2025 is shaping up to be the year of satellite-powered smartwatches, with Google, Apple, and Garmin all embracing off-grid emergency services for when you're beyond cellular coverage. The satellite experience for each of these three varies, so make sure to check out the articles on the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Garmin Fenix 8 Pro for more details on what is required for those remote communications.
Still, some of the less flashy upgrades, like a UI design, bring thoughtful touches and further usability to the AI-powered smartwatch. When Google announced its latest Material 3 Expressive UI, I thought it would be one of those feature upgrades that made a marginal difference in my user experience. But after a few weeks of testing, this design upgrade actually makes the watch fun to look at and cool to use.
They're both Android smartwatches with AI-powered health coaches, they have around the same battery life, brightness, and storage, and notably, they're the same price. Also: Everything announced at Made by Google 2025: Pixel 10 Pro, Fold, Watch 4, and more Of course, you'll get different watch bands and different brand styles, with Google's watch being slightly bigger, but the bones of these devices are almost identical.
Fitbit's smartphone app has undergone several redesigns over the past two years, and now there's another big one coming in October, timed to the launch of the newly announced Pixel Watch 4. Launching as an opt-in review (an open beta), the design centers on Google's AI-powered Personal Health Coach, built with Gemini. The entire app has been rebuilt from the ground up with the new AI coaching feature.
While the features of the fourth-generation smartwatch are new, the price of the watch will stay the same, at $350 for the 41mm and $400 for the 45mm. The 41mm watch cases come in matte black with an obsidian active band, polished silver with a porcelain active band, champagne gold with a lemongrass active band, and polished silver with an iris active band.
