Smart watch

[newtda513]

I am on the market for a smart watch, what and model work the best with pixel 4?

 

[B. Diddy]

It'd help to know what's important to you in a smartwatch, because some choices will be better than others.

I have a Fossil Carlyle (which is their gen 5), which I like a lot. It's quite fast and smooth, and it looks great. I wouldn't get anything below a gen 5 -- I have a couple of watches that would be considered gen 4, and they're pretty sluggish. The Fossil gen 6 is supposed to be a little faster, but sounds like it's not a big improvement over the gen 5 -- however, the main advantage of the gen 6 is that it's supposed to get Wear OS 3.0 some time in 2022, while the gen 5 will be left behind.

You can find the Carlyle on sale at a lot of places for around $179. The Fossil gen 5e (which lacks a few features like onboard GPS) is even cheaper at $159.

 

[mustang7757]

Here are some others that should work good especially Samsung watch 4


https://9to5google.com/2021/10/20/pixel-6-smartwatch-best-options/

 

[newtda513]

It'd help to know what's important to you in a smartwatch, because some choices will be better than others.

I have a Fossil Carlyle (which is their gen 5), which I like a lot. It's quite fast and smooth, and it looks great. I wouldn't get anything below a gen 5 -- I have a couple of watches that would be considered gen 4, and they're pretty sluggish. The Fossil gen 6 is supposed to be a little faster, but sounds like it's not a big improvement over the gen 5 -- however, the main advantage of the gen 6 is that it's supposed to get Wear OS 3.0 some time in 2022, while the gen 5 will be left behind.

You can find the Carlyle on sale at a lot of places for around $179. The Fossil gen 5e (which lacks a few features like onboard GPS) is even cheaper at $159.

Thanks for that information.
I would like to be, get text, email, social media notifications. Track steps, etc. I don't know much about them, just looking and learning.

 

[B. Diddy]

Ok, the Carlyle can do all of that well. But certainly the Samsung watches and some of the more dedicated fitness watches like Garmin or Fitbit can do that. You can use Samsung watches on non-Samsung phones, but I think you can't take advantage of as many of the features (or you're forced to use Samsung's services and not Google's).

 

[SactoKingsFan]

I've been using the Garmin instinct for for almost 2 years. Excellent option if you want a good activity tracker with some smart watch features and great battery life (7-14 days). Had a higher end Garmin Forerunner but don't need all the extra features which drained the battery.

 

[tmurphx5]

if you are not in any hurry Google will be selling a Pixel watch early to mid next year. I am due an upgrade so will definitely be checking it out

 

[B. Diddy]

I ended up ordering a Fossil gen 6 as a little Christmas gift to myself. Waiting for it to arrive at Macy's.

Before that, I tried a Michael Kors Bradford gen 6 -- not good, it got really hot and remained hot on the charger overnight. Probably a defect, but I didn't want to try another one. MK's watchfaces aren't as good nor as varied as Fossil's anyway.

 

[Aredubu]

I ended up ordering a Fossil gen 6 as a little Christmas gift to myself. Waiting for it to arrive at Macy's.

Before that, I tried a Michael Kors Bradford gen 6 -- not good, it got really hot and remained hot on the charger overnight. Probably a defect, but I didn't want to try another one. MK's watchfaces aren't as good nor as varied as Fossil's anyway.

How's the Fossil Gen 6 working for you? I was thinking about getting one to replace my Gen 5 until the Pixel Watch is released, if ever.

 

[B. Diddy]

How's the Fossil Gen 6 working for you? I was thinking about getting one to replace my Gen 5 until the Pixel Watch is released, if ever.

It's excellent! At first, I thought the battery life was subpar, but it seems to have improved significantly since I first bought it. I'm not sure if it's the software learning to use battery more efficiently, or if it's the watchface I'm using (Marine Commander, highly recommended), but lately the battery is only down to around 70% by the end of the day (and this is with the screen always on, with Tilt-To-Wake turned on as well).

I like the smoke grey color (same as the Carlyle gen 5), because I think watchfaces with a dark background look best on these smartwatches. The light-colored watchfaces always turn black quickly with the ambient display, so you end up getting this flashing between white and black that I find too distracting.

But to be honest, there isn't a huge difference in terms of performance, function, or appearance compared to the Carlyle. So if you're not a watch junkie like me, you could probably skip it (unless you find a really good deal).

 

[Aredubu]

I was hoping for better battery life, but if it's not better I'll use my OnePlus watch and the Gen 5 Carlyle until the Pixel Watch is released. I'm a watch junkie too!

 

[B. Diddy]

I was hoping for better battery life, but if it's not better I'll use my OnePlus watch and the Gen 5 Carlyle until the Pixel Watch is released. I'm a watch junkie too!

I think it's better, but it's hard to do a head-to-head comparison. It might also be due to the watchface -- it's worth trying that Marine Commander one I mentioned and see if it gives you better battery life as well!