Google Pixel Watch v/s Apple Watch Series 8: Specifications compared
What's the story
After weeks of rumors and tip-offs, Google's first-ever smartwatch, the Pixel Watch, is finally here. The device sports a sleek design, an AMOLED screen, water resistant build, Fitbit-powered health tracking features, and a range of watch faces. The Pixel Watch takes on Watch Series 8, which continues to be one of the best money can buy. But which one is better? Let's find out:
Design
The Watch Series 8 comes in 41mm and 45mm cases
The Pixel Watch sports a circular dial and a stainless steel body. It is equipped with a tactical crown and a push button on the right side. It comes in a 41mm case. The Watch Series 8 features a rectangular dial, curved corners, and a tactical crown and push button. It comes in 41mm and 45mm cases made of aluminium or stainless steel.
Display
Both support Always-on display feature
The Pixel Watch features a 1.2-inch AMOLED screen, with 320ppi pixel density, 1,000-nits peak brightness, and 19 customizable watch faces. The Watch Series 8 bears a Retina LTPO OLED panel with the 41mm variant having a 1.57-inch (352x430 pixels) screen and the 45mm model sporting a 1.73-inch (396x484 pixels) display. Both smartwatches support Always-on display feature.
Information
The wearables offer 5ATM water resistance
The Pixel Watch comes with 3D Gorilla Glass 5 protection and 5ATM water resistance. The Watch Series 8 offers a display made up of a crack-resistant durable crystal. It offers IP6X dust resistance and 5ATM water protection.
Internals
The watches come in Bluetooth and LTE models
The Pixel Watch houses an Exynos 9110 SoC, paired with a co-processor, 2GB of RAM, and 32GB of internal storage. It runs on Wear OS 3.5 and houses a 294mAh battery that lasts around a day. The Watch Series 8 packs 32GB of storage. It boots WatchOS 9 and offers 18 hours of battery life. Both watches are offered in Bluetooth-only and Bluetooth+LTE models.
Features
The Watch Series 8 offers crash detection
The Pixel Watch supports heart rate monitoring, blood oxygen detection, ECG with Afib alerts, and sleep tracking. It gets Fitbit integration and support for multiple Google-related services. Fall Detection feature will be added later this year. The Watch Series 8 offers tracking for heart rate and ECG, SpO2, sleep, and women's health. It supports Fall Detection, Crash Detection, Noise monitoring, and Backtrack.
Pocket-pinch
What is the cost of the smartwatches?
The Pixel Watch costs $349.99 (nearly Rs. 28,700) for its Bluetooth model and $399.99 (around Rs. 32,800) for its LTE counterpart. It is up for pre-order in select countries. Google is yet to announce the watch's pricing and availability details in India. The Watch Series 8 starts at Rs. 45,900. It is available for order via Apple's official store and leading retail channels.
Conclusion
Pixel Watch v/s Watch Series 8: Verdict
If you belong to the Android ecosystem, go for the Pixel Watch. It is for users who like a more conventional watch design and Fitbit's technology for health tracking. On the other hand, if you are an iOS user, go for the Watch Series 8. You get a range of health and safety-related features including women's health tracking, crash detection, and more.