Google Pixel Watch 4 vs. Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic: Modern meets traditional

It's officially smartwatch season — Samsung released the Galaxy Watch 8 lineup last month, and Google is here with the Pixel Watch 4. This year, we were graced with a new "classic" Wear OS watch from Samsung, the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic. It slightly breaks from tradition, moving to a squircle case while retaining its circular screen and satisfying rotating bezel.

There is a lot about the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic that screams vintage, but the new modern touches might not be well-received by Classic fans. By comparison, the Pixel Watch 4 improves on what it does best. The Google Pixel Watch has historically been a very modern-feeling smartwatch, and now, it has slimmer bezels and an attractive domed display.

Is the polarizing Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic enough to push buyers toward the Pixel Watch 4? Let's review how these two great smartwatches compare to help you figure out which one is right for you.

For more news and information on Google's latest smartwatch, check out our Ultimate Guide.

Google Pixel Watch 4 vs. Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic: Pricing and availability

Why you can trust Android Central Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.

The Google Pixel Watch 4 was officially revealed at a Made by Google 2025 event on Aug. 20, and preorders began that same day. Despite the early preorder date, the Pixel Watch 4 doesn't hit shelves until Oct. 9. It still might be a good idea to get in on the action early if you want to take advantage of pre-order deals and promotions.

Pricing remains the same, so you'll pay $349 for the 41mm model and $399 for the 45mm model. LTE versions cost another $100 on top of that.

Samsung released the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic on July 25, and it's now publicly available. It's only available in one 46mm case size that retails for $499. That's more than the previous Galaxy Watch 6 Classic. It's also priced higher than the Pixel Watch 4. You can get the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic in white or black colorways.

Google Pixel Watch 4 vs. Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic: Design and display

Samsung and Google now both have their own unique smartwatch design languages. It'll be up to you to decide which one you prefer. Google has the "waterdrop" chassis for the Pixel Watch, where the display glass flows right into the case like a water droplet. Meanwhile, Samsung is sticking with the "cushion" shape for the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic, where you get a circular display atop a squircle case.

Regardless of how you feel about each style, there's no doubt they're distinct. Google is keeping the same general design language on the Pixel Watch 4, albeit with slimmer bezels. Luckily, the Google Pixel Watch 4 isn't any thicker than the Pixel Watch 3, measuring 12.3mm thick. Even still, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic is only 10.6mm thick.

That's true even after accounting for the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic's physical rotating bezel. It's used for navigation, giving users a satisfying way to control the watch while limiting the number of display touches needed for each action.

Notably, if you like a smaller watch, you'll probably need to go with the Pixel Watch 4. Samsung did away with offering the Classic watch in multiple sizes; the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic has a 46mm case size. Google does a better job supporting multiple sizes, and the Pixel Watch 4 comes in 41mm and 45mm cases, just like its predecessor.

Believe it or not, the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic's display size falls right in the middle of the Pixel Watch 4 size options. Samsung's watch sports a 1.34-inch Super AMOLED screen with a 438x438 resolution, and it now supports a 3,000-nit peak brightness rating. The squircle chassis and rotating bezel take up a lot of space; thus, the larger case size actually has a smaller screen.

The 45mm size of the Google Pixel Watch 4 packs a larger display with a domed design and slimmer bezels. That means the Pixel Watch 4 screen will seemingly flow right into the chassis, even more so than before. Both AMOLED screens support a 3,000-nit peak brightness rating and offer a 60Hz variable refresh rate.

Google Pixel Watch 4 vs. Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic: Hardware and specs

On the inside, both Wear OS smartwatches are packed with wearable processors and a slew of health sensors. Samsung just updated its watches with new BioActive sensors and Exynos W1000 processors last year, and they both carry over to the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic. Google was due for an upgrade, and the Pixel Watch 4 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 Gen 2, a new Qualcomm chipset for wearables.

The Pixel Watch 4 is the first wearable to use it, paired with 2GB of memory and 32GB of storage, aligning with prior models. There's also a Cortex M55 co-processor tailor-made to handle AI tasks while remaining efficient and preserving battery life. However, Samsung bumped up the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic's onboard storage to 64GB this year, keeping the memory at 2GB.

Samsung's extra storage on the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic could come in handy if you want to save a bunch of music, podcasts, or workouts on your smartwatch.

Battery capacity is increased on the Pixel Watch 4, with the 41mm model sporting a 325mAh capacity and the 45mm offering a larger 455mAh cell. Additionally, Wear OS 6 and the new chips combine to even squeeze more battery life out of the batteries. When all is said and done, Google claims the Pixel Watch 4 will get 30 or 40 hours of battery life on a single charge with AOD on, depending on whether you get the smaller or larger variant, respectively.

At 445mAh, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic's battery capacity is enough to get you through around a day or two on a full charge. The exact figure depends on whether you keep the always-on display enabled and how many GPS workouts you track.

Google Pixel Watch 4 vs. Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic: Fitness and health

Samsung helped usher in a new era for Wear OS smartwatches with the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic. It runs Wear OS 6 out of the box, which features Gemini as the standard voice assistant instead of Google Assistant. It's using a One UI 8 Watch skin, so the entire operating system will feel familiar if you're a One UI user. In addition to Gemini, you'll also get Galaxy AI and Samsung Health integration on the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic.

The new model includes a few new health tricks, like tracking your antioxidant index and serving as your custom Running Coach. The Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic also includes now-standard features like heart rate monitoring, ECG support, blood-oxygen monitoring, and temperature detection. Basically, the BioActive sensor here will have all your health and sleep tracking needs covered.

Google is shipping the Pixel Watch 4 with Wear OS 6 and Gemini support, too. It also brings along the Material 3 Expressive redesign, something that's exclusive to Pixel wearables. Google has exclusive health tricks for the Pixel Watch 4, building on existing tools such as heart rate monitoring, ECG support, blood-oxygen monitoring, cEDA sensing, and temperature detection.

The addition of dual-frequency GPS should improve accuracy on runs and walks, and satellite SOS support on-watch can help in an emergency.

Fitbit powers all the health and fitness tools on the Pixel Watch 4. You get a new feature called Fitbit Morning Brief that provides a rundown of your portfolio at the beginning of each day. If you're used to Samsung's Now Brief or Garmin's Morning Report, you know what to expect here. The summary will take in your sleep tracking, energy level, and fitness progress and ready it for your morning review.

Google Pixel Watch 4 vs. Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic: Which should you buy?

The Google Pixel Watch 4 ended up being a major upgrade, with slimmer bezels, a new processor, and more battery life. Google AI and Gemini tools tailor-made for the Pixel Watch change the way you interact with the device on your wrist, and dual-band GPS shore up accuracy for fitness tracking.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic is still in a league of its own with a unique design and rotating bezel. It already sports Wear OS 6 and Gemini, too. If that sounds intriguing, you may want to pick up the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic instead of the Pixel Watch 4.

As is often the case, you should probably buy the Wear OS smartwatch that matches your phone. This time around, if you choose the Pixel Watch 4, you won't feel like you're missing out as much compared to the Samsung Galaxy Watch.

For more news and information on Google's latest smartwatch, check out our Ultimate Guide.