiece uses a sturdier cover glass for its display, while the Pixel Watch comes with a rounded Gorilla Glass 5.

Apple and Google offer a range of sports straps for their smartwatches. Since they have proprietary attachment mechanisms, the first-party options tend to be priced on the higher side. The problem is even more concerning for the Pixel Watch since it doesn't have a robust third-party band ecosystem like Apple.

The Pixel Watch's Fitbit experience isn't great

When Google acquired Fitbit in 2021, it left us wondering how it would turn out for Google's fitness products. With the release of the Google Pixel Watch, we finally have an answer: the health and fitness features are entirely powered by Fitbit, and that's not necessarily a good thing.

Long-time Fitbit users will spot several familiar features, such as Active Zone Minutes, which breaks your workout into three zones to give you an activity score instead of relying on step counts. There is also Fitbit's sleep tracking with stages similar to other Fitbit trackers that can dive deep into your sleep metrics.

The Pixel Watch uses a new heart rate sensor that, along with Google's ML capabilities, claims to offer superior accuracy. In our testing, we found the claim to be true. The best part is that the Pixel Watch tracks your heart rate throughout the day by default, and you also get an ECG with the option to export the readings into a PDF for sharing with your doctor.

But that's where the good things come to an end.

While the Fitbit integration raised our hopes for the Pixel Watch's health-tracking features, we were left somewhat disappointed. Sleep tracking was often off the mark, and its unreliable battery life made it hard to wear the Pixel Watch to bed (more on this in the battery section). In Taylor's case, the Pixel Watch overestimated the calorie count, as many of his other trackers were closer to the expected figure for the same activity level.

The Pixel Watch has no stand-out feature that could justify its high asking price. It only covers the basic health features (including automatic tracking, step count, heart rate, and sleep score), which cheaper fitness trackers and smartwatches offer.

The Apple Watch can also handle the basics, but it goes beyond that. For instance, the newest WatchOS 9 can automatically detect and switch to the activity in a triathlon, while runners can now see their stride length, ground contact time, and more. You can now add your prescription medicines to the Apple Health app for timely reminders on your Apple Watch, which is an immensely helpful feature for many patients.

And the Apple Watch's lead isn't limited to software. The Apple Watch Series 8 has a temperature sensor that enables the company's new menstrual tracking features. Hardware additions like these can help the device gain newer features down the line. Apple's smartwatches can also track your blood oxygen, but the Pixel Watch cannot do that yet, even though it has the necessary hardware.

Fitbit Premium and Apple Fitness+

Buying a new Pixel Watch gets you six months of complimentary Fitbit Premium, while Apple Watch bundles three months of Fitness+ subscription to try out.

Subscribing to either service comes with advanced tracking metrics, guided exercises, and challenges. But only Fitbit Premium lets you upgrade to one-to-one coaching. Its paid tier also gives you a Daily Readiness Score, which considers every metric to provide you with personalized daily recommendations.

With a complimentary subscription, you can experience if a paid plan adds value to your workout routine. Google is being a bit more generous here, giving you extra time to consider getting the subscription.

But after the free trial, both subscriptions will cost the same (except for Fitbit's one-on-one training options): $10 a month or $80 for a year.

Safety first

Google was the first to introduce car crash detection on Pixel phones using all the sensors that exist in our smartphones. But Apple Watch Series 8 takes things to a different level by offering dedicated hardware to aid this security feature, making its crash-detection feature capable of measuring up to 256 g-forces.

In comparison, the Google Pixel Watch can only measure up to 32 g-forces. The Pixel Watch cannot detect car crashes, while fall detection is coming in 2023. The feature will allow the Pixel Watch to dial 911 automatically if you don't respond after a hard fall. This could be an excellent safety feature, especially for outdoor sports.

If you're worried about a family member who lives or drives alone, the Apple Watch-iPhone combo is much better for now. The Apple Watch has a proven track record of being helpful during hard falls. Considering fall detection isn't live on the Pixel Watch, it's difficult to say how effective it could be.

The app situation

The app situation on the Pixel side is a little confusing because Google just introduced a separate app to set up and manage your Pixel Watch. And you will need the Fitbit app to access your health metrics from the Pixel Watch, ditching its existing Google Fit app.

This two-app approach isn't very different from what Apple follows. You need the Watch app for all the watch functions, while the Apple Health app takes care of your well-being data.

But the Google Pixel Watch is ahead of the Apple Watch in one key area. It works with more smartphones right out of the box. It's compatible with all Android phones running version 8 and up (except Android Go), which covers a majority of smartphones currently active worldwide.

Meanwhile, the Apple Watch will have few takers in countries where iPhones don't command a sizable market share.

Battery life

Google Pixel Watch gets the Fitbit integration but without the best thing about Fitbit trackers: multi-day battery life. While the Pixel Watch is rated for 24 hours, you must take extra care for it to make it until the end of the day. That means you may need to top up the Watch before going to bed to ensure it doesn't die in the middle of the night. For AP's James Peckham, the battery percentage dropped as much as 20% during the night, even with bedtime mode.

The Apple Watch Series 8 has a claimed battery life of 18 hours, but it also comes with a low-power mode that helps you get a few more hours of life, saving you from midday recharges. GPS and LTE are the biggest battery hogs on any smartwatch, and both the Apple Watch and the Pixel Watch are no different in this area.

Neither of these smartwatches comes close to the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, which lasted three days of mixed-use in our testing. This watch has one of the best battery performances on proper smartwatches.

Is a Pixel Watch right for you?

If you are already in the Apple ecosystem, this argument is moot. iPhone users should get an Apple Watch that fits their budget. There are no two ways about that. Even though the Google Pixel Watch was supposed to be the Apple Watch for Android, there are plenty of other Wear OS smartwatches from Samsung, Fossil, Diesel, Mobvoi, and others.

And most Android users should consider these other brands instead of the Pixel Watch. Given software is the strongest suit of Pixel phones, we were expecting similarly unique features from the Pixel Watch, but only to be let down (except for those nice watch faces from Google). And that high $349 asking price doesn't help either. Only if Google could make a Pixel Watch A for budget shoppers.

If you want a good Wear OS smartwatch for your Android phone (Samsung or not), there's no better option than the Galaxy Watch 5. It comes with many standard Wear OS features that the Pixel Watch offers and saves you some cash. The compelling value proposition, which gets even better during sales like Black Friday, is the winner.

On the other side of the fence, Apple Watch remains a more mature product, given it had eight years to polish everything up. It offers more apps, has better and more reliable health features, and integrates well with the Apple ecosystem. Google will probably need another year (or two) to fix its Pixel Watch (which isn't too shabby for the first attempt) and offer a better experience to those who want a premium smartwatch from Google.