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MobileIQ

Head to head

Apple Apple Watch Series 12 42mmvsGoogle Google Pixel Watch 5 45mm

Released
2026-09-18Apple UK Newsroom — Apple Watch Series 12, retrieved 2026-09-13
Price
£369Apple UK store, retrieved 2026-09-13
Security updates until
Not published by the makerApple UK — watchOS 27 compatible models, retrieved 2026-09-22
Released
2026-08-20Google blog — Pixel Watch 5, retrieved 2026-09-13
Price
£399Google Store UK — Pixel Watch 5 45 mm, retrieved 2026-09-22
Security updates until
Not published by the makerGoogle Store UK — Pixel Watch 5 specs, retrieved 2026-09-13

0 wins for Apple Watch Series 12 42mm1 win for Google Pixel Watch 5 45mm1 gap borderline1 difference you won’t notice£30 apart at RRP

Verdict: Google Pixel Watch 5 45mm ahead on 1 row, Apple Watch Series 12 42mm on none

On the makers’ published figures, the Google Pixel Watch 5 45mm wins on peak brightness (3,000 nits against 2,000 nits). One gap is borderline, a difference most people would not notice: battery life (maker's claim) (40 h against 24 h) for the Google Pixel Watch 5 45mm. The difference in weight (case only) is below the threshold you would notice. Both state the same charge to 80%. The other 27 rows have no threshold or no direction to judge by, so nobody wins them.

True to scale

Apple Watch Series 12 42mm · 42 × 37 mmGoogle Pixel Watch 5 45mm · 45 × 45 mm

Case outlines from each maker’s published dimensions, drawn to scale. A round case is an ellipse at those figures; rectangular corner rounding is our drawing convention, not a measurement.

Specifications

A win is marked only where the figures can be ranked and the gap is one you could notice on the wrist. A row the site has no threshold for says whether the two differ, and that it is not ranking them. = marks the same figure on both, ≠ not ranked a difference with no ranking. Every figure carries its source.

Body

SpecificationApple Watch Series 12 42mmGoogle Pixel Watch 5 45mm
DimensionsDiffers, but not ranked.
42 x 37 x 9.7 mmOfficial
45 x 45 x 12.3 mmOfficial
Case size
42mmOfficial
45mmOfficial
Case shapeDiffers, but not ranked.
rectangularOfficial
roundOfficial
Weight (case only)
32.2gOfficial
36.7gOfficial

You won’t notice this difference.

Case materialDiffers, but not ranked.
AluminiumOfficial
100% recycled aluminiumOfficial
Water ratingDiffers, but not ranked.
Water resistance 50m (swimproof) under ISO standard 22810:2010Official
5 ATM, IP68Official

Display

SpecificationApple Watch Series 12 42mmGoogle Pixel Watch 5 45mm
Display typeDiffers, but not ranked.
Always-On Retina display with wide-angle OLEDs and LTPO3Official
Actua 360 AMOLED LTPO display with DCI-P3 colour, Always-on displayOfficial
Display area
970mm²Official
No verified data
Resolution
374 x 446Official
No verified data
Peak brightness
2000nitsOfficial
3000nitsOfficialwins this row

Google Pixel Watch 5 45mm is ahead here, by a gap you’d notice.

Always-on displaySame.
YesOfficial
YesOfficial

Platform

SpecificationApple Watch Series 12 42mmGoogle Pixel Watch 5 45mm
Operating systemDiffers, but not ranked.
watchOS 27Official
Wear OS 7.0Official
ChipDiffers, but not ranked.
S11 SiPOfficial
Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 Gen 2 Accelerated, Cortex-M55 co-processorOfficial
StorageSame.
64GBOfficial
64GBOfficial
RAM
No verified data
3GB3rd party

Battery

SpecificationApple Watch Series 12 42mmGoogle Pixel Watch 5 45mm
Battery life (maker's claim)
24hOfficial
40hOfficial

Marginal — most people won’t notice.

Battery capacity
No verified data
465mAh3rd party
Charge to 80%Same.
30minOfficial
30minOfficial
ChargingDiffers, but not ranked.
Fast-charge capable, Apple Watch Magnetic Fast Charger to USB-C CableOfficial
Quick Charge DockOfficial

Health

SpecificationApple Watch Series 12 42mmGoogle Pixel Watch 5 45mm
SensorsDiffers, but not ranked.
Health Sensing System (third-generation electrical heart sensor, always-on optical heart sensor, blood oxygen sensor, temperature sensor), compass, always-on altimeter, high-g accelerometer, high dynamic range gyroscope, ambient light sensor, depth gauge to 6 metres, water temperature sensorOfficial
Compass, altimeter, red and infrared sensors for oxygen saturation (SpO2) monitoring, multipurpose electrical sensors compatible with ECG app, multi-path optical heart rate sensor, 3-axis accelerometer, gyroscope, ambient light sensor, electrical sensor to measure skin conductance (cEDA), far-field skin temperature sensor, barometer, magnetometerOfficial
ECGSame.
YesOfficial
YesOfficial
Blood oxygenSame.
YesOfficial
YesOfficial
Skin temperatureSame.
YesOfficial
YesOfficial
GPSDiffers, but not ranked.
Precision L1 GPS (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS and BeiDou)Official
Dual Frequency GPS: GPS, Galileo, Glonass, Beidou, QZSSOfficial

Connectivity

SpecificationApple Watch Series 12 42mmGoogle Pixel Watch 5 45mm
Cellular modelSame.
YesOfficial
YesOfficial
UK networks with eSIMDiffers, but not ranked.
EE, Vodafone, Three3rd party
EE, Vodafone3rd party
Wi-FiDiffers, but not ranked.
Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n)Official
802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax 2.4GHz, 5GHzOfficial
BluetoothDiffers, but not ranked.
5.3Official
6.0Official
NFC paymentsSame.
YesOfficial
YesOfficial

Compatibility

SpecificationApple Watch Series 12 42mmGoogle Pixel Watch 5 45mm
Works withDiffers, but not ranked.
iPhone 11 or later, including iPhone SE (2nd generation or later), with iOS 27 or laterOfficial
Works with most phones running on Android 12.0 or newer. Requires a Google Account and the Google Pixel Watch app.Official
CompatibilityDiffers, but not ranked.
iPhone onlyOfficial
Android; some features need a Google phoneOfficial
4 attributes neither watch has a sourced figure for

Strap width · Display size · Blood pressure · Cellular model price. Rows appear as sources are cited — a gap in our data, not a statement about either watch.

The pairs a buyer of either watch would also weigh. Any two watches in the catalogue can be compared from the chooser.