There’s no doubt about it. The Google Pixel Watch 4 and Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 — specifically the Classic edition — are the best smartwatches for Android users in 2025. But which is the more accurate fitness tracker?

With similar price tags, features (including Google’s excellent Gemini AI voice assistant) and onboard tech, I’d happily recommend either model, as I reviewed both for Tom’s Guide. However, in the spirit of competition, I wore the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 and Google Pixel Watch 4 during an hour-long walk around Seattle, Washington, to compare their workout data.

As a control, I manually counted my steps — with some assistance from my trusty old school tally counter — and ran Strava on my iPhone 12 mini for distance, pace, and elevation data.

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Loss of Pulse Detection feature. Plus, the LTE versions of the Pixel Watch 4 also support a new satellite messaging feature for off-the-grid emergency communications.

You can use either flagship smartwatch to track your sleep, though I find Samsung’s sleep reports slightly more detailed and with more actionable advice.

Google’s Gemini AI voice assistant comes standard on both watches, but it’s easier to ‘wake’ using the Pixel Watch 4 thanks to an exclusive, new raise-the-wrist gesture control.

When it comes to monitoring outdoor workouts, the Pixel Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 8 each boast dual-band GPS, onboard altimeters for monitoring elevation changes, and similarly advanced holistic sensor arrays. With no real technology advantage on either side, this walk test showdown is about as evenly matched as they get.

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Swipe to scroll horizontallyPixel Watch 4: Walk test comparison

Header Cell – Column 0

Pixel Watch 4

Galaxy Watch 8

Control

Steps

6,529 steps

6,503 steps

6,500 steps (manual count)

Distance

3.49 miles

3.48 miles

3.57 miles (Strava)

Elevation gain

410 feet

353 feet

361 feet (Strava)

Average pace

17 mins 42 secs per mile

16 mins 55 secs per mile

16 mins 16 secs per mile (Strava)

Average heart rate

127 bpm

130 bpm

n/a

Max heart rate

171 bpm

173 bpm

n/a

Calories burned

557 calories

418 calories

n/a

Battery drain

7%

5%

n/a

Across the board — with only a few exceptions — the fitness tracking data from these two flagship smartwatch models impresses. After an hour of walking, the fact that both devices produced step count totals within 30 steps of my actual tally blows me away.

The watches measured slightly less distance covered compared to Strava, but the discrepancy is minor and no cause for concern. On the other hand, the Pixel Watch 4’s elevation data is a little funky. While the Galaxy Watch was within 8 feet of the control data (well within a reasonable margin of error), the Google wearable seemingly overcounted by 49 feet.

Samsung’s average pace data is a little slower than Strava’s, and Google’s is significantly more sluggish. What gives? My hunch is that Google’s average pace metric reflects an elapsed pace versus a moving pace. While Samsung and Strava provide both moving and elapsed pace metrics, Google provides just one (and doesn’t note which it is).

Things get cheerier as we move on to heart rate data, with each wearable producing similar enough averages and maxes. For what it’s worth, my maximum heart rate during this walk test occurred while I powered up the steepest hill in Seattle.

Lastly, the Pixel Watch noted more calories burned and also consumed a little more battery during the one-hour walk. The latter surprised me, given that the Pixel Watch 4 ultimately proved to be the longer-lasting device in my greater testing.

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