Apple Watch Series 11 vs. Google Pixel Watch 4: A smartwatch ecosystem battle

Apple and Google are always natural competitors, and they just so happen to have two of the best smartwatches hitting the market: the Apple Watch Series 11 and the Google Pixel Watch 4. Since you can't easily use an Apple Watch with an Android phone or vice versa, the decision largely rests upon which ecosystem you've already invested in.

However, if you're wondering how the Series 11 stacks up against the Pixel Watch 4, we have you covered. After all, there is a way to use an Apple Watch without daily driving an iPhone, so Android users can use the Series 11 as their smartwatch if they really want to. Let's break down all the differences between the latest Apple Watch Series 11 and the Google Pixel Watch 4.

Apple Watch Series 11 vs. Google Pixel Watch 4: Design and display

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Neither Apple nor Google deviated significantly from their typical smartwatch design language when creating the Series 11 or Pixel Watch 4. They resemble their predecessors closely, but are distinct from one another. Apple Watches tend to sport a mostly square design with a cover glass and chassis that are slightly curved. Meanwhile, Pixel Watch models feature a "waterdrop" design with a circular shape and curved glass that seamlessly integrates into the chassis.

Overall, the Pixel Watch 4 looks more minimalist and dainty than the Series 11. The Apple Watch Series 11 is available in either 42mm or 46mm case sizes, whereas the Pixel Watch 4 is offered in 41mm or 45mm case sizes. Although the Pixel Watch is more compact on the wrist, it's much thicker, measuring 12.3mm compared to the Apple Watch's 9.7mm thickness.

The weight between the two watches is nearly identical, with about a gram separating the non-LTE versions of Series 11 and Pixel Watch 4.

The Apple Watch Series 11 is decidedly more premium, with both aluminum and titanium case options available. Google only sells the Pixel Watch 4 in either matte or polished aluminum. There are also more colors and band configurations on the Apple Watch side, and the Series 11 has the advantage of being backwards-compatible with all prior bands within their size bloc (38mm, 40mm, 41mm, 42mm bands are interchangeable; 42mm, 44mm, 45mm, 46mm, 49mm bands are interchangeable).

The Pixel Watch 4's display is now domed to match the cover glass and is brighter than the Series 11 with a peak brightness rating of 3,000 nits. By comparison, the Apple Watch Series 11 has the advantage of supporting wide-angle OLED technology, which should make it easier to view off-angle than the Pixel Watch 4. The Series 11 display is also slightly higher in resolution, with a pixel density of 326ppi compared to 320ppi on the Pixel Watch 4.

In terms of durability, the titanium Series 11 uses a sapphire crystal covering, and the aluminum Series 11 uses Ion-X glass. Ion-X is more crack-resistant, while sapphire crystal is more scratch-resistant. Google has Custom Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on the Pixel Watch 4 for scratch and crack protection. Additionally, both watches are swimproof and rated for 5ATM.

Apple Watch Series 11 vs. Google Pixel Watch 4: Hardware and specs

From a hardware perspective, both smartwatches will be plenty fast. The Apple Watch Series 11 is powered by the S10 chip, a system-in-package processor that includes a dual-core processor and a quad-core Neural Engine. Meanwhile, the Pixel Watch 4 includes a Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 Gen 2 chip with a Cortex-M55 co-processor.

Google's leveraging of the co-processor for certain tasks helped it improve battery life for the Pixel Watch 4. The smaller version of the Pixel Watch 4 now lasts up to 30 hours, while the larger model can run for up to 40 hours. That's longer, at least on paper, than the Series 11, which is rated for 24 hours of battery life. It's worth noting that in the past, you could get more battery life out of Apple Watches and Pixel Watches than officially claimed.

Apple hasn't confirmed the amount of memory onboard the Apple Watch Series 11, but it does provide 64GB of storage. That's extra space for apps, workouts, music, podcasts, and more. The Pixel Watch 4 has 2GB of memory but only 32GB of storage.

Additionally, the Series 11's cellular model supports 5G and LTE, becoming one of the first smartwatches to do so. You can equip the Pixel Watch 4 with cellular, but you'll only have LTE, not 5G. On the other hand, the Pixel Watch 4 features satellite connectivity, whereas Apple requires you to purchase the Ultra 3 for that capability.

Apple hasn't changed its watch charger in a decade of making smartwatches, yet Google is on its third charger in four generations. That isn't great for compatibility. However, the smaller Pixel Watch 4 does charge slightly faster than the Series 11, reaching 80% in just 25 minutes. The larger Pixel Watch 4 and both Series 11 models need 30 minutes of charging to hit 80%.

Apple Watch Series 11 vs. Google Pixel Watch 4: Fitness and software

Apple seems to have the advantage in fitness and health features, both in hardware and software. The software experience is sound with Apple Fitness, which has excellent workout tracking and features like Training Load. Best of all, the entire experience is subscription-free — you'll only have to pay for Apple Fitness Plus if you want guided workout videos; no features are hidden behind that paywall.

Some Pixel Watch 4 features are hidden behind the Fitbit Premium subscription, which costs $10 per month. The core experience is free, though, and built upon the Fitbit ecosystem. The watch can track over 40 different types of workouts, and now has dual-band GPS, like the Series 11, for more accurate tracking.

While both watches support the standard heart rate, temperature, ECG, and blood-oxygen readings, Apple takes a step forward with blood pressure monitoring on the Series 11. It's not a replacement for medical-grade monitoring, but rather a preventive tool that can identify signs of hypertension and direct individuals to medical professionals. This is a potential life-saving feature that only Apple is offering on smartwatches in the U.S.

Apple Watch Series 11 vs. Google Pixel Watch 4: Which should you buy?

The Apple Watch Series 11 appears to be the more mature smartwatch, but that's unsurprising, because Apple has been doing wearables longer than Google. The fitness and health experience on watchOS 26 is more robust and built out than the one in Wear OS 6, which relies on Fitbit and requires a subscription for full functionality.

The two sizes of Series 11 smartwatches are also bigger than their respective Pixel Watch 4 counterparts, and the Apple Watch hardware is more premium, with titanium case options available.

However, it's worth noting that Google has a clear edge in the voice assistant category. The Pixel Watch 4 is powered by Gemini, which can handle basic Assistant tasks and general AI queries. Meanwhile, the Apple Watch Series 11 cannot use Siri at all without a connection to your phone, Wi-Fi, or cellular network. And if you're looking for a smartwatch on the Android side that's just as mature as the Apple Watch, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 is a great option.

Still, you can't go wrong with the Pixel Watch 4, especially if minimalism and Google integration are your two main priorities.