Amazfit Cheetah Pro vs. Google Pixel Watch
The Amazfit Cheetah Pro and Google Pixel Watch are similar in price but very different in functionality.
This is a runner’s watch
The Amazfit Cheetah Pro can track plenty of sports and activities, but where it really excels is as a runner’s watch. While not all of the features work flawlessly, it’s a ruggedly designed smartwatch with built-in GPS, extended battery life, and plenty of added features that make it a good all-around fitness watch as well.
For
- Accurate GPS tracking is perfect for runners
- Plenty of other features for runners
- Great battery life
- Includes a built-in speaker
Against
- Might not be the best option for non runners.
- Some discrepancies noted with GPS tracking
Marriage of Google and Fitbit
If you’re moving over from a Fitbit, the Google Pixel Watch is a decent smartwatch to consider. But with the Google Pixel Watch 2 having effectively replaced it, offering a host of improvements over the original model, you’ll be better off either going with that version or sticking with the newer Amazfit model and saving some money in the process.
For
- Simple and convenient access to Google apps
- There's an option with cellular connectivity
- Integrates beautifully with the Fitbit app
Against
- Battery life isn't great
- Has been replaced by the Google Pixel Watch 2
When you’re looking for a sleek smartwatch, both Amazfit and Google offer good options. The Amazfit Cheetah Pro vs. Google Pixel Watch is an interesting match-up. The Amazfit Cheetah Pro is slightly newer and less expensive, but the Google Pixel Watch has the power of Google and Fitbit technology behind it, which might make it worth the investment for some. If you have narrowed it down to these two and you’re wondering which you should get, we’re here to help with this detailed comparison.
Amazfit Cheetah Pro vs. Google Pixel Watch: How they look on your wrist
Of course, features and functions matter. But first and foremost, how do the two smartwatches compare when it comes to looks?
The Amazfit Cheetah Pro, introduced in summer 2023, is a rugged-looking smartwatch with a traditional round face. Made of titanium alloy with fiber-reinforced polymer in the middle frame, this isn’t a watch that comes in funky and stylish colors: it only comes in one, Run Track Black. This is combined with the nylon strap.
The decently sized 1.45-inch AMOLED (480 x 480) screen is made of durable Corning Gorilla Glass 3 with an anti-fingerprint coating. In his review, Android Central’s Michael L. Hicks says the screen is best viewed indoors or in the shade: it isn’t very vibrant or readable in direct sunlight.
Along with the screen, there are also two side buttons for navigating menus. It has a 5ATM water-resistant rating, so you can safely go for a swim, run in the rain, wash dishes, shower, and otherwise get the Amazfit Cheetah Pro wet without worry.
You’ll get a fabulous two weeks of battery life from this smartwatch, but this is drastically reduced if you make use of the continuous GPS feature. Considering this watch is primarily geared towards elite runners, you likely will be using GPS a lot. With that said, it’s still great on battery life in general. Plus, there’s a battery-saver mode so you can extend it further when you aren’t going for your morning 10K.
Use this watch with both Android and iOS devices and download the Zepp app to personalize it. This includes customizing the look of the screen so you can display the data that is most important to you. For runners, this might include details like duration, distance, pace, altitude, heart rate, and more.
Also with a round face, the Google Pixel Watch is more delicate and fashionable. It has a smaller 1.24-inch AMOLED screen with slightly lower resolution at 450 x 450. But Andrew Myrick says in his review that it’s still vibrant and “pleasing to look at.” It has an always-on display, but this feature drastically reduces the already low rated battery life of only 24 hours per charge, something that was improved upon with the new Google Pixel Watch 2 (though it’s still only rated at 24 hours with the always-on display).
The Google Pixel Watch has a scratch- and splash-resistant screen that meets the 5ATM specification as well. Made from recycled stainless steel, it has a single side rotating crown with haptic feedback that Myrick loves. Plus, there’s also a hidden button for accessing recently used apps, or to press and hold to trigger Google Assistant (the Amazfit Cheetah Pro does have built-in Amazon Alexa voice assistance).
The Google Pixel Watch comes in more stylish color options, including Champagne Gold with a Haze Active band, Matte Black with an Obsidian Active band, Polished Silver with a Chalk Active band, or Polished Silver with a Charcoal Active band. You can use it with Android and iOS devices, but you miss out on things like Google Assistant and better integration and control if you’re using it with an iPhone.
The screen is customizable on the Google Pixel Watch as well, but you only have eight options from which to choose. You can add different complications and adjust accent colors to further personalize it, though. There’s also a neat feature that allows you to swipe left and right to view different Tiles of information about your daily stats, notifications, and more.
Overall, when it comes to looks, the Amazfit Cheetah Pro looks more like a serious smartwatch while the Google Pixel Watch is a smartwatch disguised as a fashionable wristwatch.
Amazfit Cheetah Pro vs. Google Pixel Watch: The specs
What about the specs? Let’s take a look at how these two compare to one another in this respect.
Header Cell - Column 0 | Amazfit Cheetah Pro | Google Pixel Watch |
---|---|---|
Compatiblity | Android, iOS | Android 8.0 or higher |
Colors | Run Track Black | Champagne Gold/Hazel, Matte Black/Obsidian, Polished Silver/Chalk, Polished Silver/Charcoal |
Material | Titanium alloy bezel, fiber reinforced polymer middle frame | Recycled stainless steel |
Swappable Band | Yes | Yes |
Battery Life | Up to 14 Days (up to 7 Days Heavy Usage) | Up to 24 Hours |
Battery Life GPS Modes | Up to 26 Hours (Accuracy), 44 Hours (Automatic), 54 Hours (Power Saving) | n/a |
GPS | MaxTrack GPS, Six Satellites | Built-in |
App | Zepp app | Fitbit app, Google Home app |
Heart Rate Monitoring | Yes | Yes |
Stress Tracking | Yes | No |
Sleep Monitoring | Yes | Yes |
Swimproof | 5ATM | 5ATM |
Phone Notifications | Yes | Yes |
Blood Oxygen | Yes | Yes |
Mobile Pay | No | No |
Screen Size | 1.45 inches | 1.24 inches |
Screen Type | AMOLED | AMOLED |
Screen Resolution | 480 x 480 | 450 x 450 |
Amazfit Cheetah Pro vs. Google Pixel Watch: How you can use them
We have covered how they look, but how about what they can do?
As mentioned, the Amazfit Cheetah Pro is, first and foremost, a smartwatch for elite runners. This is by far the better watch if you run every day, you’re training for a 5K or 10K, and you want to monitor specific stats relating to that. With that said, it can also be used as a standard smartwatch with plenty of sports modes to track all types of exercises and workouts.
It can track an impressive 156 sports in all, as well as 25 strength training movements and eight sports movements. These range from running, walking, and cycling, to swimming, dance, combat sports, leisure sports, and more. Yes, this even means activities like board games, hula hooping, and card games. So, while the Amazfit Cheetah Pro is primarily a running watch, you can keep track of all types of other activities with it, too.
One of the standout features for runners, alongside all the running-specific metrics, is the accurate GPS positioning offered through MaxTrack GPS. This supports six satellite positioning systems so you’ll get the best signal possible whether you’re running on a busy city street or in the middle of a rural area. Even with obstructions like trees or tall buildings in the way, you’ll be able to track your run from start to finish. This feature will be appreciated by those who like to go for walks, too, as well as hikers, cyclers, and those who partake in other similar activities.
However, keep in mind that Hicks noticed some drifting in the results along with “suspiciously angled lines.” But overall, he still found the GPS was good enough in this department to rival more expensive running watches.
Runners will also appreciate the ability to access maps and route details when they’re offline as well. Download the app of the area you’re in, pair it with a matching route, and go for your run without connectivity. You can also save location points and pair these with compatible running apps, including popular ones like Runtastic, Strava, and Komoot as well as other phone-specific ones like Apple Health and Google Fit.
While you’re running, you can track details like total time, lap time, last lap duration, average lap duration, pace, average pace, lap pace, cadence, stride, speed, average speed, altitude, slope, and calorie consumption. These features further solidify the Amazfit Cheetah Pro as the perfect smartwatch for runners.
Additionally, the Amazfit Cheetah Pro offers the AI-powered Zepp Coach that includes features like personalized running plans, running levels, target race data, distance, goals, and more. Over time, it can even predict race achievements by learning your fitness level and endurance. Connect a third-party heart rate belt from a compatible brand and you can receive even more accurate data to help coach you along.
While the Google Pixel Watch doesn’t have comparable features for tracking runs, it can track plenty of sports and activities. You can download running apps to it from the Google Play Store as well, like Runtastic, and even listen to tunes while you run from services like Spotify via that app.
This watch, which works with the Fitbit app, has all the Fitbit features you have come to know and love, including very accurate sleep tracking with more premium data if you sign up for a Fitbit Premium subscription. This also adds features like a Readiness Score, access to workouts and nutrition information, and more. However, that comes at an added recurring monthly cost.
Generally, however, you can track all the usual stats, including activity, steps, calorie burn, blood oxygen, heart rate, ECG, and more.
Amazfit Cheetah Pro vs. Google Pixel Watch: What else can they do?
Thanks to the BioTracker PPG biometric sensor in the Amazfit Cheetah Pro, you can track your heart rate 24/7 as well as stress, blood oxygen and SpO2, sleep, and more. There’s also PeakBeats, designed to help you better understand your performance, including your VO2 Max level, and tells you when you should take a break or work harder to meet your personal goals and stay within your body’s capabilities.
Other features in the Amazfit Cheetah Pro include offline voice assistant support, the ability to store and control music playback and play tunes right from the watch’s built-in speaker, and the option to load membership and shortcut cards, receive event reminders, upload to-do lists, control a compatible phone camera, and more. You can choose from more than 100 apps to download to the watch. Hicks loves the built-in speaker and mic since it means you can also use this watch to do things like take Bluetooth calls. He does find, however, that the speaker is very quiet.
It offers detailed sleep tracking and score along with breathing exercises, and one tap to measure heart rate, blood oxygen, stress level, and breathing rate on the fly. Additional features you’ll find might come in handy including Find My Phone, stopwatch, weather updates, sedentary reminders, and more.
The app integration is what truly sets the Google Pixel Watch apart. Through the Google Play Store, you can download tons of Google apps like Maps, Wallet, Assistant, Gmail, and Calendar. It also comes with a trial to YouTube Music Premium. There’s also a 4G LTE cellular version so you can connect online no matter where you are.
There are safety features with the Google Pixel Watch as well, including emergency SOS, fall detection, and Find My Device. All these features, it should be noted, have also been enhanced and improved with the second-generation Google Pixel Watch 2. Further, you can use the Watch to control compatible smart home devices, like smart lights, and pair seamlessly with compatible devices like Google Pixel phones and earbuds.
Amazfit Cheetah Pro vs. Google Pixel Watch: Which should you buy?
When it comes to the Amazfit Cheetah Pro vs. Google Pixel Watch, which one to buy will largely come down to how you will use it. If you’re a runner, plan to become a runner, or you’re training for a race, you’ll get a lot of value out of the extra features in the Amazfit Cheetah Pro. This includes not only the many running metrics you can track but also the accurate GPS and far superior battery life.
Even when you aren’t running, you can use the Amazfit Cheetah Pro to track all types of sports and activities. This might not give you detailed stats specific to each activity, but it’s a great way to look back and see what you did each day and how it contributed to things like heart rate elevation, calorie burns, and even your levels of stress or sleep from one day to the next.
The Fitbit integration in the Google Pixel Watch along with the app support that includes plenty of Google favorites you probably already use and love as well as lots of other third-party app support makes the Google Pixel Watch a fabulous contender as well. But if you’re going to go that route, spend the extra few bucks and get the newer Google Pixel Watch 2 instead. The upgrades in the Google Pixel Watch 2 will make it worth your while if you’re dead-set on a Google Pixel Watch model, which is also a perfect companion to a Google Pixel smartphone.
Between the two, you’ll get overall better value with the Amazfit Cheetah Pro. If you want to explore other options, however, take a look at our picks for the best smartwatches for fitness you can buy. If you’re a runner and want something more robust that offers more data alongside the guidance, look at our picks for the best running watches.
The budget runner’s watch
If you’re a runner but don’t want to spend an arm and a leg on a running watch from a brand like Garmin, the Amazfit Cheetah Pro is a nice compromise. It’s relatively affordable and provides tons of running metrics and coaching to help you along the journey. Plus, it can track plenty more as well, works with third-party apps, including ones for tracking your runs, and is a rugged-looking timepiece.
A delicate balance
If you want something more stylish for accessing notifications, tracking workouts, sleep, and more, the Google Pixel Watch is a good option that sits in a similar price range. However, it is outdated with the launch of the superior Google Pixel Watch 2. So, if you’re set on this brand, save a bit more and go with the newer version to enjoy the upgrades like better battery life, more app support, and faster performance.
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Christine Persaud has been writing about tech since long before the smartphone was even a "thing." When she isn't writing, she's working on her latest fitness program, binging a new TV series, tinkering with tech gadgets she's reviewing, or spending time with family and friends. A self-professed TV nerd, lover of red wine, and passionate home cook, she's immersed in tech in every facet of her life. Follow her at @christineTechCA.