How Do the Flagship Smartwatches Compare?

The Apple Watch Series 10 and Pixel Watch 3 are the latest and most advanced smartwatches that Apple and Google offer. While both provide essential fitness-tracking features, there are a few key differences that you should know before getting one of these sophisticated smartwatches.

The Apple Watch Features a Larger Yet Thinner Chassis

Right off the bat, the Watch Series 10 and the Pixel Watch 3 have distinct designs. While the former has a rectangular display with slightly curved edges and minimal bezels, the latter has a circular screen with noticeably thicker bezels. However, unlike the circular dial on the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7, the Pixel Watch 3 has a unique dome-shaped glass atop its screen, which gives it a unique appearance.

With the Apple Watch Series 10, you get to choose between the aluminum (with Ion-X front glass) or titanium case (with sapphire front crystal). Both variants are available in two sizes (42mm and 46mm) and three colors each. What’s interesting is that the cellular models are ever so slightly lighter than the GPS-only models (with aluminum casing).

The Pixel Watch 3 comes in an aluminum case, which, depending on the model you choose, has a diameter of 41mm or 45mm. The former is available in four colors, while the latter is in three. Protecting the screen is a layer of Gorilla Glass 5. Compared to the Watch Series 10, the Pixel Watch is significantly thicker (9.7mm vs. 12.3mm) but only slightly heavier.

While both the Apple Watch and the Pixel Watch feature a digital crown that provides haptic feedback, Apple has also equipped its smartwatch with a multipurpose side button. In day-to-day usage, the side button comes in handy to access the Control Center on the Apple Watch.

Regarding durability, both devices are rated to withstand submersion in up to 50 meters of water, making them swim-proof (in shallow water). However, the Watch Series 10 is fit for snorkeling (up to six meters). To make things interesting, it also features a water temperature sensor and a depth sensor to keep records of your shallow-diving sessions.

In addition, the Pixel Watch 3 has an official IP68 dust and water resistance rating. In comparison, the Watch Series 10 is rated IP6X for resistance against dust. All things considered, the Apple Watch Series 10 provides a bigger display, has a sleeker case, and comes with rather classy bands. In contrast, the Pixel Watch 3 has a novel design with its three-dimensional glass covering and colorful bands.

Watch Series 10 Offers a Bigger Screen

As previously mentioned, both smartwatches come in two sizes, which is why the size of their screens also differs. The smaller Apple Watch has a 1.89-inch screen, while the bigger variant has a 2.04-inch screen (measured diagonally). The Pixel Watch 3, on the other hand, has a much smaller screen on both its variants: 1.25-inch and 1.41-inch.

Even though Google launched a larger Pixel Watch this year, broader bezels don’t leave much room for increasing the effective screen size. That’s not true for the Apple Watch. Due to additional screen estate, the smartwatch is better for viewing messages, notifications, or other alerts that appear in the form of lines on the screen.

While the Apple Watch Series 10 sports a wide-angle OLED screen with LTPO3 technology, the Pixel Watch 3 features an AMOLED LTPO screen. Both of them support always-on functionality (with one nit minimum brightness), have a minimum refresh rate of 1Hz, and can achieve peak brightness of 2,000 nits. The screen resolution is also similar on both models.

watchOS 11 vs. Wear OS 5

Powered by the new S10 SiP dual-core processor, the Watch Series 10 also features a four-core Neural Engine and 64GB of storage for all the apps and music tracks you’d want to store. The device runs on watchOS 11, with tools like Siri and Apple Pay.

The operating system now allows users to pause the activity rings and set different activity targets for each day. It also comes with a new feature called Training Load, which provides insights into the intensity of the user’s workout.

Unlike the Watch Series 10, the Pixel Watch 3 features two processors: the Snapdragon Wear 5100 (4nm) SoC that processes all the information and showcases it in apps and another Cortex M33 co-processor that handles all the lighter tasks, including the watch faces and always-on display.

Given that the wearable runs on Wear OS 5 and has access to the Play Store, it is ironic that it has only 32GB of storage. With Wear OS, the device features Google Assistant and Wallet.

Both Smartwatches Have Plenty of Health-Tracking Features

The Watch Series 10 has all the possible sensors you could think of (except the BioActive sensor on the Galaxy Watch 7, which is pretty cool). However, the blood oxygen feature isn’t functional in the United States.

Nonetheless, the smartwatch does well as a fitness tracker with features like Cardio Fitness, high/low heart rate notifications, irregular rhythm alerts, ECG, automatic workout detection, sleep apnea detection, and monthly cycle tracking.

A new Vitals app in watchOS 11 lets you monitor overnight health metrics like heart rate, respiratory rate, and wrist temperature, along with insights into the sleep duration. Remember the depth sensor I talked about in the beginning? It collects information and showcases via a dedicated app called Depth. Last but not least, there are new features for detecting track running sessions and stroke/lap counting for swimmers.

With a huge arsenal of sensors for monitoring heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, skin temperature, and ECG, the Pixel Watch provides many health-tracking features, like the Readiness Score, Body Response, and comprehensive sleep tracking. Some new features introduced with the device include Morning Brief, Cardio Load, and real-time running metrics for professional runners.

The watch lets you create custom workouts and recommends personalized regimes that suit an individual’s fitness requirements. It also features continuous electrodermal activity (cEDA) sensors for tracking the body’s response to stress. Another feature introduced with the Pixel Watch 3 is Loss of Pulse detection. Upon detecting a drastic decrease in the pulse, the feature calls the emergency services at the user’s location.

Pixel Watch 3 Lasts Longer on a Charge

Like its predecessor, the Apple Watch Series 10 can last up to 18 hours in normal mode and up to 36 hours in the Low Power Mode. The USB-C charging puck provided in the box can charge the watch up to 80% in about 30 minutes.

The Pixel Watch 3, in comparison, can last up to 24 hours with an always-on display and up to 36 hours in its Battery Saver Mode. The charging dock provided in the box can charge the 41mm variant up to 80% in about 35 minutes and the 45mm variant in about 50 minutes.

The Pixel Watch 3 Costs $50 Less

The Apple Watch Series 10 (42mm) retails at $399 for the baseline variant (aluminum build with GPS connectivity) and $499 for the cellular variant. Those who want the bigger 46mm variant would have to spend $429 for the GPS variant and $529 for the cellular variant. The Watch Series 10 with titanium casing costs $699 and $749 for the 42mm and 46mm versions, respectively.

The Pixel Watch 3 (41mm) starts at $349.99 for the GPS-only and $449.99 for the LTE model. The bigger version (45mm) is available at $399.99 for the GPS-only and $499.99 for the LTE version.

Given that the smartwatches are designed to work within their ecosystem, it’s really simple to choose between the Apple Watch Series 10 and the Pixel Watch 3. Go with the former if you own an iPhone or the latter if you own a Pixel smartphone.

However, if you have both smartphones, you can choose based on the watches’ features. Blood oxygen tracking, for instance, is only available on the Pixel Watch. However, if you’re a snorkeling enthusiast, the Apple Watch is the right way to go.

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  Google Pixel Watch 3

  The Google Pixel Watch 3 is a performance-focused smartwatch featuring a larger, brighter Actua display available in two sizes, designed to enhance fitness tracking and daily productivity. It offers advanced running capabilities, readiness and cardio load tracking, and deep integration with Google’s ecosystem, all while delivering up to 36 hours of battery life with Battery Saver mode.

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  Apple Watch Series 10

  The tenth-generation Apple Watch offers a slimmer design than previous models, with a 30% larger screen that uses wide-angle OLED technology. It also comes in a new polished Jet Black aluminum finish, or premium titanium options.