I walked 4,000 steps with the Pixel Watch 3 vs Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 — here's the winner

Tom's Guide

22-07-2025

I just walked 4,000 steps with the Google Pixel Watch 3 on my right wrist and the new Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 on my left to determine which is the more competent fitness tracker.
To keep things fair, I manually counted my steps as the primary control for this showdown; I also ran Strava on a separate device (iPhone 12 mini) as a control for distance, elevation and pace data.
After 4,000 steps and roughly 2.3 miles, one smartwatch proved (slightly) more accurate in this match-up of the new Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 vs Google Pixel Watch 3. Read on to find out which.
But first, here's a quick look at how these two flagship models compare. Both run Google's Wear OS platform, and neither plays nicely with the iPhone. The Galaxy Watch 8 is Samsung's new release for 2025, while the Pixel Watch 3 represents Google's 2024 model; we'll likely get a Pixel Watch 4 model in August, if rumors prove true.
Design-wise, the Galaxy Watch 8 features a "cushion" case design, borrowed from 2024's Galaxy Watch Ultra, compared to a circular case for the Pixel Watch 3, though both feature circular displays.
The Pixel Watch 3 comes in two sizes, 41mm and 45mm; the latter is represented here. The Galaxy Watch 8 standard model similarly comes in a smaller, 41mm, and larger, 44mm option.
There's also a 46mm Galaxy Watch 8 Classic with a rotating bezel, used for this comparison. The standard Galaxy Watch 8 models start at $349 for the 40mm model, which is the same starting cost as the 41mm Pixel Watch 3 (though you can score one on sale right now, link below).
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The Google Pixel Watch 3 in 45mm is my favorite long-lasting smartwatch for Android, offering two full days of battery with normal use during my testing. It also has Google's ground-breaking and possibly life-saving new Loss of Pulse Detection, and is loaded with other insightful wellness tools and helpful smart features.
I'm still in the process of testing the new Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic, available for preorder as of this writing and shipping July 25. But I've found a lot to like, including the design — I'm a huge fan of the rotating bezel and customizable Action button — as well as its impressive suite of holistic tools, including some of the most in-depth sleep insights you'll find on a smartwatch.
Both smartwatches feature handy safety tools and access to the same enormous app library. Each is also brimming with wellness and fitness features, including deep insights into sleep quality, helpful workout training recovery tools, and potentially life-saving health-monitoring apps.
The Pixel Watch 3, for instance, is the only smartwatch on the market with Loss of Pulse Detection. Similarly, Samsung's new cardiovascular load monitoring tool is only available on the latest Galaxy Watch 8 and Galaxy Watch Ultra models. Still, either can perform an ECG, check your heart rate, or monitor your blood oxygen saturation levels.
Nuances aside, these two devices are remarkably well matched.
So, which came out ahead in this walk test? In my previous article, where I walked 5,000 steps with the Apple Watch 10 vs. the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8, Cupertino took home the trophy. Can Samsung score some redemption? Find the results of my walk test with the Pixel Watch 3 vs Galaxy Watch 8 below.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic
Pixel Watch 3 XL
Control
Step count
4,044 steps
4,042 steps
4,000 steps (manual count)
Distance
2.30 miles
2.33 miles
2.33 miles (Strava)
Elevation gain
151 feet
157 feet
143 feet (Strava)
Average pace
14 mins 42 secs per mile
15 mins 4 secs per mile
14 mins 29 secs per mile (Strava)
Average heart rate
133 bpm
132 bpm
n/a
Max heart rate
158 bpm
158 bpm
n/a
Total calories burned
247 calories
339 calories
n/a
Device battery usage
10%
6%
n/a
Both the Pixel Watch 3 and Galaxy Watch 8 each produced step count totals within 50 steps of my actual total. This is a very impressive level of accuracy and well within a reasonable margin for error. Strava also measures step count, and was even more spot-on with a total of 3,990 steps.
All three devices also essentially measured the same distance covered and similar amounts of elevation gained; the 14 feet separating Strava's tally from Google's is equivalent to 1.5 flights of stairs, i.e., not enough for concern.
The Pixel Watch 3 and Galaxy Watch 8 produced step count totals within 50 steps of my actual total. This is a very impressive level of accuracy.
Average pace data additionally matches nicely; I was moving fairly quickly for the duration of this walk and made minimal stops, except for one or two traffic lights. Strava measured the fastest moving time, but also provides an averaged elapsed pace, which came out to 15 minutes and 17 seconds per mile.
Both Samsung and Google wearables have a well-earned reputation for accurate heart rate data — something I can attest to based on reviewing numerous devices from each — and the results from this walk test are in near-perfect agreement with not only each other, but also my expectations based on numerous prior tests.
Finally, Samsung calculated fewer calories burned during my roughly 35-minute walk, but coincidentally, also burned nearly twice the amount of battery tracking my trek as the Pixel Watch 3.
And the winner of this challenge is... the Google Pixel Watch 3. That said, this is about as close as these walk tests come to being called a tie. Over the years, I've probably written 25-plus head-to-head comparisons of this type, and I can't think of another time where the winner was determined by just two steps.
Stay tuned for more testing on the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8, including my full review where I'll share the inside scoop on the device's newest features, like Run Coach, bedtime reminders, antioxidant tracking and Vascular Load monitoring.
Which smartwatches or fitness trackers would you like to see me test head-to-head next? Let me know in the comments below. Until next time, happy walking!