Summary
Samsung’s latest wearable, the Galaxy Watch 8, is the first smartwatch to arrive with a Wear OS 6-based user interface, which Samsung refers to as One UI 8 Watch. But if we leave this aspect aside, how does the device compare with Google’s Pixel Watch 3? Let’s find out.
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Price & Availability
TheGalaxy Watch 8is available in stores starting June 02, 2025. Its price starts from $349.99 (Wi-Fi) and $399.99 (LTE) for the 40mm variants. The 44mm variant costs $379.99 (Wi-Fi) and $429.99 (LTE).
ThePixel Watch 3, on the other hand, costs $349.99 (Wi-Fi) and $449.99 (LTE) for the 41mm version. The largest 45mm version costs $399.99 (Wi-Fi) and $499.99 (LTE). For now, Google is offering an $80 discount on all the variants,
40mm Wi-Fi
$349.99
41mm Wi-Fi
40mm LTE
$399.99
41mm LTE
$449.99
44mm Wi-Fi
$379.99
45mm Wi-Fi
44mm LTE
$429.99
45mm LTE
$499.99
Squircle vs. Domed Glass Design
Last year, I mentioned how theGalaxy Watch Ultrafeatures a squircle design, wherein the circular display is encapsulated by a square-shaped case with rounded edges. This year, Samsung has used a similar frame on thevanilla Galaxy Watch 8(though it is still made of aluminum).
While the Watch 8 looks good (it’s hard not to notice it on someone’s wrist), I personally prefer the clean, minimalist design of thePixel Watch 3. It boasts a perfectly circular exterior (in an aluminum frame), with a custom domed glass that gives the display a three-dimensional appearance. The screen, however, has slightly thickerbezels.
Depending on the size of your wrist or personal preference, you can get the Galaxy Watch 8 ineither the 40mm (30 grams) or 44mm (34 grams)variant. Similarly, the Pixel Watch 3 is also available in two sizes: 41mm (34 grams) and 45mm (37 grams). One striking difference, however, is that the Samsung smartwatch is around 30% slimmer than its rival (8.6mm vs. 12.3mm).
On the Galaxy Watch, you get sapphire crystal glass screen protection, whereas the Pixel Watch featuresCorning’s Gorilla Glass 5. Although both watches areIP68 certified(immersible up to 50 meters), Samsung’s wearable also complies with the MIL-STD-810H durability standard, indicating that the wearable has been tested to withstand harsh environmental conditions.
Last but not least, the Galaxy Watch 8 offers just two colorways: Graphite and Silver. On the other hand, the Pixel Watch 3 is available in four finishes: Matte Hazel, Champagne Gold, Polished Silver, and Matte Black.
Watch 8 Offers a Brighter Screen
The smaller Watch 8 (41mm) features a 1.34-inch screen, while the larger version (44mm) boasts a 1.47-inch screen; both versions use aSuper AMOLED panelthat can shine as bright as 3,000 nits (up 50% from the Watch 7) and has a pixel density of 327 ppi. Like its predecessor, the Galaxy Watch offers a touch-based rotating bezel.
Although bigger in dimensions, the Pixel Watch has smaller screens than the Galaxy Watch 8. The 41mm variant features a 1.31-inch screen, while the 45mm variant sports a 1.41-inch screen. Both watches feature Actua displays, which essentially means they havehigh-brightness (2,000 nits) OLED screens.
If you’re wondering why the Pixel Watch 3 has smaller screens despite being bigger, that’s because it has thicker bezels. The Galaxy Watch 8, on the other hand, maintains slimmer bezels and, hence, packs in more screen estate.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 8
Now thinner and more comfortable, the Galaxy Watch 8 adds new health-tracking features like sleep apnea detection and antioxidant readings.
Exynos W1000 vs. Qualcomm SW5100
The Galaxy Watch 8 runs on Samsung’s Exynos W1000 (3nm) wearable chip (it also powers theWatch 7from last year). It also gets the same memory (2GB) and storage (32GB) as the previous generation; no changes there.
Connectivity options on the smartwatch include Wi-Fi 802.11, 4G LTE (optional), dual-bandGPS (L1 + L5)for enhanced positioning accuracy, Bluetooth v5.3, and NFC. All these sound good, but there’s one feature that I expected Samsung to provide with the Watch 8 —Ultra Wideband technology— but it’s still missing.
Unlike the Watch 8, the Pixel Watch 3 features a dual-chip processing unit. It includes theQualcomm Snapdragon Wear 5100 (4nm) chip, which performs all the primary tasks, such as opening apps and presenting all the information from various sensors, and a Cortex-M33 co-processor, which manages the background functions.
Since the co-processor consumes less power than the primary Qualcomm chip, handing off lighter tasks to it can help save some precious battery life, especially since the primary chip is based on a 4nmmanufacturing process, which consumes more power than the 3nm chip used in Samsung’s smartwatch.
The Pixel Watch 3 shares most of its connectivity options with the Watch 8, but there are two key differences. First, it doesn’t get a dual-band GPS, but on the brighter side, it does support Ultra Wideband technology, which unlocks precision tracking onGoogle’s Find My Device network.
One UI 8 Watch vs. Wear OS 5
It doesn’t happen often, but Samsung’s latest smartwatch ships with Google’s latestWear OS 6, along with itsOne UI 8 Watchskin on top. Usually, it is Google’s own devices that get the software updates first, but that isn’t the case here.
On the Galaxy Watch 8, you get One UI 8 Watch, which brings a redesigned user interface (similar to native Wear OS 6) with smoother animations, multi-info tiles that let you view more information at a glance, andGemini AI voice assistant(this is the first time the AI chatbot has made its way to a smartwatch).
First released with the Galaxy S25 series, theNow Bar is now available on the Galaxy Watch, fetching useful insights from different apps installed on the smartwatch.
The Galaxy Watch 8 can do everything that the Watch 7 does, including tracking blood oxygen levels,ECG, detectingearly symptoms of sleep apnea, and measuring the advanced glycation end products (AGEs) index. It also provides anEnergy Score and Wellness Tips.
And thanks to One UI 8 Watch, it gains a couple of new features. These include Bedtime Guidance,Running Coach, Vascular Load, and antioxidant level monitoring.
Despite being a Google-made smartwatch, the Pixel Watch 3 has yet to receive the Wear OS 6 update. I believe that the latest operating system will debut for the company’s first-party wearables (the compatible models, obviously), following the launch of thePixel Watch 4 on July 28, 2025.
Currently, the Pixel Watch 3 runs on theWear OS 5.1 update, which includes features like Morning Brief, Cardio Load,Fitbit’s Readiness Score, Body Response, and real-time running metrics. In addition to these, you can also create your custom workouts with Fitbit Premium (using Google AI).
Another unique feature available on Google’s wearable isLoss of Pulse, which detects when the heart stops beating in a life-sustaining manner and alerts emergency services for immediate medical support.
While these features, along with the standard activity and fitness tracking capabilities, make the Pixel smartwatch a worthy candidate, the Galaxy Watch 8 currently has an upper hand, both in terms of health tracking and general smartwatch-related features.
Pixel Watch 3 Doesn’t Last as Long Between Charges
Both the 40mm and the 44mm variants of the Watch 8 offer up to 30 hours of usage time with thealways-on display. Those who don’t want to use the feature can disable it, thereby extending the smartwatch’s battery life to 40 hours.
In contrast, the 41mm and 45mm Pixel Watch models offer a backup of up to 24 hours with an always-on display, which increases to 36 hours whenpower-saving mode is activated.
It’s worth noting that the wearable charges slightly faster than the Watch 8, but the difference doesn’t compensate for the significantly shorter usage time.
Which Smartwatch Is Right for You?
If you use a Samsung smartphone as your daily driver, I recommend getting the Galaxy Watch 8, primarily because some of its best features only work when paired with a Galaxy smartphone.
That way, you can get the best out of your smartwatch, both in terms of connectivity features and those that require heavy processing (such as Energy Score and Wellness Tips).
On the other hand, if you own a Google Pixel smartphone, the Pixel Watch 3 should be the better option for you. However, I’d recommend you wait for the Pixel Watch 4 and then make a decision.
Google Pixel Watch 3
The Google Pixel Watch 3 is a performance-focused smartwatch featuring a larger, brighter Actua display available in two sizes, designed to enhance fitness tracking and daily productivity. It offers advanced running capabilities, readiness and cardio load tracking, and deep integration with Google’s ecosystem, all while delivering up to 36 hours of battery life with Battery Saver mode.
I’ve also compiled comparisons between theGalaxy Z Fold 7 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 6, theGalaxy Z Flip 7 vs. Galaxy Z Flip 6, and theGalaxy Watch 8 vs. Apple Watch Series 10, in case you want to check those out.
