Samsung Galaxy Watch FE vs. Google Pixel Watch 2: New midranger or last year’s flagship?

• 

  Budget-friendly

  Samsung Galaxy Watch FE

  The Galaxy Watch FE is the company’s first Fan Edition smartwatch. It resembles the company’s more expensive wearables but shares most of its features with the Galaxy Watch 4.

  Pros

  • Excellent health and fitness features
  • Good battery life
  • Beautiful display

  Cons

  • Slow charging
  • Some features only available to Samsung phone owners

• 

  An older flagship

  Google Pixel Watch 2

  The Pixel Watch 2 has been succeeded by the Pixel Watch 3, but its reduced pricing makes it a great contender in the midrange smartwatch space.

  Pros

  • Excellent display
  • Great performance
  • Sleek design

  Cons

  • No snore detection or body composition measurement
  • More expensive than the Galaxy Watch FE

Samsung’s Galaxy Watch FE is an excellent midrange smartwatch with refined software, a clean design, and decent battery life, making it a good option for anyone on a tighter budget. However, following a price cut triggered by the launch of the Pixel Watch 3, the Pixel Watch 2 has emerged as a fantastic option in the midrange space. It has a sleek design, a powerful chip, and good software. So, how does the Galaxy Watch FE stack up against the Pixel Watch 2? Let’s find out.

Price, availability, and specs

The Galaxy Watch FE costs $200 for the Wi-Fi variant and $250 for the LTE model. Both come in a single size and have three color options, each featuring a matching band. The Watch FE is also widely available.

The Pixel Watch 2 was originally launched starting at $349. However, its price has since been reduced, and now you can buy the Wi-Fi model for $249 and the LTE model for $300. It’s also widely available in four color options.

Here’s a look at the raw specifications of both smartwatches.

• 	Samsung Galaxy Watch FE	Google Pixel Watch 2
  Case size	40mm	41mm
  Case Material	Aluminum	Aluminum
  Display resolution	396 x 396	450 x 450
  CPU	Exynos W920	Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 with Cortex M33 co-processor
  RAM	1.5GB	2GB
  Storage	16GB	32GB
  Battery	247mAh	306mAh
  Cellular connectivity	LTE (optional)	LTE
  Wi-Fi connectivity	Wi-Fi 5	Wi-Fi 5
  Connectivity	NFC	NFC
  Bluetooth	Bluetooth 5.3	Bluetooth 5.0
  Software	Wear OS 4 with One UI 5 Watch	Wear OS 4
  Health sensors	Samsung BioActive Sensor (optical heart rate + electrical heart + bioelectrical impedance analysis), SpO2, skin temperature	Optical heart rate, SpO2, ECG, continuous EDA, skin temperature
  Dimensions	40.4 x 39.3 x 9.8mm	41 x 41 x 12.3 mm
  Weight	25.9g (without strap)	31g (without strap)
  IP Rating	IP68	IP68
  Colors	Black, pink gold, silver	Matte Black; Polished Silver; Champagne Gold

Design and display

Circular watch faces with different case designs

The Galaxy Watch FE and the Pixel Watch 2 have pretty distinct designs. Although both have a circular watch face, the Google smartwatch is curved on most sides with domed glass on the front. On the other hand, the Galaxy Watch FE has sharper edges and a flat glass front. The lugs are also visible on the Samsung smartwatch; however, the smartwatch allows you to use standard watch bands, providing more customization.

The Pixel Watch 2 has recessed lugs with a proprietary connector for the watch bands. So you’re relatively limited in watch band choices. It also uses Gorilla Glass 5 protection, whereas the Samsung watch has a more durable Sapphire Crystal glass. Otherwise, the smartwatches use an aluminum casing, are IP68-rated, and have 5ATM water resistance, putting them largely at the same durability level.

The Watch FE is also more compact and lighter than the Pixel Watch 2, even though the smartwatches have a 1.2-inch display. That said, the difference isn’t stark.

You get an OLED panel on the two smartwatches with support for an always-on display. Although Samsung doesn’t mention the exact peak brightness of the Watch FE, it’s likely the same as the Pixel Watch 2’s 1,000 nits. Both displays look great and are vibrant.

Software and health & fitness

Wear OS and solid tracking capabilities

The Galaxy Watch FE runs on Wear OS 4 with One UI 5 Watch on top. It should get the Wear OS 5 update with One UI 6 Watch, but that hasn’t happened yet. However, the Pixel Watch 2, which launched with Wear OS 4, has started receiving the Wear OS 5 update after some initial problems. So, as of November 2024, the Pixel Watch 2 has newer software that includes some under-the-hood performance enhancements and battery consumption improvements that you won’t get on the Watch FE until it receives the update.

Otherwise, they can access the same Play Store for Wear OS apps, feature a similar interface, and are compatible with Android phones. However, bonus features can be accessed by pairing the Watch FE with a Samsung phone and the Pixel Watch 2 with a Pixel phone. Beyond the Wear OS 5 update, the Galaxy Watch FE is set to get two more major Wear OS updates. The Pixel Watch 2 will also get Wear OS updates until October 2026, meaning it should at least get Wear OS 6 and 7.

In terms of the health and fitness features, the Galaxy Watch FE and the Pixel Watch 2 are quite capable. Both can monitor heart rate, track blood oxygen levels, and record an electrocardiogram (ECG). However, the ECG functionality is limited to Samsung phone owners on the Watch FE. There’s no such restriction on the Pixel Watch 2. Other features the two phones offer include a skin temperature sensor, sleep-tracking support, and stress tracking.

These smartwatches can track dozens of workouts and detect several of them automatically. However, the Galaxy Watch FE can track almost double the activities of the Pixel Watch. It can also measure body composition, which offers comprehensive body and fitness data like smart scales. The Pixel Watch 2 doesn’t have that feature. Similarly, if you have a Samsung phone, you can detect your snoring with the Watch FE. The Google smartwatch doesn’t have this capability. However, if you have a Pixel phone, it has snore detection.

Notably, the Pixel Watch 2 uses Fitbit for its health and fitness features, whereas the Watch FE relies on Samsung’s Health platform. For some of the deeper insights, paying for the Fitbit Premium subscription is required. Thankfully, most of the essentials are available free of cost. Samsung has no such premium subscription.

Finally, the smartwatches have fall detection and emergency SOS features.

Performance and battery life

The Qualcomm chip has an edge over the older Exynos processor

Samsung has used the same Exynos W920 chip in the Watch FE that came with the Galaxy Watch 4. So it’s over three years old now. While it’s not a bad chip, it feels slower than the chips found in more expensive smartwatches by Samsung and the Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 chip, present in the Pixel Watch 2. It can feel sluggish after starting up. But otherwise, it’s good enough for day-to-day use and tracking. That said, how it will hold up with future Wear OS and One UI Watch versions remains to be seen.

The Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 delivers a responsive and snappy performance in the Pixel Watch 2. It’s also the same chip found in the newer Pixel Watch 3. So, you’re getting the best possible with any Pixel Watch. It’s accompanied by 2GB of RAM. The extra horsepower present in the Snapdragon and the ample amount of RAM will certainly be helpful with future Wear OS versions.

Although the Watch FE comes with 237mAh and the Pixel Watch 2 packs a 306mAh battery, neither smartwatch has trouble offering a 24-hour backup on a single charge on moderate usage. Given the Google smartwatch’s larger size, you can eke out even more depending on your usage.

The Samsung smartwatch, however, has a slower 5W charging, resulting in about two hours of charging time for zero to 100%. The Pixel Watch 2, on the other hand, can charge quicker and takes about 45 minutes to go from zero to 80% and 75 minutes to 100%.

The smartwatches also have Wi-Fi 5 with optional LTE support. But you get dual-band Wi-Fi in the Watch FE and a single band in the Pixel Watch 2. NFC and single-frequency GPS are available on both.

Which is right for you?

It’s not easy to decide between the Galaxy Watch FE and the Pixel Watch 2. However, the Google smartwatch has an advantage with its faster processor, extra RAM, more storage, faster charging, and sleek design. It’ll also get Wear OS updates until October 2026. Sure, it’s more expensive than the Samsung offering, but that price is justified. And it doesn’t make any health or fitness tracking ability exclusive to Pixel phones.

The Galaxy Watch FE is a good alternative if you want to save as much money as possible or have a Samsung smartphone. It has a vibrant display with Sapphire Crystal glass, decent battery life, and support for tracking a broad range of activities. You also don’t need to pay a subscription fee to access deeper insights. Finally, it supports standard bands for customization.