The Apple Watch needs to step up if it wants to keep pace with Samsung's new Galaxy Watches, and I'm hoping the Series 11 will be the one to do it. It's still one of our favorite smartwatches, but after a month with the Galaxy Watch 8, I'm finding it hard to go back to Siri.
Google's Gemini AI -- which debuted on the Galaxy Watch and is now rolling out to other Android models -- is so genuinely helpful that it's spoiled every other voice assistant for me. Gemini isn't just more conversational than previous voice assistants, it's smarter, faster and most contextually aware than any of its predecessors. With Apple Watch season fast approaching, it's hard to ignore how far behind Siri now feels in comparison.
If I could ask for just one thing this year (OK, maybe two, battery life still matters), it's this: Give the Apple Watch an assistant that finally lives up to the rest of the Apple ecosystem. After seeing what Gemini can do, anything less feels like a missed opportunity.
Watch this: Gemini on the Galaxy Watch 8 Made Me a Believer 02:58
Gemini on the wrist: Surprisingly life-changing
I had to consciously retrain myself to talk like a normal human when using Gemini, and remind myself to use my wrist instead of breaking out my phone for random inquiries that would've otherwise fallen on deaf ears. But once I did, it felt like unlocking a new layer of productivity I didn't know was possible on a tiny screen.
I'd all but given up on wrist-based voice assistants. Siri, Bixby (Samsung's version) and even Google Assistant on older watches often felt like clunky middlemen. I had to repeat commands, speak in robotic syntax and deal with web links I'd never open on a watch UI. Asking an assistant to set a timer for something as specific as a soft-boiled egg took multiple steps. Using an assistant to change a setting? Forget it. But Gemini turned that around for me.
Google's Gemini AI voice assistant on the Galaxy Watch 8. Joe Maldonado/CNET
Now, I can say, "Set a timer for a soft-boiled egg with a runny yolk," and get an instant 7-minute timer -- no follow-ups necessary. I can ask it to blast the volume on my watch during a run without so much as touching the screen. Or I can inquire about a landmark with a vague prompt like, "What's that famous church on a hill in San Francisco?" The result gave me accurate, audible directions to Grace Cathedral.
Gemini even handles multitasking with ease. I asked it to find a trendy Latin fusion restaurant in San Francisco and message a friend (in Spanish) to see if they were free to join. The watch did all of that in one go.
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