Google Pixel Watch 5 (45 mm, LTE) / Apple Watch Series 9 (45 mm, GPS, aluminium)

Google Pixel Watch 5 (45 mm, LTE): 45 mm · 4G LTE option

Apple Watch Series 9 (45 mm, GPS, aluminium): 45 mm aluminium case, GPS model; Pink, Midnight, Starlight, Silver and (PRODUCT)RED. The 41 mm, GPS + Cellular and stainless steel (sapphire crystal) versions differ in size and materials.

SpecificationGoogle Pixel Watch 5 (45 mm, LTE)Apple Watch Series 9 (45 mm, GPS, aluminium)
Release year20262023
LaunchAnnounced and opened for pre-order on 12 August 2026; on sale 20 August 2026 Google—
DisplayActua 360; 320 ppi AMOLED LTPO; DCI-P3; up to 3000 nits; 1–60 Hz variable refresh; as low as 1 nit in always-on mode GoogleAlways-On Retina LTPO OLED; up to 2000 nits, as low as 1 nit; 326 ppi

LTPO is a panel technology that can lower the refresh rate dramatically, letting the display stay dimly on when the wrist is down. The 1-nit minimum avoids glare in a dark room.

Apple
Cover glassCustom 3D Corning Gorilla Glass 5 Google—
Case and band100% recycled aluminium case; soft-touch HNBR rubber Active Band (2nd gen) Google—
Wrist sizeThe small band fits 150–185 mm wrists and the large band 165–215 mm; both come in the box Google—
Size45 mm diameter; 12.3 mm height Google—
Weight36.7 g (without band) Google—
ProcessorQualcomm Snapdragon W5 Gen 2 Accelerated; Cortex-M55 co-processor; Google cites a 12% CPU increase and 50% more RAM than the previous generation Google—
Storage64 GB eMMC flash (capacity before formatting) Google64 GB Apple
SoftwareWear OS 7.0 Google—
Connectivity4G LTE and UMTS; Bluetooth 6.0; Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax (2.4 and 5 GHz); NFC; Ultra-Wideband Google—
LTE optionOn the LTE option the watch can be activated for calls, texts and music without the phone; carrier activation is required and the phone must use the same carrier Google—
Satellite SOSEmergency communication over satellite; no extra charge for 2 years after activation; may be unavailable in some countries or conditions Google—
PositioningDual-frequency GPS; US: GPS, Galileo, GLONASS; rest of world: GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, BeiDou, QZSS Google—
GPS route accuracyGoogle says post-workout route correction uses Google Maps 3D building models and weather-station data, and claims twice the accuracy of the previous generation in difficult urban areas; the comparison rests on Google’s own July 2026 study Google—
SensorsMulti-path optical heart rate, red and infrared SpO2, electrical sensors for the ECG app, skin conductance (cEDA), far-field skin temperature, accelerometer, gyroscope, barometer, altimeter, compass, magnetometer, ambient light Google—
Health featuresIrregular rhythm and high/low heart rate notifications, ECG, loss of pulse detection; breathing emergency detection (launching in Europe first); monthly trend summaries for blood pressure, sleep breathing and insulin resistance (“coming soon” in the announcement). Availability varies by country Google—
Battery465 mAh (typical) lithium-ion; up to 40 hours with always-on display, up to 72 hours in Battery Saver mode Google—
ChargingWith the Quick Charge Dock: about 15 minutes to 50%, 30 minutes to 80% and 60 minutes to 100%; the 30 W adapter is sold separately Google—
Water and dust resistance5 ATM and IP68; Google states the watch is not waterproof or dustproof and that resistance can diminish over time Google—
ControlsTouchscreen, side button, haptic crown, Gen 3 premium haptics; touchless one-handed gestures GoogleDigital Crown with haptic feedback, side button, double tap gesture

Double tap lets you answer notifications or calls by tapping the thumb and index finger of the watch hand together twice, without touching the screen.

Apple
AudioBuilt-in microphone and speaker Google—
GeminiGemini Intelligence; Raise to Talk, At a Glance and proactive suggestions; core actions run on the device. Features are offered in select countries and languages to users 18 and over Google—
Phone compatibilityWorks with most phones running Android 12 or newer; requires a Google Account and the Pixel Watch app; Android (Go edition) is not supported Google—
RepairGoogle cites a repairable architecture; repair manuals and options vary by region Google—
Warranty1 year in the US, Canada, Japan, India, Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia and Mexico; 2 years in the UK, EEA, France, Switzerland and Australia Google—
Chip—S9 SiP; 64-bit dual-core processor, 4-core Neural Engine Apple
Health sensors—Electrical heart sensor, third-generation optical heart sensor, temperature sensing

The electrical sensor is for ECG recordings; the optical sensor measures pulse with light. Temperature sensing tracks overnight changes in wrist temperature.

Apple
Blood Oxygen (US)—On watches sold in the US without the feature, a redesigned version arrives with iOS 18.6.1 and watchOS 11.6.1; the reading is calculated on iPhone

The watch collects sensor data, the paired iPhone calculates the value and shows it in the Health app. Watches bought outside the US are not affected.

Apple
Other sensors—Compass, always-on altimeter, high-g accelerometer, high dynamic range gyroscope, ambient light sensor Apple
Location—L1 GPS, GNSS, Galileo and BeiDou

It is a single-frequency (L1) receiver; drift in cities can be more likely than with dual-frequency watches.

Apple
Wireless—Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n), Bluetooth 5.3, second-generation Ultra Wideband

Ultra Wideband lets you locate an iPhone 15-family phone with Precision Finding showing direction and distance; availability varies by region.

Apple
Battery and charging—Up to 18 hours normal use, up to 36 hours in Low Power Mode; fast charge to about 80% in 45 minutes

Fast charging requires Apple’s fast-charging cable and a suitable adapter.

Apple
Durability—50 m water resistant (ISO 22810:2010); IP6X dust resistant; Ion-X front glass

Suitable for swimming. Ion-X is the strengthened glass used on aluminium cases; steel cases use sapphire crystal.

Apple
Size and weight—45 × 38 × 10.7 mm; 38.7 g; fits 140–245 mm wrists Apple
Compatibility—iPhone XS or later with iOS 17 or later

It cannot be used with Android phones.

Apple