Samsung’s Galaxy smartwatches have been my go-to for years, and not once have I thought about switching.

The company has a reputation for developing consistently reliable smartwatches that balance my needs of a daily wear that can also function as a fitness wearable.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 continues that tradition with its clean design, smooth performance, and well-tuned health tracking. As far as Android smartwatches go, it’s a product that feels more or less complete.

Still, when Google announced the Google Pixel Watch 4, there was one detail that caught my eye. It’s one of the few smartwatches on the market that can reach emergency services through satellites even when there’s no mobile network.

That single feature addition has had me rethinking my needs from a smartwatch.

As an avid hiker and fitness enthusiast, I find myself on trails and outside cellular reach often. The idea that a watch can connect and inform emergency services in a worst-case scenario, when everything else fails, is hard to ignore.

It’s the first time in a while that a feature upgrade to a smartwatch has felt genuinely meaningful and made me want to switch.

Satellite SOS feels like a genuine upgrade

Satellite SOS gives the Pixel Watch 4 a legitimate purpose beyond convenience

Most smartwatches understandably focus on more visible upgrades like bigger displays, improved sensors, or longer battery life. They are useful for sure, but it would be hard to claim that any of these upgrades is transformative.

Google’s approach with the Pixel Watch 4, on the other hand, feels different because it addresses something that actually extends the purpose of the watch.

Satellite SOS turns it from a companion device into something that can act independently when it matters most.

If you try to contact emergency services and there’s no cellular coverage, the watch can send your location and a preset message through a satellite network.

It’s meant for situations where you are off the grid (think hiking, trail running, or just simple off-beat adventures) and need to alert responders or share your coordinates.

It’s the kind of feature you hope to never use, but the idea that it’s there adds a lot of reassurance.

Most smartwatches are designed around the convenience of checking messages, controlling music, or tracking health metrics without reaching for your phone.

All those are nice to have, but they are luxuries and, outside of effective health tracking, not particularly transformative.

Satellite SOS changes that equation dramatically. It gives the Pixel Watch 4 a tangible reason to be a daily companion for adventures, specifically because it offers that reassurance without depending on another device or network.

As someone who spends a lot of time outdoors, hiking and running, this is a solid practical upgrade. All too often, I’ve been in places where my phone drops down to zero bars and where even sending a location pin isn’t feasible.

Until now, that has meant that my watch was as disconnected as my phone. Knowing that a smartwatch can bridge that gap entirely and offer me a sense of safety makes it a small but very important upgrade.

Rethinking what I actually want from a smartwatch

The Pixel Watch 4 changes how I define a complete wearable

There’s no denying that the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 remains an excellent smartwatch. It’s fast for everyday use cases, very comfortable to wear, and a reliable daily carry.

The health tracking is another standout for its accuracy.

Coupled with the well-designed interface and seamless integration with Android phones, it’s one of the best Android-focused smartwatches on the market. Basically, it does everything you expect it to do, and it does it well.

But that’s another reason why the Pixel Watch 4 stands out. It’s not trying to one-up the Galaxy Watch 8 with meaningless features.

Yes, it can go toe to toe with Samsung’s best, but it differentiates itself with a feature that the Galaxy Watch simply doesn’t offer — the ability to work when everything else doesn’t.

That freedom to be connected when all else fails has made me relook at what I want from a modern 2025 wearable.

Basics like battery life, comfort, and performance are solved problems. Satellite SOS gives the Pixel Watch 4 a whole new dimension.

Like everyone else, I’ve always considered features like battery life, comfort, and performance as the main priorities while looking up smartwatches.

Don’t get me wrong, those are important. However, they are also largely solved issues with modern wearables.

Now, I find myself thinking about tangible upgrades to my life, and that’s not going to come from half a day’s extra battery life.

I know my smartwatch will easily last a full day’s hike. I’m more concerned about what happens if I fall mid-hike outside a coverage area, or if my phone, which gets more active use, dies mid-hike in unfamiliar territory.

The Galaxy Watch may tell me how far I’ve walked and how many calories I’ve burned. The Pixel Watch will do that too. But it’ll go a step further and connect me with emergency services in case I suffer a catastrophic fall mid-hike.

That’s a huge difference. Unlike many vanity metrics that we see on products, this is the kind of feature that you never hope to use but gives you instant value the one time you do have to use it.

It elevates the watch from a glorified Fitbit or notification hub to an effective safeguard. And that’s extremely important to me.

Is the Pixel Watch 4 the perfect smartwatch? I don’t think so. The battery life isn’t exceptional by any means, and the Fitbit integration still feels tacked on.

Still, it’s clear that Google is thinking about the smartwatch as a standalone product, not just as an accessory.

The Galaxy Watch 8 might be the more complete everyday option, but the Pixel Watch 4 fits my needs better.

Why the Pixel Watch 4’s Satellite SOS has me reconsidering my Galaxy Watch

The smartwatch evolution has been slow and steady. Most upgrades over the past few years have been incremental at best.

However, the Pixel Watch 4’s Satellite SOS feature is one of the few that feels genuinely new and useful. It adds practical value to something you wear every day and does it in a way that software and sensor improvements simply can’t.

I don’t plan to immediately switch over from my Galaxy Watch 8. It remains the all-around preferred everyday choice for Android users. But for the first time, another smartwatch has made me reconsider my allegiance to Samsung’s wearables.

Moreover, it’s made me rethink what a complete smartwatch means. Satellite SOS may not be a headline feature for everyone. People with little to no outdoorsy hobbies won’t really need it. But it’s a feature that for me has become part of a baseline expectation from a smartwatch.

And that’s enough to make me think long and hard about making the switch over to the Google Pixel Watch 4 when it comes time to upgrade.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 8

8.5*/10*

Case size 40mm/44mm

Colors Graphite/Silver

Display 1.3-inch/1.5-inch Super AMOLED

CPU Exynos W1000

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 includes new health and wellness features along with AI-enhanced features and more intuitive customization options.

Google Pixel Watch 4

8*/10*

Case Material Aluminum

Case size 41mm / 45mm

Display AMOLED

CPU Snapdragon W5 Gen 2

The newest Pixel Watch sports an eye-catching new look, up to 40 hours of battery life, and 6 months of Fitbit Premium for free.