Tushar Mehta / Android Authority
A smartwatch, to me, is a vital companion for my phone. It helps me effectively manage my low self-control to use the phone, while allowing me to stay on top of notifications and important calls. If you, like me, willingly stick with Android and want to access apps that sync with your phone directly on your wrist, then Wear OS is your best option. Therefore, the Galaxy Watch 8 and the Pixel Watch 4 are two of the best smartwatches with Wear OS you can buy.
The Galaxy Watch 8 and the Pixel Watch 4 are both from distinct lots that may not typically appeal to the same kind of users. If you already own a Samsung phone, and don’t mind sticking to the comparatively less restrictive ecosystem (than Apple’s), the Galaxy Watch is the way to go. If you cherish the best of Google and want the latest features — which will eventually trickle down to all devices — from Wear OS, the Pixel Watch 4 may be the right pick for you.
Broadly — and vaguely — speaking, the two watches differ in their maximalist versus minimalist approach. I have been using the Galaxy Watch 8 for several weeks, but if I had to choose again, I would pick a Galaxy Watch — more specifically, the Galaxy Watch 8 if I had to right now — over any other Wear OS device, including the Pixel Watch 4. Here are four reasons why I feel so.
Which one do you prefer between the Galaxy Watch 8 and Pixel Watch 4? 196 votes Galaxy Watch 8 49 % Pixel Watch 4 46 % Neither, I'd go with other Wear OS options 5 %
A better approach to Wear OS tiles
Joe Maring / Android Authority Multiple tiles on one page. Thank you, One UI 8 Watch
One of my primary reasons for choosing a Galaxy Watch 8 over other Wear OS watches is the interface. Samsung heavily customizes the visuals of its One UI software to match its phones. I dig the vibrant treatment and emotive illustrations that depart from the drab, almost Corporate Memphis-like art elements that crowd Wear OS. And even while Google is fixing that by introducing Material 3 Expressive elements to the watch ecosystem, I would still choose Samsung for their greater sensory appeal.
And one of the elements that the latest Galaxy Watch 8 gets with Samsung’s newest One UI 8 skin is support for multiple tiles on a single page. If you’re unfamiliar, tiles are like widgets for Wear OS, and you can access them by scrolling left or right on the watch face. Wear OS has traditionally limited each screen to one tile. Although it provides more space and maintains a minimalist appearance, it also increases the number of swipes required to access various apps.
Samsung recently overcame this limitation with One UI 8 Watch by allowing multiple tiles per screen, in a somewhat related fashion to being the only Android manufacturer to enable widget stacks on smartphones or tablets. So, rather than dedicated screens for my daily step count, exercise, sleep, or stress levels, I can stack all of these on a single screen and scroll vertically to access them. There’s no limit on the number of tiles per screen, nor am I bound to use tiles from a single app.
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