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  Google Pixel Watch

  Easy to like

  The Pixel Watch is Google's first crack at its own smartwatch, bringing pure Wear OS through tighter integration with Pixel devices and smart home devices. It's also the first Android smartwatch to integrate Fitbit health tracking, making it an interesting all-rounder to strap on your wrist.

  Pros

  • Premium design
  • Effective performance and integration

  Cons

  • So-so battery life
  • Fitness tracking could be better

  $350 at Amazon $350 at Best Buy

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  Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro

  Rough and tough

  The Galaxy 5 Pro is the most advanced, and certainly most ruggedized Samsung smartwatch to date, but it also only comes in one 46mm size, so you may want to think twice if you have smaller wrists. It's got a nice mix of fitness and health features well suited to those who demand more out of a smartwatch.

  Pros

  • Tough, rugged build quality
  • Solid battery life for its size

  Cons

  • Not ideal for smaller wrists
  • Default band is clunky

  $450 at Samsung $450 at Amazon $450 at Best Buy

A good fitness smartwatch comes with the right tools for the job, and that's exactly the case Google and Samsung make with their respective models. The Pixel Watch carries a heavy influence from Fitbit, while the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro is an attempt to cater to the active crowd looking for something robust and rugged all at once. We've reviewed both, and while the focus between them is largely similar, how they execute on that vision differs a fair bit, from the fit and design to the feature set and functionality.

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  Google Pixel Watch

  Display

  1.6-inch 384 x 384 AMOLED, Always On Display

  CPU

  Exynos 9110 SoC, Cortex M33 co-processor

  RAM

  2GB

  Storage

  32GB

  Connectivity

  4G LTE, UMTS, Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n 2.4GHz, NFC, GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo

  Durability

  5ATM

  Health sensors

  Optical heart rate sensor, Multipurpose electrical sensor, Blood oxygen sensor, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Altimeter, Compass

  Price

  From $350

  Weight

  36g

  Workout detection

  Yes

  $350 at Amazon $350 at Best Buy

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  Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro

  $395 $450 Save $55

  The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro is Samsung's first Pro smartwatch, an amazing showcase of what it can do with Wear OS 3, and generally just a built-tough all-day warrior for workout fiends and multitaskers eschewing their phones.

  Display

  1.36" AMOLED

  CPU

  Exynos W920

  RAM

  1.5GB

  Storage

  16GB

  Connectivity

  GPS, NFC

  Durability

  MIL-STD-810H

  Health sensors

  Heart Rate Monitor, BIA, Continuous SpO2

  Price

  $450

  Weight

  46.5g

  Workout detection

  Yes

  $450 at Samsung $395 at Amazon $450 at Best Buy

Google Pixel Watch vs Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro: Price & availability

Both the Pixel Watch and Galaxy Watch 5 Pro are premium smartwatches with price tags to match, though you may find the odd discount if you're lucky. That tends to happen more often with the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, which only comes in a 45mm size, starting at $450, and sometimes getting knocked down closer to $400. That won't happen as often with the LTE variant that starts at $500. Samsung sells them with different sport straps for the same price.

The Pixel Watch comes in one 41mm size, making it smaller than the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro. Not to mention cheaper, starting out at $350 or $400 if you want the LTE connection. That can increase if you want to put a different strap on it, but it comes with a standard sports strap out of the box.

Design and fit

The round face puts these two on similar design philosophies. The Pixel Watch is a svelte device with exposed edges and a minimalist take on functional points, like the single multifunction button that blends in and the digital crown to match. It's a lot like a classic timepiece, save that you don't get the analog components typically seen in hybrid smartwatches.

At 12.2mm thick, it's not the thinnest smartwatch around, but it sure feels like it next to the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro. Everything about the Pixel Watch feels more compact, whether it's the 41mm size or the 1.2-inch AMOLED screen. Even the strap, which is an excellent copy of the standard ones that come with Fitbit smartwatches, feels lighter on the wrist. As for colors, you get Matte Black, Polished Silver, and Champagne Gold.

In contrast, the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro feels beastly. It's a big boy at 46mm and 10g heavier than the Pixel Watch, and just feels thicker when slapped on a wrist, despite the numbers suggesting otherwise. This isn't the watch for smaller wrists, so it might feel more natural to wear for larger people. The beefier body means there's more to touch, like two physical buttons and a protruding bezel that serves a functional purpose. Had Samsung included the once vaunted physical bezel for navigating the interface, the watch would've probably been even bigger. Instead, the bezel is touch-sensitive with haptic feedback to emulate the physical points when running through it.

Where Samsung may have erred is in the new magnetic latch design for the strap. The magnet and latch are reliably sturdy, except the mechanism requires too much fumbling to adjust the tightness. The band also connects to the watch at an angle, complicating laying it down on a standard wireless charging pad. You won't have a problem with the watch's default charger, but its larger charging surfaces can prove difficult to manage.

The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro takes a more serious tone and the colors — or lack thereof — follow suit. You can get it in either Black Titanium or Gray Titanium. Band options match those tones, though Samsung and other third-parties offer more colorful alternatives if you want to give the watch a new look.

Wear OS or Wear OS-ish software?

Wear OS isn't a new platform, but it's festered for a while, and the Pixel Watch was supposed to be an unofficial shot in the arm (or wrist?) to raise it back up to respectability. Samsung already got the ball rolling when it first adopted Wear OS in the Galaxy Watch 4 lineup. It even skinned the software to retain much of the look from its past Tizen-based smartwatches. So, you have two watches that sport familiar software, only present it in uniquely different ways.

Both provide access to additional apps through the Google Play Store, which is a great way to increase the usability of either watch when you're using it. From the start, though, you will find these watches pivot toward their respective brands. The Pixel Watch leans heavily toward Google apps services, like Wallet, Maps, Calendar, Home, YouTube Music, and Assistant, while the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro does the same with Samsung Health, Samsung Pay, and Bixby. Being a Wear OS watch means Samsung lets you use Google's options instead, so you can opt for Google Pay over Samsung Pay or Assistant over Bixby.

They share other similarities that blur the lines further. Both can make and take phone calls through their onboard microphones and speakers, and it's possible to save music for offline playback, particularly from Spotify or YouTube Music, when you subscribe to either one. Samsung holds an edge in that it also opens up its onboard storage to digital music files, giving you another way to listen to tunes without keeping the phone nearby.

Health and fitness features to consider

Off the bat, the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro beats the Pixel Watch on sheer durability because it was designed to do so. The rugged body has IP68 protection, while the Pixel Watch has no IP rating, despite the 5ATM rating for water resistance that makes it safe to submerge in water for up to10 minutes. You might conclude the two watches have similar water resistance, but Samsung's watch has tougher sapphire glass, and the bezel does a better job protecting the watch's fringes. You're okay taking a few laps in the pool or ocean with the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, so long as you use the Water Lock feature, rinse it under tap water to get rid of the salt, and then dry it after.

Despite all that, the Pixel Watch comes with two significant advantages out of the box. First, it works seamlessly with an established platform in the Fitbit app, including the subscription-based Premium service, giving you advanced tracking and a multitude of guided workouts, meditation practices, and food recipes. All of these stand out in stark contrast to the eccentricities of Samsung Health. Second, it prioritizes sleep tracking, and is far more comfortable to wear while asleep.

Google hasn't equipped the Pixel Watch with the same number of sensors, but you get an ECG (electrocardiogram) as a crucial feature. The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro matches that and includes blood pressure monitoring, though only in select markets and not in the U.S. It also offers tracking for 90 exercises, automatically recognizing six of them for easier tracking. The Pixel Watch has fewer exercises, and no automatic tracking, so you would need to manually start it for any workout.

It would be unfair to classify either watch here as a true "running watch" because there are better options for that (see Garmin), but that doesn't make the Pixel Watch or Galaxy Watch 5 Pro incapable. Both can struggle with GPS accuracy, which can throw off distance and pace, two critical data points for those training to run in marathons, for instance.

Battery life means keep the charger close

The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro's very size makes this a win for Samsung, particularly because it can hit up to two days (maybe more) in spite of all its features. Battery life isn't a strong suit for either watch, unfortunately, and you'll need to top up every couple of days. Much of the battery drain is relative to what you're doing, as we experienced in our review of the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, and equally so with the Pixel Watch, where Google's rating is limited to 24 hours per charge.

On average, you're looking at 24–48 hours before reaching for the charger. Neither Google nor Samsung make the case for being a dependable fitness tracker. GPS is the biggest battery killer, and while you can take mitigating steps to squeeze more out of the battery, you will need to be mindful of charging.

Which is right for you?

You won't really go wrong with either smartwatch here, so there is no "bad" choice. There is, however, the better choice for what works best with your lifestyle and goals. In that regard, the Pixel Watch has a decided edge with its cheaper cost and more comfortable fit. The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro isn't for casual workouts or reluctant users. It takes a more serious approach toward those who live active lives. That's why putting one on your wrist will cost you at least $50-$150 more. It's a tough competitor, even up against the best smartwatches.

The Pixel Watch isn't as deep in features or performative options, but it is more accessible and user-friendly for a broader set of users. It's also the more fashionable of the two, and it fits in quite well for any occasion when paired with the right strap. If you're thinking of a smartwatch that straddles the line between lifestyle and activity, Google has the formula that works.

The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro isn't for everyone, and that's exactly how Samsung wants it. Unlike the Galaxy Watch 5, which carries broader appeal with two sizes and a slimmer profile, this is the smartwatch more active users should consider. It is the best Samsung smartwatch to date from a features and performance perspective. It's especially limber when paired with a Samsung phone.