{"id":831342,"date":"2026-07-28T12:22:11","date_gmt":"2026-07-28T12:22:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/831342\/"},"modified":"2026-07-28T12:22:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-28T12:22:11","slug":"4-reasons-id-get-googles-pixel-watch-4-over-the-galaxy-watch-9","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/831342\/","title":{"rendered":"4 reasons I’d get Google’s Pixel Watch 4 over the Galaxy Watch 9"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Pixel<\/p>\n

Kaitlyn Cimino \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n

The Galaxy Watch 9<\/a> has officially arrived, bringing the annual round of upgrades to Samsung\u2019s flagship wearable. If you\u2019ve been holding onto an older Galaxy Watch, the new generation will feel like a major improvement. However, if you\u2019ve spent the last year with the Galaxy Watch 8, the new model may feel like a surprisingly safe update. The hardware is familiar, and the headlining features already exist elsewhere.<\/p>\n

As always at the start of the wearables launch season, I\u2019m wondering how I\u2019d spend my own money if I were shopping for a smartwatch<\/a> today, and in a perfect world, I\u2019d probably wait a little longer. Google\u2019s Pixel Watch 5 is likely to land this fall, and could bring more substantial changes than we\u2019ve seen from Samsung this year. In the meantime, the Pixel Watch 4 remains one of my favorite devices. For anyone eager to buy a new smartwatch right now, these are the reasons I\u2019d still recommend the Pixel Watch 4 over the Galaxy Watch 9.<\/p>\n

Which would you purchase, the Galaxy Watch 9 or the Pixel Watch 4?<\/p>\n

249 votes<\/p>\n

Galaxy Watch 9<\/p>\n

32%<\/p>\n

Pixel Watch 4<\/p>\n

46%<\/p>\n

Neither, I’d wait for the Pixel Watch 5<\/p>\n

22%<\/p>\n

1. I still can\u2019t get behind Samsung\u2019s squircle design<\/p>\n

\"Samsung<\/p>\n

Tushar Mehta \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n

Beauty is subjective, but this is one opinion I\u2019ve never really wavered on, and this year I\u2019m still stubbornly committed to my take. The Galaxy Watch lineup lost the understated charm that made Samsung\u2019s earlier circular watches feel so much like traditional timepieces. The squircle design isn\u2019t just a confusing use of space; it\u2019s more industrial than timeless and, in my opinion, distinctive for all the wrong reasons.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Google\u2019s minimalist, pebble-inspired design still feels unlike anything else on the market. The domed glass gives the Pixel Watch a soft, elegant look, and after several generations, I\u2019ve stopped worrying about its durability. It\u2019s also incredibly comfortable. The curved shape sits naturally on my wrist and wears well overnight and throughout workouts. Four generations in, I still think the Pixel Watch is the best-looking Android smartwatch you can buy.<\/p>\n

2. Google\u2019s software feels more cohesive<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Kaitlyn Cimino \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n

One of the biggest takeaways from our Galaxy Watch 9 hands-on wasn\u2019t actually a Galaxy Watch feature; it was Samsung finally getting Raise to Talk Gemini. It\u2019s also something Pixel Watch owners have already had. In other words, Google also has the edge when it comes to software experience.<\/p>\n

Both watches run Wear OS, but the Pixel Watch feels like Google\u2019s vision for the platform, while Samsung\u2019s version layers One UI over the top. Samsung loyalists will appreciate the familiarity, but I prefer Google\u2019s experience, and it\u2019s already been around. Navigating the interface is also straightforward, and I use Google services constantly, so the watch feels like a natural extension of my phone.<\/p>\n

Again, if you\u2019re equally bought into the Samsung platform, you\u2019ll have the opposite take. Anyone with a Galaxy phone in their pocket or a Galaxy Ring on their hand is better off staying with the home team.<\/p>\n

3. Fitbit still gives me the health experience I actually want<\/p>\n

\"Pixel<\/p>\n

Kaitlyn Cimino \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n

Samsung Health has come a long way, and it deserves credit for the progress it\u2019s made over the past few years. However, while Google may have rebranded Fitbit as Google Health, underneath the new name, it\u2019s still my favorite health platform. Fitbit has long been my top pick for new and long-term wearable users looking for approachable health insights.<\/p>\n

The redesigned interface is clean, and customizable dashboards make it easy for me to surface the metrics I care about. Gemini-powered coaching is a work in progress but a nice perk for Premium subscribers after extra guidance. More importantly, I still think Google presents health data better than Samsung, from sleep to recovery and everything in between.<\/p>\n

4. Google\u2019s heart rate sensor earned my trust<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

If there\u2019s one thing I care about more than any other wearable feature, it\u2019s accuracy. I\u2019ve tested enough smartwatches to know that not every optical sensor is created equal. Workout after workout, the Pixel Watch 4\u2019s heart rate data has tracked so closely to my chest strap that I would trust it to almost the same level across the board.<\/p>\n

That confidence matters because every other health metric starts with reliable heart rate data, from sleep insights to training load, recovery metrics to stress tracking. And that\u2019s not even taking into account that Fitbit has consistently offered some of the best sleep tracking in the game for years.<\/p>\n

Samsung\u2019s accuracy has improved over the years, but if I\u2019m going to base my training, or even just my understanding of my health, on the numbers coming off my wrist, I want the watch that\u2019s proven itself repeatedly.<\/p>\n

How the competition shakes out<\/p>\n

\"galaxy<\/p>\n

Zac Kew-Denniss \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n

The Galaxy Watch 9 isn\u2019t a bad smartwatch. It\u2019s probably the right choice for plenty of Samsung users. But this year especially, it feels like Samsung is refining a product while Google is refining an experience. Until the Pixel Watch 5 arrives, the Pixel Watch 4 remains the Wear OS smartwatch I\u2019d spend my money on.<\/p>\n

Thank you for being part of our community. Read our\u00a0Comment Policy<\/a> before posting.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Kaitlyn Cimino \/ Android Authority The Galaxy Watch 9 has officially arrived, bringing the annual round of upgrades…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":831343,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[49,48,195,192,2063,848,143621,1125,61,9306],"class_list":["post-831342","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-gadgets","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-gadgets","tag-google","tag-google-pixel-watch-4","tag-samsung","tag-samsung-galaxy-watch-9","tag-smartwatches","tag-technology","tag-wearables"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/831342","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=831342"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/831342\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/831343"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=831342"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=831342"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=831342"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}