Google Pixel Watch 5 vs Garmin Vivoactive 6 Specs Comparison
The Google Pixel Watch 5 is the better choice if you want a proper smartwatch, with Wear OS apps, optional LTE, calls, Google services, ECG and a more advanced health sensor package. The Garmin Vivoactive 6 is the better fitness-focused option, especially if battery life matters, lasting up to 11 days versus 30 to 40 hours with always-on display on the Pixel Watch 5; I would pick the Pixel for everyday smartwatch features and the Vivoactive 6 for exercise, recovery tracking and far less charging.
Key differences
Feature
Google Pixel Watch 5
Garmin Vivoactive 6
Release date
2026-08-20
2025-04-04
Physical size
41 x 41 x 12.3 mm; 45 x 45 x 12.3 mm
42.2 x 42.2 x 10.9 mm
Weight
41 mm: 31 g; 45 mm: 36.7 g
36 g
Material
Housing: 100% recycled aluminium; Active Band: fluoroelastomer with soft-touch coating; Custom 3D Corning Gorilla Glass 5
Case material: fiber-reinforced polymer; Lens material: Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3; Bezel material: stainless steel
Water resistance
5 ATM; IP68
5 ATM
Display type
Actua 360 AMOLED LTPO, DCI-P3, always-on display
AMOLED optional always-on mode
Display size
41mm: 1.33 inches; 45mm: 1.49 inches
1.3 inch
Display resolution
41mm: 408 x 408; 45mm: 456 x 456; 320 ppi
390 x 390 pixels
Full specs comparison
Use the full table below for the complete side-by-side specification breakdown.
| Specification | | |
|---|---|---|
| General | ||
| Release date | 2026-08-20 | 2025-04-04 |
| Physical size | 41 x 41 x 12.3 mm; 45 x 45 x 12.3 mm | 42.2 x 42.2 x 10.9 mm |
| Weight | 41 mm: 31 g; 45 mm: 36.7 g | 36 g |
| Material | Housing: 100% recycled aluminium; Active Band: fluoroelastomer with soft-touch coating; Custom 3D Corning Gorilla Glass 5 | Case material: fiber-reinforced polymer; Lens material: Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3; Bezel material: stainless steel |
| Water resistance | 5 ATM; IP68 | 5 ATM |
| Color options | Obsidian, Olive, Fog, Canyon | Lunar Gold with Bone Band, Slate with Black Band, Metallic Jasper Green with Jasper Green Band, Metallic Pink Dawn with Pink Dawn Band |
| Display type | Actua 360 AMOLED LTPO, DCI-P3, always-on display | AMOLED optional always-on mode |
| Display size | 41mm: 1.33 inches; 45mm: 1.49 inches | 1.3 inch |
| Display resolution | 41mm: 408 x 408; 45mm: 456 x 456; 320 ppi | 390 x 390 pixels |
| Display brightness | Up to 3,000 nits | |
| Display protection | Custom 3D Corning Gorilla Glass 5 | |
| Battery | Rechargeable lithium-ion battery; 41 mm: 332 mAh; 45 mm: 465 mAh | Rechargeable lithium-ion battery |
| Battery life | 41mm: up to 30 hours with always-on display, up to 48 hours in Battery Saver mode; 45mm: up to 40 hours with always-on display, up to 72 hours in Battery Saver mode | Up to 11 days smartwatch mode, 5 days always-on display, Battery Saver Smartwatch Mode - up to 21 days, GPS-Only GNSS Mode - up to 21 hours |
| Charging | Google Pixel Watch Quick Charge Dock | USB |
| Charging time | 41mm: about 15 min to 50%, 25 min to 80%, 45 min to 100%; 45mm: about 15 min to 50%, 30 min to 80%, 60 min to 100% | |
| Sensors | ||
| GNSS type | Built-in dual-band GNSS | Built-in multi-GNSS (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, BeiDou) |
| GPS | Yes; enhanced post-processed route accuracy for walking, running, hiking and cycling | Yes |
| GALILEO | Yes | Yes |
| GLONASS | Yes | Yes |
| QZSS | Yes | Yes |
| Beidou | Yes | Yes |
| Accelerometer | Yes | Yes |
| Gyroscope | Yes | Yes |
| Barometric altimeter | Yes | No |
| Compass | Yes | Yes |
| Geomagnetic | Yes | No |
| Ambient light sensor | Yes | Yes |
| Optical heart rate | Yes | Yes |
| Electrical heart rate | Yes | No |
| SpO2 | Yes | Yes |
| Temperature | Yes | No |
| Galvanic skin response | Yes | No |
| Microphone | Yes | No |
| Speakers | Yes | No |
| Vibration motor | Yes | Yes |
| Health & activity tracking | ||
| Steps | Yes | Yes |
| Distance | Yes | Yes |
| Calories burned | Yes | Yes |
| Floors | Yes | No |
| Sports tracking | Yes; workout builder, weight and rep tracking, audio cues and rest timers | Yes |
| Sleep | Yes; claimed 15% more accurate sleep tracking; Smart Wake; overnight sleep breathing quality | Yes |
| Heart rate | Yes | Yes |
| HRV | Yes | Yes |
| Stress | Yes | Yes |
| Blood oxygen | Yes | Yes |
| Respiration rate | Yes | Yes |
| Skin temperature | Yes | No |
| ECG | Yes | No |
| Blood pressure | No; Blood Pressure Trends is an app-based report, not direct blood-pressure measurement | No |
| Body composition | No | No |
| Glucose | No; Insulin Resistance Trends is an app-based report, not direct glucose measurement | No |
| Hydration level | No | No |
| UV exposure | No | No |
| Calorie intake | No | No |
| Readiness / recovery | Daily Readiness | |
| Training load / strain | Cardio Load | |
| Hyperglycemia risk assessment | No | No |
| Arterial stiffness detection | No | No |
| Pulse wave arrhythmia analysis | Yes | No |
| Daily smart features | ||
| Smartphone compatibility | Most Android 11+ | iPhone and Android |
| Operating system at launch | Wear OS 7 | Proprietary |
| Processor | Qualcomm SW5100 platform; 4x Cortex-A53 at 1.7 GHz; Adreno 702 GPU | |
| RAM | 3 GB | |
| Storage | 64 GB eMMC flash | |
| Bluetooth | Yes (6.0) | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz | Yes |
| NFC / connected pay | Yes | Yes |
| UWB | Yes | No |
| Cellular | Optional | No |
| Smartphone notifications | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth calling | Yes | No |
| Smartphone music control | Yes | Yes |
| On-board music storage | Yes | Yes |
| Voice assistant | Gemini; Raise to Gemini supports offline questions and answers | No |
| Navigation, safety & special features | ||
| Maps | Google Maps | No |
| Offline maps | Yes (Google Maps) | No |
| Navigation | Turn-by-turn Google Maps navigation | Yes |
| Emergency SOS | Yes (availability/connectivity varies) | Yes (Assistance via paired smartphone) |
| Satellite SOS | LTE model only (supported regions) | No |
| Fall detection | Yes (availability varies) | Yes (Incident Detection during select activities) |
| LED flashlight | No | No |
| Diving | No | No |
| Links | ||
| Affiliate link | Amazon | Amazon, Garmin |
| Read more | Article | Article |