I’m a Pixel person through and through and have been daily driving one since I bought my Pixel 6a.And, for what it’s worth, I’ve had plenty of time with Samsung phones because I review them, so my preference is an informed choice.However, that’s only when it comes to smartphones.
I don’t get many smartwatches sent my way, so I wasn’t very familiar with the hands-on differences until I bought a few with my own money — and boy, was I shocked.Now, I wasn’t big on smartwatches early on and got into them pretty late.My first smartwatch was the Pixel Watch 3, which is only two years old now.
My partner, on the other hand, has been using smartwatches since 2022, and she’s more inclined toward Samsung’s Galaxy watches.Her first smartwatch was the Galaxy Watch 4, followed by the Watch 6 Classic, and she currently uses the Watch 9.So I had a lot of Samsung watches to compare with my Pixel Watch 3, and I’m sad to report that it really doesn’t hold up that well.
In fact, this year, I decided to ditch the Pixel Watch altogether and get a Galaxy Watch 8 Classic instead.Galaxy Watches are built better Do you want a showpiece or a wearable? Close Don’t get me wrong, the Pixel Watch is built very well.The domed glass and minimal design give it a clean, almost futuristic look.
But my problem is that I’m not buying a showpiece I’ll keep at home — I’m getting a device that’ll be constantly attached to my wrist as I go about my day.And in my experience, the Pixel Watch 3 just didn’t hold up well to everyday use.The aluminum body gets scuffed and scratched easily, so much so that I eventually bought a case and a screen protector to keep it safe.
At that point, I was essentially covering up the exact design I paid for, which didn’t make much sense.And this isn’t just the case with the older Pixel Watch 3 I was using.The Pixel Watch 4 and the recent Watch 5 all have aluminum bodies with a relatively more scratch-prone Corning Gorilla Glass 5 display.
The Galaxy Watch 8 Classic, on the other hand, has a stainless steel body with sapphire glass on top.Sapphire is very hard to scratch, and nothing in my daily routine puts it at any real risk.The stainless steel is also more durable, and it feels more premium on the wrist.
I don’t feel the need for a case or a screen protector, so I get to use the watch the way it was designed to look.Yes, the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic is heavier than the Pixel Watch at ~60 grams.Before switching, I assumed I’d want something lighter, but after actually wearing the Galaxy Watch, the extra weight hasn’t bothered me.
It’s not heavy enough to be uncomfortable, at least not for me.Related Your Galaxy Watch face should change automatically based on what you're doing—mine does Because a smartwatch isn’t really smart if it can’t change watch faces based on what you’re doing.Posts 1 By Dibakar Ghosh The rotating bezel is simply superior for navigation The “Classic” experience You can’t really judge something like a rotating bezel from a spec sheet.
On paper, it sounds like a small thing, but it completely changed the smartwatch experience for me.The Pixel Watch works like a tiny smartphone, where you basically swipe across the screen to navigate the interface.I'm also not particularly impressed with gesture controls and find them somewhat unintuitive and gimmicky.
Sure, you also have a rotating crown that mimics a traditional watch, but I personally lack the dexterity — or the patience — to fiddle around with it.However, the rotating bezel on my Galaxy Watch 8 Classic just feels so much better to use.It’s easier to grip, the movement is more deliberate, and it feels like a proper physical control rather than a small add-on.
Granted, the feature is exclusive to the Classic models, but the regular models do let you circle your finger around the edge of the screen to emulate the same scrolling behavior.There’s also a practical benefit of not having to directly touch the screen.If your hands are dirty or a bit oily, touching the display leaves smudges all over it.
With the bezel, you can do most of your navigation without touching the screen, so the display stays clean.Related Your Samsung Galaxy Watch has a hidden touch bezel mode most people never notice Samsung Galaxy Watch users are missing out on this rotating bezel alternative Posts By Bertel King The haptics are pristine You’ve got to use it to feel the difference I’m a sucker for good haptic feedback.It’s one of the reasons I love my Pixel phone.
In my opinion, Google Pixels have the best haptics of any smartphone, including iPhones.It’s hard to describe if you haven’t used one, but the way the animations and vibrations line up gives everything a sense of weight and makes the whole experience feel more tactile and premium.Oddly, I didn’t get that on the Pixel Watch, even though it’s also made by Google.
The Galaxy Watch does this better.You notice it right away with the rotating bezel, where each click has a crisp little tick, but it also shows up throughout the rest of the interface.Now, I should mention that fine haptic feedback doesn’t mean the vibration motor is especially strong.
If you rely on your watch for notification alerts in noisy places, like on a bus, or you want it to wake you up in the morning, the vibration isn’t very intense.That said, I don’t count that against the Galaxy Watch because the Pixel Watch 3 had the same problem.The Pixel Watch 4 and 5 are supposed to have stronger vibration motors.
But from what I’ve been hearing from people who own one, the improvement doesn’t seem big enough to make a real difference in everyday use.Related I wore a Pixel Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch 9 for a week — the winner surprised me It's a battle of form vs function.Posts 6 By Joe Fedewa What happens to the Galaxy exclusive features? I'm currently pairing my Galaxy Watch 8 Classic with a Google Pixel 10.
That means I'm essentially giving up some exclusive features that are only available when you pair the Galaxy Watch with a Galaxy smartphone.Those extra features don't matter to me, so I don't care much, but that's exactly why I hate ecosystems.People should be able to pair whatever phone they like with whatever accessories they like and still get the best experience.
You shouldn't need to buy exclusively from the same manufacturer to unlock the full experience.Unfortunately, that's the world we live in today, where we're forced to choose.I chose the better hardware, but if you want better software cohesion, getting a Pixel Watch or switching to a Samsung Galaxy smartphone is the only way to unlock that "complete" experience.
Related My Windows-Android ecosystem is better than Apple’s—thanks to these 5 free apps Apple isn’t the only game in town when it comes to seamless cross-device integration.Posts 13 By Dibakar Ghosh
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