When Google announced that the new Pixel Watch 4 had satellite communications—and then its major iOS competitor, the Apple Watch, did the same—I could only think of one thing.
The Apple Watch dominates the global smartwatch market, with Android competitors like the Galaxy Watch and the Pixel Watch growing their market share year over year. But there’s one competitor that no one can touch: Garmin. Garmin’s fitness trackers have battery life that is measured in days or weeks, not hours. They can be taken deep into the ocean and bashed into rocks, and they work when you’re far off the cellular grid. (Here, where I live, in Portland, Oregon, that’s a real concern; I am off-grid when I’m an hour away from my house.)
Garmin’s trackers are priced to match. Like the Watch Ultra 3 and the Pixel Watch 4, Garmin also recently announced that the updated Fenix 8 Pro has satellite communications. The MicroLED version also costs a cool $2,000, whereas the AMOLED starts at $1,300.
But what if you could get an outdoor watch that worked well with your phone, and it cost only $399? That’s the Pixel Watch 4. I took both the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and the Pixel Watch 4 on off-grid camping trips, running, camping, and hiking. The Watch Ultra 3 is the unambiguous winner, but it also costs twice as much.
The Hardware
Photograph: Adrienne So
Apple upgraded the battery life on the Watch Ultra 3 to up to 42 hours of use. This was accurate in my testing—I did not carefully dole out the battery life on the Watch Ultra 3, using it freely for texting, navigating, and recording mapped activities. It lasted from Friday morning to Sunday morning, making this the first Watch Ultra that can last for a full weekend camping trip without requiring me to prop it up pathetically on a portable power station.