If the Google Pixel phones are meant to be (or at least trying to be) Android's answer to the iPhone, then the Google Pixel Watch is clearly Google's attempt at making an Apple Watch equivalent -- something that pairs and works seamlessly with Google/Android products.

But does Google get there? In today's article we're going to compare Google's wearable against the Apple Watch Series 7 and 8. The reason we're including both 7 and 8 is simple: the Series 8 is the most current Apple Watch, but I personally haven't tested it. But I have been using the Apple Watch Series 7 for a year, and it's very, very similar to the Series 8 to the point that user experience will be almost identical. I will mention when a feature is specific to the Apple Watch Series 8 only.

If the Google Pixel phones are meant to be (or at least trying to be) Android's answer to the iPhone, then the Google Pixel Watch is clearly Google's attempt at making an Apple Watch equivalent -- something that pairs and works seamlessly with Google/Android products.

But does Google get there? In this article, we're going to compare Google's wearable against the Apple Watch Series 7 and 8. The reason we're including both Series 7 and 8 is simple: the Series 8 is the most current Apple Watch, but I personally haven't tested it. But I have been using the Apple Watch Series 7 for a year, and it's very, very similar to the Series 8 to the point that the user experience is almost identical. I will mention when a feature is specific to the Apple Watch Series 8 only.

Google Pixel Watch vs Apple Watch Series 7/8: Pricing and Availability

The Google Pixel Watch only comes in one size and is priced at $399 for the WiFi model and $399 for the 4G/LTE model. It's available at major online retailers such as Best Buy, Amazon, as well as Google's own online store.

The Apple Watch Series 8 comes in 41mm or 44mm casing and starts at $399 and $429 respectively. The Apple Watch is widely available at major online retailers and also any brick-and-mortar store that sells Apple products. The Apple Watch Series 7 is no longer officially on sale via Apple, but it can be found via trusted retailers like Amazon.

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Google Pixel Watch vs Apple Watch Series 7/8: Hardware and Design

Despite the fundamentally different shapes -- the Google Pixel Watch is a perfect circle; the Apple Watch 8 is square-ish -- there are actually quite a lot of similarities in hardware between the two watches. Both are bereft of bezels or raised ridges -- the screens just curve and blend seamlessly into the metallic casing. And both also feature a physical crown that can be twisted or pressed. When placed side by side, the Google Pixel Watch looks like it could belong in the same family as the Apple Watch series in ways Samsung's wearables never did.

The 44mm model of the Apple Watch is obviously bigger than the 41mm Pixel Watch, but even the 41mm Apple Watch Series 7/8 offers a larger screen real estate due to its square-ish boxy screen. The Pixel Watch is a bit thicker, however, at 10.7mm compared to the Apple wearable's 10.5mm.

Both watches look great in my opinion, but also potentially fragile. The fact that neither the Apple Watch nor the Pixel Watch screens have any protection like raised bezels or ridges means the screens, especially the sides, are always exposed. Of course, Apple and Google's marketing team claim these glasses are reinforced and strong enough (Apple advertises "Sapphire crystal glass", Google uses "Gorilla Glass 5") to survive drops or accidentally scraping the sides of a table, but I feel uneasy nonetheless. Getting a good case for the Apple Watch Series 8 or Pixel Watch should be higher on the priority list for any buyer.

The two wearables each use proprietary bands, and the rubbery silicon ones that come with the watches are not my cup of tea. I purchased a leather strap for the Apple Watch 7 and will likely do so for the Pixel Watch. These devices are too premium to be tethered to cheap rubber straps. Both watches also use similar quick-release mechanisms to remove the straps, but while the Apple Watch's release button is easy to access, the Pixel Watch's circular shape means the button is much harder to access. Expect to fiddle for at least a minute the first couple of times you're swapping out the Pixel straps.

Displays

OLED display is the technology of choice used by both wearables and for good reason -- they pump out vibrant colors including deep blacks which help conserve battery. The latter is crucial since both watch screens can be "Always-On." Both screens also reach 1,000 nits of peak brightness, which is good enough to use outdoors under direct sunlight.

Silicon

The Apple Watch takes a win in the silicon department -- the Apple Watch 8 is powered by the S8 chip, while the Series 7 runs on the S7, and both chips are noticeably faster than the four-year-old Exynos 9110. The speed difference is noticeable everywhere, from launching apps to how long it takes for the watch to listen to and process my voice queries.

This isn't to say the Pixel Watch is terribly underpowered, it performs fine. It just can't be called fast. Expect to wait for a beat or two anytime you tap anywhere on the watch.

If you're wondering where does the Apple Watch 8's S8 chip improves over the S7, it's supposedly in the CPU -- Apple says the new one is 20% faster than the old one, but I don't really see any difference. The Apple Watch 7 zips around its UI as smoothly and speedily as the Apple Watch 8.

Battery

Neither Apple nor Google reveals exact battery sizes in its press material, but teardowns have found the Apple Watch 7 and 8 to pack a 308 mAh battery to the Pixel Watch's 294 mAh, and battery life is very similar. Both of these watches need to be charged at least once a day, as neither would make it far into day two. The Pixel Watch is a bit less of an all-day smartwatch than the Apple Watch 7 and 8 are, and you should expect to need a charge sooner on Google's offering.

Sensors

Charging is done via proprietary magnetic chargers on the watches' back side, which also house the usual host of sensors. Both watches have the core fundamental sensors for detecting heart rate, conducting EKG (electrocardiograms) and blood-oxygen levels, as well as the basics like an accelerometer and gyroscope for detecting movements.

The Apple Watch 8 one-ups the Pixel Watch, and the Apple Watch 7 by also including a new skin temperature sensor and a high-G accelerometer sensor. The former is mostly there to help the Apple Watch 8 track menstrual cycles, while the latter is to help detect car accidents. These are features missing in the Pixel Watch and Apple Watch 7.

Other hardware bits

The Pixel Watch is rated 5ATM, meaning it can withstand being submerged underwater up to 50 meters. The Apple Watch 7 and 8 are rated WR50, which also means they can withstand underwater pressure up to 50 meters. In other words, even though they use different standards, the watches are about equal in terms of being waterproof. I'd say everyone except divers would have to worry about these watches suffering from water damage.

Elsewhere, both watches also have a single speaker and microphone each, and they do a solid job of receiving and taking phone calls. If I have to nitpick, I'd say the Apple Watch's speakers are louder and fuller.

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Google Pixel Watch vs Apple Watch Series 7/8: Software and Features

The Apple Watch 8 ships with WearOS 9, and the Apple Watch 7 will have an update to this latest Apple software version too. The Pixel Watch, meanwhile, runs on Wear OS 3.5. And because Google acquired Fitbit in 2019, the Pixel Watch also features Fitbit integration which is both good or bad depending on your views. The good? Fitbit has perhaps the best sleep-tracking algorithm in the industry and has a robust software that handles exercise tracking well too. But the bad is that you must install and log into the Fitbit app to get these services. In fact, you have to install two apps on your Android phone (even the Pixel 7 Pro) to use the Pixel Watch fully: Google's new Watch app, and Fitbit. A bunch of Fitbit features, like stress management and detailed sleep analysis, are also paywalled behind a subscription -- you get a six-month subscription when you buy the Pixel Watch.

The Apple Watch experience by comparison feels much more seamless. The iOS Watch app is already on all iPhones -- there's nothing new to install. This cohesiveness between products, hardware and software, makes the Pixel Watch look bad. Even after installing Fitbit, I have to manually check off a bunch of pop-up boxes within the Google Watch app and on the Pixel Watch itself in order to fully use the watch.

If Google wants the Pixel Watch to be the "Apple Watch of the Android world," it needs to do a better job of building seamless connectivity.

Fitness tracking

The Apple Watch is a better performer here too. While both watches can mostly track the same exercises, the Apple Watch can automatically identify when I'm cycling or walking faster than usual, and begin tracking those activities workouts. The Google Pixel Watch requires manual prompting. Otherwise, the tracking seems accurate in terms of heart rate and step counts.

I can see my fitness stats from the same day directly on the watch, but if I want to check past history, I need to jump into the apps. This is where another annoyance kicks in on Google's end: the Fitbit app sometimes needs to be manually synced even when the Pixel Watch had been connected to the device for days prior. Sometimes the syncing process takes several minutes. Having used Fitbit wearables quite a bit before, I can say this less-than-ideal user experience is not uncommon with Fitbit software. There are no such issues on the Apple Watch, everything feels seamless: I jump into the iOS Watch app, and all my health and exercise history is there for me to look through.

As a general smartwatch

One of the key requirements I need from a smartwatch is the ability to receive notifications, and let me respond to them directly on the wrist. This is something the Apple Watch has got right since day one: I can read entire text messages on my wrist, and then respond via scribbling text or using voice dictation.

This may be a surprise to some, but most Android smartwatches cannot do this well, due to either lack of software optimization, or an underpowered chipset. I'm happy to report the Google Pixel Watch can actually handle this task well. Not quite as well as the Apple Watch, but the Pixel Watch can indeed get and display incoming texts without issues, and its various methods of text and voice input all work well enough.

Google Pixel Watch vs Apple Watch Series 7/8: Which one is better?

Ultimately, the point of this article is purely for curiosity’s sake rather than serve as a true buyer's guide, because these wearables are ultimately locked to their respective mobile operating systems. The Google Pixel Watch is a good-looking, premium smartwatch that gets a lot right, but it is clearly not as polished as the Apple Watch Series 7 or 8 (or even the Series 6 for that matter).

Software shortcomings like needing to work with a separate Fitbit app to track fitness -- and that app can't even sync automatically half the time -- plus the noticeably slower chipset are factors that hold the Pixel Watch back. Other than sleep tracking, there's nothing the Pixel Watch does better than the Apple Watch 7 or 8.

Android fans, do not be dismayed, however. The Pixel Watch is still a good wearable in a vacuum, and a good first step in improving the state of Android smartwatches. If any company has the deep pockets and influence to compete with Apple and make a great smartwatch for all of Android to use, it would be Google.