Question Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 vs Google Pixel Watch 1st gen

[techguy1954]

Hello,
As you may know from my previous thread on these forums I recently returned my Limit smartwatch as it broke almost immediately, I am now back to my old Blackview one.
I want to spend more money on a smartwatch now since none of the cheap ones seem to last. I have about £65 to spend on a smartwatch, I want a smartwatch with emergency SOS, fall detection would be nice to have but is not needed, turn by turn navigation (preferably using onboard GPS rather than the phones GPS), the ability to make and receive phone calls on the watch whilst paired to a phone, and the ability to track cycling and walking workouts. The phone I will be using is a HMD Pulse (it runs clean Android 14, with 3gb of RAM and 64gb of storage) so not a Samsung phone.
I am consider a Samsung Galaxy Watch 4, I can get one of these used from CEX for £53 plus a strap. This one looks best from my research as it has fall detection and the Pixel watch doesn't. My biggest worry with it is that I will not be using it with a Samsung phone, what features will I miss out on, I think it should work but I don't know how well/

I am also considering a Google Pixel Watch 1st gen, I can get one of these used from CEX for roughly £60 plus a strap. This one doesn't look as good as it lacks as many features as the Galaxy Watch and from research some of the features are locked behind the Fitbit subscription.
What would you recommend I purchase?

 

[EdwardHH]

With your budget, I’d lean toward the Watch 4. A few things to keep in mind, though.

First, the Galaxy Watch 4 works fine with any Android phone, but some of the Samsung Health features are a bit more streamlined if you pair it with a Samsung handset. On a non-Samsung device you’ll still get calls, texts, fitness tracking, SOS/fall detection, and navigation through Google Maps, so you’re not really losing the core functions you’re looking for.

Second, Pixel Watch 1st Gen looks nice and is very “Google-y,” but battery life is shorter, and as you said, a lot of the more advanced health metrics are tied to Fitbit Premium. It doesn’t feel like you’re getting the full value unless you’re okay with a subscription.

Then, the Watch 4 has been out longer and feels more mature software-wise. Battery life is still not stellar (most smartwatches in this price range won’t last much more than a day and a half with GPS + notifications on), but it holds up better than the first-gen Pixel Watch in real use.