The Google Pixel Watch 3 and Apple Watch Series 10 represent the best of what’s currently available in the smartwatch world, yet they have a few key differences.
The Series 10 is the latest mid-range Apple smartwatch, while the Pixel Watch 3 is Google’s all-new flagship. Since each will only work with iOS or Android, respectively, the most important thing to consider when choosing between them is which smartphone you have to pair with it.
We’ll explore many more differences in this comparison guide, but keep in mind the core of the experience is very much the same; these are two smartwatch series that offer a balance between activity and health tracking, smart features, and style.
To discover which is best for your needs, dive into the sections below – including our full verdict and recommendations following our in-depth, real-world testing of each smartwatch.
Check out our full, individual reviews:
Price and versions
At the risk of listing each smartwatch SKU here, we’ll summarize it: the Pixel Watch 3 is available for much less than most Series 10 models but has fewer case materials and finishes to pick between. Crucially, though, they’re both available in two case sizes and LTE editions.
Google Pixel Watch 3
- The Pixel Watch 3 comes in two case sizes: 41mm and 45mm
- The 41mm Pixel Watch 3 starts at $349/£349
- The 45mm Pixel Watch 3 starts at $399/£399
- Each case size is also available in an LTE version for $100/£100 more
Apple Watch Series 10:
- The Apple Watch Series 10 comes in two case sizes: 42mm and 46mm
- Apple also gives you a choice of aluminum (starting at $399/£399) and titanium cases (starting at $699/£699)
- Like Google, each Series 10 version is available in a cellular equivalent for $100/£100 more
Design and display
The core design difference between the Pixel Watch 3 and Series 10 is the case shape; Apple opts for its classic square-faced design and Google offers a domed, circular number.
There is no right and wrong here, only personal preference, with both offering the same broad benefits of edge-to-edge OLED screens maxing at 2,000 nits brightness. They’re sleek on the wrist, can be worn as easily for formal occasions as sports tracking, and offer plenty of customization options in the bands department.
As we alluded to in the previous section, though, the Series 10 is available in two different case materials – the standard aluminum and more hard-wearing, lighter titanium.
This gives it the edge over the Pixel Watch 3 (if you can stomach the jump in price), and ensures Series 10 has a a premium feel that’s otherwise only available on Android in the form of the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra.
One potentially deciding factor here is the case sizes. On paper, the fact both have two options – 41mm and 45mm for the Pixel Watch 3 and 42mm and 46mm for Series 10 – should mean that virtually all wrist shapes and sizes are covered.
However, we found even the smaller Series 10 to be quite big on our medium wrists in initial testing, and the larger option is the biggest (and also thinnest, we should say) Series model ever released. Great news if you’re a fan of big displays and watches, but keep this in mind if you have smaller wrists and are used to much smaller traditional watches.
We don’t think this is quite the same with Google’s watch, though you still have to size up your wrist carefully to avoid picking a version that’s too small or big.
Winner: Apple Watch Series 10
Battery life
Before we compare the rough battery figures we experienced in testing, it’s imperative to understand that the smaller versions of each will result in lesser battery performance with each of these smartwatch lines.
As ever, battery times can also be manipulated greatly depending on different, low-power modes – which both smartwatch series have – but we generally test with the same brightness levels, AOD time, GPS use, and sleep tracking.
The Google Pixel Watch 3 is officially capable of 24 hours, which proved true when testing the 41mm version. Interestingly, the 45mm can greatly surpass this. In our testing, it routinely lasted a touch over 48 hours, providing breathing room from the charger that the Series 10 can’t match.
The 46mm edition of Apple’s latest smartwatch, instead, typically lasted around 30 hours in our testing. Since it can’t make it comfortably through a second night of sleep tracking, this creates a daily charging situation that’s unnecessary for the Pixel Watch 3.
For what it’s worth, the Series 10 can charge a touch quicker than the Pixel Watch 3 in our experience, but, when it comes to which watch has the best battery life, the 45mm Google smartwatch ensures Google is a clear winner here.
Winner: Google Pixel Watch 3
Smarts and safety features
As we established above, phone compatibility is the key difference between the Series 10 and Pixel Watch 3. Google’s smartwatch won’t work with iPhones, while Apple’s is locked to the iOS ecosystem.
Your hands are tied in this respect, but, at least when it comes to the broad smart support, you’re not massively missing out with either watch.
Both offer industry-leading integrations with the phone (via the best Wear OS apps and top Apple Watch downloads) and notifications, let you pay via Google Wallet or Apple Pay, siphon off requests to Google Assistant or Siri, and harness UWB technology to offer advanced location tracking if lost.
There’s also phone-free LTE support, should you choose it when selecting either of these smartwatches.
However, we still think Apple and the latest software, watchOS 11, is ahead of Wear OS 5 in terms of overall smart feel and refinement. Features like Double Tap, the redesigned speaker (which now lets you play things other than calls out loud… if that’s your thing), and faces like Photos and Smart Stack offer ‘a-ha’ moments that just aren’t as present on the Pixel Watch 3.
Google’s watch may lack top-end smartwatch features, but it’s a very safety-conscious smartwatch – slightly more so than Apple’s. Both have their interpretations of fall and car crash detection, medical IDs, and emergency calls. Yet, Google goes further with its Safety Check, Safety Signal, and the all-new Loss of Pulse Detection.
We wouldn’t grade them as reasons to switch from one ecosystem to the other, but they will be important for many prospective buyers.
Winner: Draw
Activity and sports tracking
The tracking performance, volume of insights, and presentation of data available on the Pixel Watch 3 and Series 10 are both excellent – and there are very few specific features to separate them.
Given both will deliver a similar experience in the basics – step tracking, calorie burn estimates, etc – and now even offer the same broad ‘advanced’ metrics – training load, VO2 max estimates, running-specific measurements – this all comes down to personal preference.
Well, mostly. Though neither of these smartwatches features dual-frequency GNSS, yet we have consistently found Apple’s GPS algorithms more accurate than Google’s during testing. It’s a minor difference, but the Series 10 matches up closer to the industry’s gold standard, Garmin’s Multi-Band mode.
In heart rate tracking, though, these are two of the best from the wrist. The data is virtually inseparable in several core activity types we’ve tested – running, outdoor cycling, indoor cycling, swimming, and weightlifting – and we’re confident you can get overall figures that closely match an HRM chest strap.
A note on companion platforms, since this is where you’ll mostly look at your activity data: the Pixel Watch 3 is powered by Fitbit, which means you’ll see all your current day and historical data here, while the Series 10 sends this to the Activity app.
We have a preference for Fitbit’s presentation, as it can be customized to your goal focus and also has a wider ecosystem that includes smart scale integration and food logging, but it’s by no means a dealbreaker for most users.
Winner: Draw
Health, sleep, and stress tracking
The Series 10 and Pixel Watch 3 have comparable health features, covering both ‘serious’ insights and more holistic daily metrics and trends.
There are differences, though. Both can offer ECG readings for heart rhythm abnormalities such as AFib, skin temperature trends that inform women’s cycle tracking, and sleep trends, though the Series 10 (on account of Apple’s SpO2 feature being banned due to a patent infringement) isn’t able to provide blood oxygen insights and, therefore, conditions such as hypoxia.
Apple’s ace up its sleeve here is the introduction of FDA-approved sleep apnea detection on the Series 10, whereas the Pixel Watch 3 doesn’t have this. Instead, Google’s smartwatch is limited to showing estimated oxygen variation during sleep, a less ‘official’ version.
Presentation of metrics – and overall accuracy when tested against other top trackers like the Oura Ring and Whoop 4.0 – is very solid in both smartwatches, with Apple’s Vitals app providing at-a-glance looks at your recovery and Google doing so through the Health Metrics Dashboard.
Overall, we’d say that Google/Fitbit does a better job of tracking sleep and providing insights – with actionable data like your current sleep schedule and true-to-feel scores present – but an important caveat here is that some great features are locked behind the Fitbit Premium paywall.
There are no sleep features locked away on Series 10, though we would say there’s much less actionable data available in Apple Health (even if asleep/wake times and stages are as accurate as it gets from the wrist… i.e. not great).
It’s similar to stress tracking, which is non-existent on Apple’s smartwatch. On the other hand, Google has a specific electrodermal activity (EDA) sensor to help pinpoint bodily responses and map your day’s stress. It’s not a system we’re particularly fond of given it’s fairly scattergun and requires a lot of user input, but it’s better than having no representation in this area.
Either way, you’re getting a comprehensive health package whichever watch you choose here. They have different strengths, to be sure, but only you will know which features really matter.
Winner: Draw
Verdict: Which is best?
While your choice of smartphone should dominate this decision, the Pixel Watch 3 and Series 10 still have a couple of key separations that you should factor in when deciding between them.
We’ve explored how activity tracking, health monitoring, and the overall smart experience are all too close to call, but the Pixel Watch 3 – specifically the 45mm version – is the only pick for those who don’t want the burden of daily charging.
Still, Apple excels in design; the Series 10 is available in many more versions than the Pixel Watch 3, including the premium-feeling titanium case.
We don’t recommend switching ecosystems for either of these smartwatches, since the differences in the overall experience are so minor. After all, Apple fans who need a smartwatch with better battery life can always plump for the Apple Watch Ultra 2, and Android users who need more choice can explore alternatives from Samsung, OnePlus, Mobvoi, and others.