Google's New Pixel Watch vs. Apple Watch Series 8

[pdaholic]

"If it isn't broken, why fix it?!"

Yeah that sentiment combined with the fact that Apple has had little competition in the watch market. The Pixel seems to be getting a lot of attention, so maybe this will light a little fire under apple.

 

[earthlingdave]

The Pixel watch design reminds me of a thermostat... and now I can't unsee it.

 

[chucker23n1]

at least the google watch looks like a watch.

Maybe they should do an Android phone that looks like a phone next.

 

[deebinem]

You don’t need a readiness score to know how much you can push yourself. I have the garmin forerunner 955 and the readiness score comes free and standard yet I never use it I simply wake up in every morning, drink 8 oz of water, and about 30 minutes later see how I feel for a workout.

I'd be interested to see what my "readiness" score would be since even though I run or workout 5-6 days a week, I never really want to do it. 😆

 

[Kottu]

My first smartwatch was a Galaxy Active 40mm. To be true, though I had a Galaxy Note 9 that time, using it wasn't so pleasant. Other than watch face, looking at it was like watching a round TV screen. Syncing my activities didn't work always. One (just one) day I was wearing it in shower and next day display started showing error. I must say that Samsung's support was damn good. Guarantee was over but they took the watch back and gave me full refund! As I bought an iPhone 12PM almost at the same time, with that money (and a lot more 🙂) I bought an AW6 40mm. All of a sudden I could see a lot more info on my screen.

 

[LD517]

Most of my Android friends have switched to Apple, and finally acknowledged how superior it is.
Apple, please Do Not release a round Apple Watch, unless it's huge.
My Apple Watch 4 looks a lot better than this Pixel Toy Watch. My next Apple Watch will be the Ultra.

Sure they did…..

 

[1557750]

Those bezels are HUGE

Only if you wanna see info. It’s absolutely perfect for 4 numbers and 2 dots.

 

[DeepIn2U]

I love the look of this, and have always wished Apple would make a round watch.

On the other hand, I don't particularly trust Google with my data, and I really wouldn't trust Google to not abandon this after a few years.

Uggh. Just cannot understand why everybody keeps wanting Apple to make a circular watch when EVERY Android watch video has completely shown (Garmin included) that there is just TOO much wasted space on a circular screen for a digital watch when displaying digital content, vs just simply showing a circular analog watch face.

/smh /idk.

"Threat to Apple Watch" - laughable. It's not even a threat to Galaxy Watches. Pixel phones themselves are no threat to any other Android phone much less Apple. All the Pixels sold since 2016 wouldn't even be a tenth of what Samsung sold in 2021.

Couldn't have agreed more! And Google first partnered with HTC locked them in and wasted them out after stealing employees. Now re-branded from nexus to pixel.

THIS. Google bails on projects 4, 5 years down the line. It's one thing if it's software... But Google's history of bailing makes me very hesitant to invest in any of their hardware.

Unfortunately is has become very frequent with their software efforts. I feel that their employee size is both their strength and their weakness. So many projects going on and pushed within that not enough people are allocated to focus on growing such 'whims' or ideas for potentially great software solutions.

I'm not digging the Google Watch. Is it just me or it looks like it was put together last minute?

I'm not feeling this either as for just about every other Android watch. sadly Google had more than a year to get this done right.

1 thing I noticed with Galaxy Watch and this Pixel watch. The bottom end of them seem to now have Apple's magnetic charging solution that they've been using since Gen 0 which is a welcome and smart change for the industry.

I feel that ONLY Samsung has been getting close to real-world ideas and in terms of fashion with their design. Partnering with Thom Browne was a VERY smart move and improved their packaging with Galaxy Flip 2/3, Galaxy Watch and Buds as a premium offering. I can only imagine how many would Love to see an iPhone 12-14 Pro/Pro Max with Hermes leather back, AirPods Pro, to match with their Hermes Apple Watch as a complete premium kit; with your choice of bands of course.

 

[Razorpit]

I love the look of this, and have always wished Apple would make a round watch.

On the other hand, I don't particularly trust Google with my data, and I really wouldn't trust Google to not abandon this after a few years.

Few years? I give this “business plan” a few months before it fades off in to the Google sunset of forgotten ideas.

I like how the side by side time pic looks like the numbers are almost the same size, but the Pixel takes up 1/2 the screen and on the Apple Watch it takes up a sixth.
View attachment 2093492

Perfect example of why the AppleWatch is rectangular.

 

[Shasterball]

But given that many people upgrade their smartwatches every 1-2 years, is that really a problem at this point?

Yes. Because if you want to upgrade to the next gen Google watch, you will not be able to! 🙂

 

[ignatius345]

But given that many people upgrade their smartwatches every 1-2 years, is that really a problem at this point?

If I choose to jump ship for a newer device, I'd rather it be my choice, versus having my hand forced because it no longer functions because Google (or whoever) got distracted by a newer, shinier thing. The logic of "a new device every 2 years whether you like it or not" is very screwed up on many different levels.

 

[R1PPER]

Instead you’ve got Chinese spyware on your wrist…

On a serious note, if I needed a smartwatch with 7 day battery life I’d go with Garmin.

I dont care if Huawei has my data. When every company has everyone's data does it matter any more?

 

[anthogag]

I watched the video. Some key words I heard…small, feels cheap, huge bezel, copied checklist of Apple features,…the Ultra has ruined me for other watches…🤌

 

[AnotherOpinion]

Why compare iPhone with Android, or an Apple Watch to a Pixel Watch? I don't think that a better Android watch or a better Android phone would ever get me to switch away from the cohesive ecosystem that Apple has built. From the computers, to wearables… it all just works. It's all stable and secure.

 

[R1PPER]

I watched the video. Some key words I heard…small, feels cheap, huge bezel, copied checklist of Apple features,…the Ultra has ruined me for other watches…🤌

This has a classic modern industrial design....unlike the Ultra. but who cares i won't get either because of the Sub 24hr battery.

 

[Tagbert]

Does it beat it the Apple Watch when the Apple Watch also has these features turned off? This sounds like low-power mode for Apple Watch, and that is measured at about 36 hours.

Even without the low power mode, I generally get about 30 hours of charge on an Apple Watch 7. Apple always used a conservative 18 hour estimate in their specs but I always got more than that even with sleep tracking and 30 minute gps tracking sessions.

 

[Tagbert]

This has a classic modern industrial design....unlike the Ultra. but who cares i won't get either because of the Sub 24hr battery.

Which 24hr battery? The Ultra gets between 1.5 and 2 days on a charge in every review that I have read. Apple’s rated specs are very conservative. I almost always get about 30 hours on my Series 7 even with the always on display and sleep tracking.

 

[gaximus]

I’m glad there are more companies who are building their own line of smart watches. More diversity more choices right. I personally love the Apple Watch Ultra and I’m very comfortable with sitting in the Apple ecosystem. Anyway, let’s celebrate tech diversity!

I don't think you understand how the internet works, you're supposed to pick a side, and be upset at the other side for reason(reason doesn't have to be logical).

 

[ZacKaffeine]

Is the blood oxygen sensor only usable if you pay for that subscription? That’s crazy to me that you buy the watch with the feature in it but you can’t use it. I thought it was bad enough when Tesla started doing it—but a smart watch?

 

[chucker23n1]

Even without the low power mode, I generally get about 30 hours of charge on an Apple Watch 7. Apple always used a conservative 18 hour estimate in their specs but I always got more than that even with sleep tracking and 30 minute gps tracking sessions.

Same. My SE 2 gets somewhere in the 30s of hours on a charge, without any power-saving measures, and with multiple workouts. Way above the cited 18.

 

[OTACORB]

That stem sticking out like a soar thumb will snag on all kinds of stuff. But like many others, I do my best NOT to use anything Google related because the just harvest your info and you become what they really make their money on.

 

[coolbreeze2]

Pixel Watch is a great-looking watch. There's no doubt about it. It's modern tech looking and fashionable at the same time. I'm sure the quality of the build is worth the price and is dependable. Where it can not compete with Apple Watch is functionality, ecosystem flow, and operating system.

 

[Wildsau]

In terms of size, the Pixel Watch is delicate. It's 41mm in diameter, so it feels more petite than the 44mm Apple Watch Series 8. It's more akin to the 41mm Apple Watch, and it's dwarfed by the larger and more feature rich Apple Watch Ultra.

I thought the bigger Apple Watch size has been 45mm for a couple of generations now...?

 

[subjonas]

Round smartwatches don't make a lot of sense. Mechanical watches are generally round because of the mechanism of the actual watch. Smartwatches can make much better use of a rectangular watch face since it is really a computer display. Vertical or horizontal scrolling on a round watch looks particularly ridiculous.

I think round looks better (subjective), but yeah, round doesn’t make sense for anything but clock hands. Unless maybe the text reads circularly on the round screen, perhaps spiraling in, getting smaller and smaller shrinking into a point. That would actually be pretty cool. As you scroll, the text spirals outward from singularity point and grows and becomes legible.
Just too bad our heads don’t spin around like that.

 

[teh_hunterer]

Battery life is the only important metric for me. My 42mm Huawei has 7 day battery life and all the features of the Apple watch and Pixel watch. I will never go back to sub 7-day watch. One less thing to worry about and I hate being a slave to a charger.

More battery life is great, but the reality is that the devices we have these days, with the features we use and rely on, they're pretty much 1.5 day devices. We're already charging phones and tablets and laptops nightly, so what is so special about smartwatches where you can't also plug it in at night?

Personally I've just accepted that's where the tech is right now, and I make sure I've got good charging solutions to make it as convenient as possible.

As for the Huawei watch having all the same features and 7 day battery life, lol no. Unless Huawei is about to win a Nobel prize for the biggest advancement in battery technology in 100 years, that extra battery life has to come from somewhere, be it a bulkier battery, or reduction in features.