I almost traded my Pixel Watch for a Galaxy Watch, but Google changed my mind with these 3 new features

Published Oct 28, 2026, 3:00 PM EDT Arol is a tech journalist who currently works as a contributor at How-To Geek since 2022. He first began writing online for the short-lived portal of Spanish-language gaming forum Emudesc in 2013. Years later, in 2017, he got his true start in tech journalism working for a small Google-focused site called Pixel Spot. He transitioned to a news and feature writer role at XDA Developers that same year, where he worked until 2021 before making the jump to other websites. Arol brings nearly a decade of writing experience, and the occasional hot take, to his writings. While he's a technology lover at heart, he holds computer hardware and smartphones particularly close to heart. You'll normally find him covering news, although he has also written the occasional deal, buyer's guide, how-to post, and round-up. He's also written for Android Police and MakeUseOf. He's also a Political Science student at the Central University of Venezuela, and a proud member of student movement Àgora UCV. When he's not writing, you'll probably find him hitting the gym, trying to ace a new hobby, reading his textbooks, or traveling. You can reach him at me@arolwright.com. Switching to a rival smartwatch is always tempting when a new model lands. Google’s recent updates make it easier to justify staying put. Three of its newest additions, spanning health tracking, on-device AI, and GPS, change what a Pixel Watch can do day to day. Health Guardian adds blood pressure and insulin resistance trends Free long-term health insights reach older Pixel Watches too Google’s Health Guardian suite is the strongest argument for staying put. A free update is rolling out to the Pixel Watch 3, 4, and 5 that adds blood pressure trends, insulin resistance trends, and sleep breathing metrics, so owners of older models do not need new hardware to get them. These features are not instant clinical readings. They look at pattern changes over weeks, so they're wellness indicators, not diagnostic tools. Blood pressure and insulin resistance assessments appear once a month. The blood pressure model was built on billions of minutes of raw heart and movement data, while the insulin resistance model was trained on more than a trillion data points from over five million users. Google says the approach relies on Health Foundation Models instead of new dedicated sensors, which helps explain why older hardware qualifies. The Apple Watch, meanwhile, doesn't yet offer insulin-resistance trends. Sleep breathing quality works on a faster cycle. You get a report each morning on how your breathing varied overnight, so it fits naturally into a routine of wearing the watch to bed. It also includes a safety layer. Breathing Emergency Detection can start an emergency call when the watch sees severe, persistent drops in oxygen saturation. On the Pixel Watch 4 and 5, it is limited for now to select European markets, including France, Germany, Ireland, and the UK. The main caveat is access. Fitbit Air owners can reach the new tools only through a Google Health Premium subscription, while Pixel Watch owners get them for free. Anyone considering a switch should keep that in mind, since leaving the ecosystem means leaving behind a growing set of health models. Gemini now works offline and makes suggestions before you ask Smarter suggestions, personal answers, and no phone required Gemini Intelligence arrived on Wear OS with the Pixel Watch 5, and the September update turned several of its promises into working features. The biggest change is offline support. The watch didn't launch with offline AI, but after the September 2026 update, Gemini works without an internet connection for certain tasks, which matters if you're like me and not buying your watch with a cell plan. The update installs automatically overnight or when the watch is on a charger. Proactive Suggestions are the other headline addition. Gemini can suggest task automation across apps on your device. The paired Pixel 11 generates the insights, then bridges them to the watch. That brings a limit: the feature requires a Pixel Watch 5 paired with a Pixel 11 that has Gemini and proactive assistance enabled. Personalization is simpler to use. You can ask something like, "What's on my calendar today?" and Gemini draws on connected apps such as Gmail, Calendar, and Keep for the answer. Smaller refinements round things out. Smart replies now show three responses instead of one, and a Gemini Nano upgrade makes them about 50 percent faster. The raise-to-talk gesture is no longer limited to the watch face, and a wrist turn can serve as universal back navigation. The hardware supports all of this. The Snapdragon W5 Gen 2 chip adds 50 percent more RAM and a 12 percent faster CPU, letting Gemini process more actions locally. The watch stays on Wear OS 7, based on Android 17. Still, Android Authority notes that the September changelog mostly reads like a recap of launch features, so expect steady refinement rather than a revolution. Improved GPS tracking and a smarter workout experience Google claims its most accurate route tracking yet Google says the Pixel Watch 5 offers the most accurate GPS route tracking of any Pixel Watch to date, with twice the accuracy of previous generations in difficult environments. The company also says its system is more accurate than the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Garmin Fenix 8 Pro, based on an internal study conducted in July. Cheaper trackers usually drift in difficult environments, so that is the claim to test, and independent comparisons will matter before runners treat it as settled. The September update added further GPS improvements, which suggests Google is still tuning the system after launch. Strength training also gets attention. The watch introduces a Strength Training workout experience with step-by-step guidance, and a workout builder in the Google Health app helps people create custom strength routines. Not everything is polished. Many say the Pixel Watch 5 is less responsive at detecting cycling than an Apple Watch, which prompts you to track a ride and pauses and resumes it automatically. Pixel Watch updates give owners fewer reasons to leave Google’s recent software work narrows the gap with rival wearables. Health Guardian trends, offline Gemini, and refined GPS tracking add real value, though some features depend on a Pixel Watch 5 or Pixel 11. Check your hardware before deciding whether to stay or switch.