The Google Pixel Watch 3 and Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 are compelling Wear OS smartwatches to consider, but they come with unique strengths and weaknesses.
Both boast access to the latest software (Wear OS 5), new and improved fitness features, and advanced health features, making them top choices for Android smartphone users.
So, which is best – and which is right for your needs?
We’ve used both extensively as part of our in-depth reviews. Below are the key differences between these smartwatches and what we recommend after testing.
Price, sizes, and versions
The Pixel Watch 3 introduces a new 45mm size alongside the existing 41mm version, meaning it’s now finally available to a wider range of wrists.
- The 41mm edition of the Pixel Watch 3 starts at $349/£349
- The 45mm edition of the Pixel Watch 3 is available for $399/£399
- Both are also available in an LTE edition for $100/£100 extra
The Galaxy Watch 7 offers similar 40mm and 44mm size options, with LTE (like the Pixel Watch 3) also an optional extra.
Additionally, there’s the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra, a 47mm super-sized rugged smartwatch with outdoor features and a 2-3 day battery life. The Galaxy Watch 6 Classic also remains on sale.
- The 40mm Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 40mm begins at $299/£289 and ranges to $349/£339 for the LTE edition
- The 44mm Galaxy Watch 7 begins at $329/£319 and is $50/£40 more expensive ($379/£369) for the cellular variant
Design and display
In design and specs, the Galaxy Watch 7 and Pixel Watch 3 are very close, but the Pixel Watch 3 edges ahead in screen technology.
The Pixel Watch 3 enhances its AMOLED display with a brightness of 2,000 nits and larger screens that extend closer to the bezel. The Galaxy Watch 7 retains a familiar design, with slight improvements in sensors and processing, but offers a more incremental update in its aesthetic appeal. Its 1.3-inch (40mm) and 1.5-inch (44mm), 480 x 480 pixel Super AMOLED display is also 2,000 nits.
In terms of weight, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 comes in at 28g for the 40mm version and 33.8g for the 44mm version. The Pixel Watch 3 is lighter, at 31g for the 41mm version and 37g for the 45mm version. Both watches feature aluminum cases and 5ATM water resistance.
The feel on the wrist hasn’t significantly changed in either of these smartwatches from the previous generation, and we don’t have a particular favorite in this regard. Both brands cater to big and small wrists, offer clean and unisex case designs, and are comfortable to wear in everything from sleep tracking to workouts.
We don’t think you can go wrong with the designs, but there are still some slight differences. The Galaxy Watch 7, for example, can be controlled via the touch bezel around the edge of the screen, while the Pixel Watch offers scrollable control via its crown.
Durability is also similar. Neither are watches we’d describe as rugged, and the Pixel Watch 3’s curved display does make it particularly vulnerable to bumps and scrapes. Neither is equipped with hard-wearing sapphire crystal glass, so you’re not especially safe with the Galaxy Watch 7, but we still rate it as slightly easier to protect.
- Winner: Draw
Smart features
In software, the Pixel Watch 3 and Galaxy Watch 7 run the latest version of Google’s software – Wear OS 5 – so you won’t gain an advantage either way. Many of the latest Pixel Watch features are part of Wear OS and are available on the Galaxy Watch 7’s One UI Watch 6 skin.
AI is one of the big buzzwords, and the Galaxy Watch 7 boasts Galaxy AI. Integration is relatively minimal at this stage, but it allows you to send personalized auto-replies to messages and get some analysis of your health data in the Samsung companion app.
The more noticeable thing when it comes to software is simply the look. Due to running different skins, interacting with them does feel very different (outside for core elements like swiping through Wear OS Tiles). We think Samsung’s interpretation is slightly more fun, but Google’s standard Wear OS 5 skin still has a simplistic charm. Again, you can’t really lose here.
The Galaxy Watch 7 gets the same processor as the larger Watch Ultra, the Exynos W1000, which Samsung claims is 3x faster than the previous generation. It also introduces advanced gesture control, so you can control elements of the watch using a double-pinch, without having to interact with the screen.
Meanwhile, the Pixel Watch 3 is a better fit in the Google ecosystem, offering improved integration with Nest cameras and doorbells, UWB support for Android’s Find My Devices app, and AI-assisted functions like call management.
- Winner: Draw
Health, sleep, and stress features
Most of the significant new features in Galaxy Watch 7 and Pixel Watch 3 involve health and fitness.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 added Galaxy AI health analysis, with suggestions for improvement and sleep coaching. The new Energy Score is a key feature, analyzing your sleep, recovery, heart rate variability (HRV), and other metrics to determine how prepared you are for the day ahead. It also integrates sleep coaching, with a sleep chronotype based on your habits.
Samsung also introduced the semi-baffling AGEs Index tracking, which assesses metabolic health. Sleep tracking is a major focus and something we found accurate and intuitive during testing. It even includes snoring detection.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 users with a Galaxy smartphone can also take advantage of ECG tracking and blood pressure monitoring, provided it’s regularly calibrated with a cuff. It also features a BIA sensor that tracks body fat and muscle mass percentages, though we found the accuracy pretty dire compared to a couple of smart scales (and previous DEXA scans).
The watch includes fall detection alerts, irregular heart rhythm alerts, and temperature-based female cycle tracking, in partnership with Clue. So, it is at least a comprehensive package even if it’s not always the most accurate one.
The Pixel Watch 3 is a health-tracking powerhouse, thanks to its integration with Fitbit. And, unlike the Galaxy Watch 7, our testing showed what’s tracked here to be largely in line with gold-standard health trackers.
Readiness scores are now available for free (after previously living behind a Premium paywall), and the comprehensive Fitbit Morning Brief now summarizes last night’s sleep, current recovery, HRV, and advice on training for the day ahead.
Most health features remain unchanged from the Pixel Watch 2, and sleep tracking remains consistent and well-presented but with no new quirks. The Pixel Watch 3, like before, includes support for ECG readings, stress monitoring via a continuous EDA sensor that monitors sweat, and body temperature tracking, which is used for women’s menstrual cycle tracking.
An exclusive and all-new feature is Loss of Pulse Detection, which can begin an SOS if it detects the watch is being worn and the user’s heart isn’t beating. A novel health integration, even if it’s not necessarily a device-seller.
Indeed, the Pixel Watch 3 isn’t as ambitious as the Galaxy Watch 7, but we trust the health tracking data more after testing. So, if this area is key for you, keep that in mind.
- Winner: Google Pixel Watch 3
Fitness features
The Pixel Watch 3 emphasizes fitness, particularly running. Wear OS 5 includes a host of new supported running dynamics metrics, such as vertical oscillation (how much you move up and down during running), stride length, and ground contact time.
The optical heart rate sensing has also been optimized a little for running activities, Google says, though this isn’t something that necessarily showed during our testing. However, performance is still solid in most activity types, so don’t let this put you off.
A new readiness score is featured in the Pixel Watch 3, similar to what we’ve seen across smartwatches in recent years. Like Apple’s watchOS 11 and as with higher-end sports watches, there are also training load assessments – Cardio Load and Target Load – analyzing your effort and whether it’s time to take a break.
The new Target Load metric helps guide you on today’s training, and recommended workouts are also available as part of an expanded Fitbit Premium. Subscribers to the platform, which costs $9.99 per month, can access workouts provided by Peloton and create their own.
In addition to daily readiness is a new Fitbit Morning Brief, offering an overview of your sleep, recovery, training plans, and any out-of-line key metrics compared to your established baselines. This is effectively an expansion of the Fitbit Health Metrics Dashboard.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 also provides improved analysis of workouts. It has overhauled the sensor array for more accurate heart rate tracking, and it’s one of the first Samsung smartwatches we’ve not found consistent issues with during testing.
Unlike the Pixel Watch 3, it also harnesses dual-frequency GPS, which proved a little more accurate (aligned with Garmin’s industry-leading Multi-Band mode) when running in built-up areas. It also allows you to build workouts and string them together to create multi-discipline sessions, such as triathlons.
Both are great options if you prioritize tracking exercise, so this one is hard to call. The Galaxy Watch 7 has slightly better GPS performance, we prefer the presentation of sports tracking via Fitbit. Take your pick, and heart rate tracking is relatively reliable from both. Take your pick.
- Winner: Draw
Battery life
Battery life is relatively mild on both watches, yet the 45mm edition of the Pixel Watch 3 is the best performer by some distance in our testing. It lasts two days comfortably on a single charge, whereas the 44mm Galaxy Watch 7 will only last around 30 hours in similar settings.
Both smaller versions struggle to extend battery life significantly beyond a day, which is disappointing. This will make it challenging for those who want to use sleep tracking, as you’ll need to charge at some point to make it through the day.
The Galaxy Watch Ultra can match the Pixel Watch 3 more closely, also often breaking the 48-hour barrier in our testing, but the Galaxy Watch 7’s staying power isn’t anything to get excited about.
- Winner: Google Pixel Watch 3 (45mm)
Verdict: What we recommend after testing
By running on the same Wear OS platform, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 and Google Pixel Watch 3 share many of the same strengths. Yet, the standout battery life of the 45mm Pixel Watch 3 ensures it’s our top recommendation for those picking between these watches.
The pricing between like-for-like models here makes it a negligible factor, and the bigger Pixel Watch boasts better health monitoring, intuitive Fitbit-powered activity tracking, and a crisp design that ensures it outlasts Samsung’s latest generation.
With the battery life of the remaining models limited to around 1-1.5 days with the remaining models, things get a little murky after that. We still like the Galaxy Watch 7’s sports and sleep tracking, there’s a broader range of health features (even if you need a Galaxy phone to get the most out of them), and One UI Watch 6 is still a great representation of Wear OS 5.
That means you can’t really go wrong if battery life isn’t a major factor, but we still think the Pixel Watch 3 has more going for it as an overall package.
