Google Pixel Watch 2 vs Apple Watch Series 9: which one is best?

The Pixel Watch 2 was just announced by Google. It makes wearing Android devices better in some important ways. The Apple Watch Series 9 is also important to talk about since this is a smartwatch. Many great smartwatches run on Android, and Google’s Pixel Watch is one of them. Google’s first attempt at making a smartwatch was last year, and they hit the ball out of the park.

They didn’t quite hit it out of the park the first time, but they did make one of the best Android smartwatches on the market. For its second Pixel Watch, Google tried to keep the best parts of the first one while making up for the things that were wrong with it. The Pixel Watch 2 looks like it will be another hit for Google, but it’s still early.

But there are a lot of strong alternatives that don’t use WearOS. Apple’s Watch series is the biggest and, some say, the best. No matter how much we hate to say it, the new Apple Watch 9 is a great device in its own right and can easily compete with the best Android watches. We are going to throw down the gauntlet today to see who does it better and how much money they deserve.

Pricing and Availability

Beginning in October 2023, the Pixel Watch 2 was made available for purchase, with prices beginning at $349/£349/€399 for the Wi-Fi-only product. Just one month earlier, in September 2023, Apple introduced the Apple Watch 9, which has a starting price of $399, £399, or €449 for the 41mm aluminium model that does not include cellular connectivity. The Apple Watch is now the more expensive option by fifty dollars, fifty pounds, or fifty euros.

Google Pixel Watch 2 vs Apple Watch Series 9 Comparison Table

Both the Pixel Watch 2 and the Apple Watch Series 9 are fitness trackers, but they are made for different types of users. Pixel has a sleeker design, works with Fitbit, and has a longer battery life. Apple, on the other hand, has a brighter screen, more apps, and an easier way to connect to an iPhone. In the end, it comes down to your phone: Android loves Pixel, iOS wants Apple. Choose the one that works best for your tech family if you want to track your health.

Design and Display

The Fluoroelastomer active band that comes with the Google Pixel Watch 2 is made from 100% recycled aluminium. It has an extra side button, a haptic crown, and a round display that looks more like a traditional phone. There is only one size, 41mm, and it weighs 31g without the band. Also, you can get it in Matte Black, Polished Silver, or Champagne Gold. The Pixel Watch 2 has a round AMOLED screen that is 1.2 inches, has a resolution of 450 x 450, and can get as bright as 1,000 nits.

Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protects the screen, and it should be enough to keep it safe from the occasional direct hit. Apple does some things differently, starting with the screen shape. In terms of brightness, the retinal LTPO OLED screen can go as low as 1 nit and as high as 2,000 nits. The resolution for the 41mm watch is 352 x 430, and the resolution for the 45mm watch is 396 x 484. The aluminium one has Ion-X front glass to protect it, and the stainless steel one has sapphire crystal.

The Watch 9 has a side button and a digital crown on the right side that make it easy to move around. The Wi-Fi-only aluminium version weighs 31.9g (41mm) and the other version weighs 38.7g (45mm). For LTE,.03g is added to each size. The one made of stainless steel weighs either 42.3g (41g) or 51.5g (45mm). Pink, Midnight, Starlight, Silver, and Red are the five colours of the aluminium set. The one made of stainless steel comes in Gold, Silver, and Graphite.

Software and Features

An operating system that is different between the Apple Watch 9 and the Pixel Watch 2 is one of the most significant differences between the two watches. Google’s Wear OS is powered by the Pixel Watch, while Apple’s WatchOS is the operating system that the Apple Watch utilises.

A significant portion of the Apple Watch’s popularity can be attributed to WatchOS 10, which features an extensive collection of applications, a wide variety of watch faces, and a profound integration with the iPhone. When compared to Wear OS 3, Wear OS 4 features a number of significant enhancements.

There will be improved app support, with apps such as WhatsApp (which is not even available on the Apple Watch) arriving on the operating system. Additionally, there will be seamless integration with Google’s own services, such as Google Assistant, Maps, and Calendar.

Health and Fitness

The third-generation optical heart sensor, temperature sensor, electrical heart sensor, and blood oxygen sensor in the Apple Watch Series 9 keep an eye on the wearer while they work out and let them quickly check their vital signs between activities. People have said many times that the ECG feature helps save lives. Google also uses a number of sensors that do similar things.

These include an optical heart rate sensor with multiple paths, electrical sensors that can also do ECG functions, and infrared and red sensors that check oxygen saturation. The new versions also have better AI heart rate algorithms that make them 40% more accurate for activities with a lot of intensity. Google also includes an electrical sensor that can check the conductance of the skin.

If the electrodermal activity sensor picks up changes in the skin’s response, it can tell the Body Response system that a person is under a lot of stress. Both groups of devices come with extra features, such as the ability to track sleep, keep an eye on workouts, and ask for results of trends.

Google Pixel Watch 2 vs Apple Watch Series 9: Processing

An upgraded version of the line called S9 System in Package (SiP) is used in the Apple Watch. It has a four-core Neural Engine. It can handle machine learning tasks twice as quickly as the Series 8, and it can also help make dictation tasks 25% more accurate. The Qualcomm 5100 and the Cortex M33 co-processor are both inside the Pixel Watch 2, which runs Wear OS 4.0.

It is part of the Snapdragon W5 chipset, which is a wearable System on Chip (SoC) made with a 4-nanometer process and four Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 1.7GHz. It is meant that the Pixel Watch 2’s low-power co-processor will help it use fewer resources, which will make it last longer. If you compare it to the Pixel Watch 1, it should be faster and use less power.

Since we’re talking about smartwatches, it’s a bit unfair and hard to judge performance for something that doesn’t depend on the user’s performance that much. Let’s just say that both lines of products will help people get through their days without too much trouble.

Google Pixel Watch 2 vs Apple Watch Series 9: Other Features

Apple has added a lot of safety features, such as Emergency SOS, Fall Detection, and Crash Detection, to help you handle emergencies. Google has similar features, such as the ability to detect falls, share medical information in an emergency, and send contact alerts. As deep as 5ATM, the Google Pixel Watch 2 can handle water. Apple says the Apple Watch is IP6X dust resistant and can handle water up to 50 metres deep. Both groups of products can connect to 4G LTE networks and Wi-Fi 4. However, the Apple Watch supports Bluetooth 5.3 while the Pixel Watch 2 only supports Bluetooth 5.0.

Google Pixel Watch 2 vs Apple Watch Series 9: Performance

The Pixel Watch 2 and the Apple Watch 9 are both very fast, but they are designed for different types of users. Wear OS 4 is used by the Pixel Watch 2 to make the experience smooth and easy to use, especially for Android users. Voice control and actions that are appropriate for the situation are made easy by Google Assistant. It might not have as many niche apps as Apple’s ecosystem, though.

The Apple Watch Series 9 has the lightning-fast WatchOS 10, which is made to work perfectly with an iPhone. Native apps that work with Apple services like Health and Fitness+ are very important to its ecosystem. The S9 chip makes processing and animations lightning fast, which makes it easy to do more than one thing at once. But iPhone dependence is a problem for people who don’t use Apple products.

In the end, performance comes down to what you like. The Pixel Watch 2 is the best in Google’s ecosystem, and the Apple Watch 9 is the best in Apple’s. Pick the one that works best with your phone and the apps you like to use for a performance that feels like it was made just for you.

Battery Life and Charging

At the moment, we can only go by the numbers in this section, but Google’s claims that the always-on display will last up to 24 hours make things look better. It was found by looking at how often people used their Pixel Watch for talk, data, standby, and other things. Apple says that the Series 9 can be used normally for up to 18 hours without the always-on display turned on.

However, I’ve found that it only lasts about 15 hours with that screen on all the time. Apple has a low-power mode that dims the screen and lowers the frequency of sensor use. This makes the battery last twice as long, up to 36 hours. On the other hand, there is a clear winner for people who want to keep everything on.

Which one should you consider?

The Google Pixel Watch 2 or the Apple Watch Series 9 is your choice based on your phone and your needs. Pixel Watch 2 is for Android users who care about comfort, Fitbit health tracking, and a smooth experience with Google Assistant. It costs $350 and has a 1.2-inch round AMOLED screen.

The battery lasts for more than 30 hours. The Apple Watch Series 9 is the best option for iPhone users who want a bigger, brighter screen, more health and fitness features (like ECG and blood oxygen), and a stronger connection to the Apple ecosystem. It starts at $399 and has an LTPO OLED screen that is either 1.69″ or 1.9″ in size. The battery lasts all day. The best smartwatch is the one that fits your needs and works well with your phone.