Apple Watch Series 12 Beats Pixel Watch 4 in Heart-Rate Accuracy Study, but Pixel Watch 5 Misses Test

Apple says the Watch Series 12 recorded significantly lower overall heart-rate error than every tested rival across workouts and everyday activities. The study used Root Mean Square Error and Mean Absolute Error as its main accuracy calculations, according to the report.

Despite losing the overall contest, the Pixel Watch 4 was among Apple's closest smartwatch challengers in several measurements. The two watches were statistically inseparable during outdoor cycling under both RMSE and MAE. The Pixel Watch 4 also narrowly beat Apple at rest under two accuracy measures.

The result reflects a long-running competition in wearable health tracking. Android Authority reported that the Pixel Watch has spent generations closing the health and fitness gap with established wearables, even becoming a strong Apple Watch alternative for Android users. Apple has now fired back with a study that puts Series 12 ahead of Pixel Watch 4, although Google's current Pixel Watch 5 never got to compete.

The exclusion of newer devices means the study does not directly address how Apple's Watch Series 12 compares with the latest Google and Samsung smartwatches. Apple selected competitors that were available by June, leaving the Pixel Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch 9 out of the test.

Editor's Summary

Apple's study placed Watch Series 12 ahead of Pixel Watch 4 in overall heart-rate accuracy, with the Pixel Watch 4 matching it in cycling and edging it at rest in two measurements. The absence of Pixel Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch 9 limits the comparison to older rivals. The results add to the health-tracking competition between Apple and Google's wearables.