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One of the first tests I conduct while evaluating smartwatches is GPS location accuracy — I want to see how close it can track my actual path. Most of the time, the overall distance is fairly close, but zooming in on the GPS track reveals differences in where I walked. Google focused heavily on improving the accuracy of its location tracking in the Pixel Watch 5, so I took it out running, walking, and biking with a Garmin Fenix 8 Proย over the past few weeks to compare.ย
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Garmin watches have been the standard by which I've measured others over the past many years and they have held up well, particularly in GPS tracking. Obviously there's a significant price difference between the Garmin Fenix 8 Pro — starting at $950 — and the Google Pixel Watch 5 at just $400, so we won't get into the value proposition in this discussion.
Let's take a look at Google's accuracy claims and a few other key differences between these two watches.
Specifications
|
Google Pixel Watch 5 |
Garmin Fenix 8 Pro |
|
|
Display |
1.77-inch Actua 360 AMOLED, 320 ppi |
1.4-inch AMOLED, 454×454 pixels |
|
Weight (without strap) |
36.7g |
65g |
|
Dimensions |
45x45x12.3 mm ย ย ย ย ย ย |
51x51x16.5 |
| Battery life (AOD off) | 72 hours | 15 days |
| Battery life (AOD on) | 40 hours | 27 days |
| Durability | 5 ATM, IP68 | 10 ATM, 40m diving |
| Storage | 64GB | 32GB |
| Price | $529 | $1,049 |
You should buy the Google Pixel Watch 5 if…
1. You want the most accurate location tracking
When the Pixel Watch 5 was announced, Google claimed it outperformed the Garmin Fenix 8 Pro and Apple Watch Ultra 3 for GPS location accuracy. Google says part of this is due to the Pixel Watch 5's compensation for building reflections and satellite reading errors. Given its vast mapping database and understanding of structures, it makes sense that the company has access to data to…