Screen and readability
Apple announces 2,000 brightness, sufficient tenacity to read a route under noon in August. Google does not communicate any figure, but the previous generation already culminated at 1,000 nits. Both integrate a mode Always-on which keeps the time visible continuously.
- Pixel Watch 3: deep blacks typical of the OLED, needles and numbers seem to float.
- Series 9: larger surface, more complications, red night display to spare the retina.
Android vs iOS: integration, nerve of war
Pixel Watch 3 in the Google ecosystem
Wear OS, vocal assistant, wallet, agenda, maps, YouTube music, connected house via Google Home: each native service naturally descends on the wrist. Android notifications arrive in full version, Emoji and attached attachments. In the street, a payment Tap-to-Pay validates without taking out the phone. At home, we lower the light is a shift.
Series 9 Apple side
Watchos 10 deploys a widget carousel, an offline vocal dictation and continuity with all Apple devices: unlock your Mac, switch an iPhone call to the watch, find your lost airpods, launch a homekit program.
Verdict. A Pixel Watch works with an iPhone, but loses assistant, Wallet and the home app. An Apple Watch simply does not exist outside iOS. The companion smartphone therefore determines the choice, long before the sensors.
Health and activity monitoring: Apple health fitbit
What is confirmed on the Pixel Watch 3 side
- Native Fitbit Integration: PAS Dashboard, Active Zone minutes, Sleep score.
- ECG certified CE (already present on Pixel Watch 1 and 2).
- Detection of fall and emergency call.
Google does not yet detail the new sensors. However, we can rely on the Fitbit base: readable data, friendly challenges, 5 km or HIIT guided race programs.
What the Series 9 brings
- Cardio optical sensor Generation 3, ECG, oximeter, night temperature statement.
- Algorithm of heart rate areas with haptic alerts.
- Analysis of the menstrual cycle crossed with temperature and heart rate.
- Car accident detection; International emergency SOS via satellite with iPhone 14 and following.
Concretely: the Pixel Watch motivates thanks to a clear interface and a daily scoring. The Series 9 plays the card of clinical precision and data depth, exportable in PDF format for a healthcare professional.
Autonomy and recharge
Google does not yet communicate a quantified value for the Pixel Watch 3. The uses of generation 2 gave a full day, Always-on active. Apple declares 18 hours standard for the Series 9, 36 h in low consumption mode. In practice:
- Go at work at 7 a.m., finish at 11 p.m. with a few battery points on Pixel Watch 3 remains plausible.
- On Series 9, fast recharging (80 % in 45 min) allows an extra during the morning shower.
Neither will cover a weekend hike without charger. For this, a garmin or a solar suunto keeps the advantage.
Price and availability
To date, Google keeps the price range of the Watch 2 Pixel 2 (from € 399 Wi-Fi, € 449 LTE). Apple begins the series 9 to 449 € (GPS) and € 569 (GPS + Cellular). The two brands offer covers of old models and a payment in several times via banking partners.
Software support and longevity
- Pixel Watch 3 : Wear OS monthly security updates, three years of major OS guaranteed by Google.
- Series 9 : Apple generally provides five to six years of Watchos updates. The 2017 series 3 has just been out of the full support.
A watch lives less than a mechanical timepiece, but the software support time translates the brand’s commitment to correct the faults and add functions.
Responsibility and Materials
The two manufacturers highlight recycled aluminum, maritime transport and thinner packaging (withdrawal sector charger). Apple communicates a carbon impact report by product; Google promises the carbon neutrality of the assembly in 2030. The steel chassis of the Pixel Watch gives a jewel side, while the aluminum of the Apple Watch is forgotten by weight.
What user profile?
The choice is less revolved around technical sheets than ecosystem and type of life.
- Pixel Watch 3 : Android user who wants a jewelry object, compact, animated by Fitbit, amateur of Google Pay and Maison Connected Google. Ideal for a city dweller who switch to metro and follows short but regular training.
- Apple Watch Series 9 : iPhone follower, attached to the continuity of his devices, curious about detailed health data. Perfect for a person who works on Mac, listen to music on Airpods and pilot their homekit lamps.
To prolong the reflection
Two useful readings, without bias, complete this comparison:
Purchasing experience
Google Store or resellers
Configuration in three clicks (size, colors, 4G or not). Resumption of an old watch with immediate delivery. Delivery under 48 hours, return 14 days.
Physical or online Apple Store
Free engraving, instant association with iCloud account, handling workshops in store. Staggered payment possible via Apple Pay Later (depending on country).
In both cases, the USB-C mains block is no longer provided: count an additional € 20 if you do not have them.
Summary Express
- Design : Pixel Watch 3 organic, discreet; Series 9 rectangular, readable.
- Screen : equality in brightness; Pixel, black blacks; Apple, larger surface.
- Ecosystem : Pixel = Android; Apple = iOS. Impossible to take the opposite path without major sacrifices.
- Health : Fitbit motivation against Cardio Apple and easy medical export.
- Autonomy : slight pixel advance, faster recharging at Apple.
- Price : identical entry -level, more expensive cellular version at Apple.
- Software longevity : Three years guaranteed Google, five years likely Apple.
- Target audience : Pixel = User Android Urban and Occasional Sports; Apple = Power-Muser iPhone looking for an extension of its ecosystem.
Conclusion. The best connected watch is not the one that displays the most sensors, but the one that extends your daily life without friction. First align your choice on the smartphone you already cherish, then let the shape and philosophy do the rest.
