After switching back to the Apple Watch Series 11, I saw what Google got right with the Pixel Watch 5

I’ve worn the Apple Watch Series 11 again after a few months away from it, and ahead of Apple’s September launch event where the Apple Watch Series 12 is likely to launch.

The smartwatch is as good as ever, but what it really highlighted was how Google has improved and refined the Pixel Watch 5, bringing it closer to the Apple Watch’s benchmark than ever before.

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I tested the Pixel Watch 5 and discovered Google's best smartwatch yet

I'm ignoring the looks, because everything else is fantastic

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By  Andy Boxall

Yes, it’s the benchmark

Getting the fundamentals right

The Apple Watch has been the benchmark smartwatch for a while. It nailed on-wrist comfort, an instantly recognizable style, the fine balance between productivity and health features, simple but powerful software, and genuinely useful advancements like car crash detection and blood pressure trends, while other brands were still trying to even understand design.

I found all this once again when I went back to the Apple Watch Series 11. It had taken a back seat while I reviewed the Pixel Watch 5, the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, and the Fitbit Air, I also didn’t feel the need to wear a smartwatch while reviewing the Even Realities Even G2 smartglasses.

Wearing it again reminded me of its strengths. It’s so comfortable to wear, the software is simple to use, notifications arrive instantly with perfectly timed haptics, and the watch faces are all beautifully designed.

It’s the little things too. I regularly use a car parking app, and the Live Activity on the Apple Watch shows the time remaining on my ticket, even when I don’t have my phone with me. It’s useful, but never intrusive. An icon hides at the top of the screen until I tap it.

The app, and everything else, needs no extra setup either. Unlike many Wear OS watches, where I find some settings are off by default, the Apple Watch doesn’t hold anything back in an effort to extend battery life. It bases its battery life claims on the assumption you’ll use all the features right from the start.

Getting the fundamentals right is key to removing friction, encouraging me to wear it more often. If you don’t wear a smartwatch (or any health tracking device) you’ll never get the benefits, so this is really important.

Google has never been so close

A true competitor

The fundamentals were always where Wear OS smartwatches failed to compete. Whether it was slow, annoying pairing processes, features turned off to conserve battery life, slow notifications, or short battery life, they never delivered a seamless, pleasant, or easy ownership experience early on.

When a product annoys you during the first days and weeks, it’s very difficult for it to recover. For a health and fitness wearable, this means there’s a real danger of it being relegated to a drawer of doom somewhere in our house.

The Pixel Watch 5 gets the fundamentals right. Everything works without me having to activate it, the notifications are almost as fast and reliable as iOS and WatchOS now, and the pairing process is effortless.

Battery life matches the Apple Watch Series 11, and the Pixel Watch 5’s superb fast charging feature is genuinely game-changing.

The Google smartwatch has also caught up with health tracking features, and the AI Health Coach adds a unique dimension that’s informative and fun, even though it does cost money each month.

For the first time ever, I wanted to continue wearing the Pixel Watch after my review period was up. While previous models have been acceptable enough, they’ve never captured my attention as much as the Apple Watch. That changed with the Pixel Watch 5.

It’s worth noting I used the Pixel Watch 5 with the Pixel 11 Pro, and the nature of Android means the experience may differ depending on what phone you use.

Where the Pixel Watch 5 is still failing

A year behind?

I was happy to discover how close the Pixel Watch 5 has got to delivering an equally compelling smartwatch experience as the Apple Watch Series 11.

I’m still frustrated by the poor selection of standard watch faces in Wear OS. The massive selection in the Google Play Store is no substitute either, as quality varies wildly, and the renders encouraging you to download don’t always match what you get. I am pleased to see the range of Google-produced bands is as varied as Apple’s though.

However, this is not the biggest problem Google faces. It’s that the Pixel Watch 5 competes well with the Apple Watch Series 11, a smartwatch released a year ago and about to be replaced.

The Apple Watch Series 12 is expected to launch on September 9 during Apple’s Surprise and Shine event, alongside the new Apple iPhone models.

Apple hasn’t drastically changed the Apple Watch for several generations, mostly because it doesn’t have to, and it’s unlikely to do the same this year. However, some subtle hardware changes, new health features, a performance upgrade, a new case material, and the allure of WatchOS 27 will be all it takes for Apple’s new smartwatch to retain its benchmark title.

It’s fantastic to see Google refine the Pixel Watch 5 to where it genuinely competes with the most established, polished, and popular smartwatch available. It’s just a shame it’s still a year behind the top player.