We asked Tom’s Guide readers which 2026 full-featured Android smartwatch they prefer, and the winner is crystal clear.
With 830 total votes, one device proved way more popular than the others, but was it the Google Pixel Watch 5, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 9, or the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2? Check out the results for yourself below.
Which full-featured 2026 Android smartwatch would you rather own?
- 1st place: 50%, Google Pixel Watch 5
- 2nd place: 24%, Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2
- 3rd place: 16%, Samsung Galaxy Watch 9
With a total of 418 votes, 50% of respondents said that the Pixel Watch 5 is their preferred current-model Android smartwatch. The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 came in second place with 203 votes, or 24%.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 9, meanwhile, was the least popular of the three, with just 135 folks preferring it to the other options, or 16% of respondents. And then we have those who prefer something other than the models listed; 74 of y’all selected that option, which begs the question: what would you buy instead?
The Pixel Watch 5 is the clear winner, but why?
So, why did the Pixel Watch 5 decimate the competition in this popularity poll over its peers? I think it simply comes down to the fact that it’s the more exciting model of the three. The Galaxy Watch 9 is a seriously minor update to the Galaxy Watch 8. Likewise, the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 adds some cool new features for scuba divers, but little else.
The Pixel Watch 5, meanwhile, is also pretty much a carbon copy of its predecessor, but it does boast some unique and possibly groundbreaking new preventive health and safety tools, including Breathing Emergency Detection, Insulin Resistance Trends, and Blood Pressure Trends.
Bottom line
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 may be the most affordable of its 2026 Android smartwatch class, but the Google Pixel Watch 5 wins prom king by a 2:1 margin versus the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 and a 3:1 margin against the Samsung Galaxy Watch 9.
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