Google and Samsung are the most popular brands in the technological world. With the evolving population, it is becoming more and more important to maintain technological advancement in operation. Smartwatches are gradually taking over the routine, mundane and traditional watches. Google Wear OS and Samsung Tizen have become major choices for a smartwatch user.
So, what is essential while buying a smartwatch then? The answer is simple. Like every other technology, smartwatches also depend on its OS i.e., operating software. It all narrows down to two of the best brands, Google and Samsung, which offer their operation compatibility to both Android and iOS users.
Wear OS and Tizen have been compared to since the start of smart users. There is an uncanny difference between what these products have to offer to their customers, which gives them a competitive advantage over the other.
Samsung first introduced Tizen in the Galaxy Gear series (2013) while Google added Android Wear a year later in partnership with Samsung in 2014. Google later changed its name to Wear OS in 2018.
Some of the most desired questions by a potential user before the purchase of the products are answered below:
What Apps Do Wear OS and Tizen Offer?
Wear OS and Tizen both have similar applications to offer. It means that you are provided a limited version of selected applications. You can find the frequently used apps, namely Spotify, Uber, and Strava, working well with both OS. Likewise, the vast amount of apps come from smaller third-party developers or the OS vendor themselves i.e., Samsung and Google.
Wear OS has a fair advantage over Tizen as major Google apps are easily applicable, such as Google Maps, Gmail, and Google Calendar. Samsung driven Tizen gives you compatibility with the Samsung apps like calendar, alarm clock, music, reminders, and other applications such as Spotify, Uber, and Outlook, while Google Wear OS offers you more compatibility with Google apps, including all of the above.
Verdict: Wear OS
What Can Wear OS and Tizen Do: Health and Fitness?
As a smartwatch user, you will find that almost every Wear OS smartwatch will provide you Google fit, which tracks your health and fitness. This ensures that your walking, running, cycling, and varieties of other activities are monitored. One thing missing from Wear OS will be sleep tracking.
Google Wear OS will provide you a much better interface with easy control options for a small screen with continuous improvement in its Google Fit app. It optimizes your third party apps and syncs automatically to your mobile phone! What a relief! You will not need to do the extra task after all those healthy exercises at hand!
Likewise, Tizen also competes to have a better outlook on health and fitness. Galaxy watches have a host of sensors like heart rate sensors and a barometer for the outdoor adventures you go to. You will get to experience an automatic exercise recognition with Samsung’s Health platforms. While both Wear OS and Tizen compete for the neck to neck, Tizen has a slight upper hand in this sector. The Galaxy Watch Active and Active2 can measure your blood pressure with an app. Tizen is more updated in the health and fitness sector. Google Fit acknowledged providing such updates, but they have not yet been approved into the market.
However, if you want the health applications to be more supportive of third-party apps through Google Fit, Wear OS is your best friend.
Verdict: Tizen OS
What Type of Interface Does Wear OS and Tizen Have?
The interface of both Wear OS and Tizen OS is similar after the major update of Wear OS, adding the full-screen tiles.
Wear OS has the watch face displaying you the notifications of all sorts. You can now swipe up to see the notifications on your watch face. A swipe down will take you to quick settings, and the center side button will open your list of apps. Lastly, the swipe side will showcase your installed apps in widgets, popularly known as tiles.
Tizen OS has similar features with only jumbled the functions of what the swipes do. Tiles are on the right side of the watch face while the notifications are on the left. Similar to Wear OS, the swipe up and side buttons have the same functions of showing the quick settings and list of apps.
In this sector, the performance of Tizen OS is better than that of Wear OS. You might find that the Samsung Tizen enables faster processing of the swipes and gestures than that of Wear OS smartwatches. However, if you are willing to buy a Wear OS watch with 1GB of RAM, like the Fossil Gen 5 and Skagen Falster 3, it might be slightly less noticeable though still low in performance.
Verdict: Tizen OS
What Are the Updates and Features in Wear OS and Tizen?
Updates are important in any technological product. Both the products have evolved to a better self, crafted by the constant need of their customers. Wear OS and Tizen compete to provide the best for you.
Tizen has both a touchscreen and a touch-sensitive bezel for you to scroll and operate. On the other hand, Wear OS gives you more access to hardware with a touchscreen and some physical buttons to function various operations in the smartwatch.
Likewise, you will have the features of Google Pay for Google operating system and Samsung Pay for Tizen to make mobile payments. Similarly, the on-board GPS option is specialized for you by Wear OS and also on new versions of Galaxy smartwatches.
Furthermore, you can easily make calls through your smartwatch from both the Galaxy Watch and the Galaxy Watch Active 2 as well as Wear OS models. Both of Google Wear OS and Tizen provide features of:
- heart monitoring,
- multi-language support,
- step tracking,
- swim tracking,
- location tracking,
- swipe typing,
- emoji support, and
- voice typing
Verdict: Wear OS
How Does Wear OS and Tizen Work With Apple or iOS?
In this sector, Samsung Tizen is more flexible in operation. We all are well aware of the evergoing battle between Android and Apple in the global world market. Hence, Google Wear OS is supportive of Android apps while it does support some of the iPhone facilities. Apple is also more inclined towards its support for the Apple watch. Hence, you can always get notifications from your iPhone on your smartwatch supported by Google watch and Tizen. However, it cannot sync to facilities like Apple messages or Apple Health.
In such a context, you can say that a Google Wear OS will better function with an Android phone and Samsung Tizen with a Samsung phone. Though it does not have much problem if paired with your iPhone if you steer clear of the Apple apps. In the future, if there are necessary updates made to the system, your smartwatch might have difficulties connecting to your Apple iPhone. However, both Google and Samsung will work their best to support you in such a situation.
Verdict: Draw
Which Assistant Do Wear OS and Tizen Use?
As clear as day, the Wear OS, being led by Google, uses Google assistant. This is the part where you can rely on the fact that Wear OS is better. You can give instructions and question Google’s assistant through your voice. The simple tasks like playing music, asking the weather updates, and sending messages are taken care of by your smartwatch itself with the help of Google assistant. If you plan on buying a Bluetooth speaker enabled watch, you might as well hear the assistant aloud. Though the assistant may crash saying “Something went wrong” now and then, it is an arguable plus point to the Google operating system smartwatches.
Tizen allows you to communicate with Bixby. Samsung Bixby gives you fair chances to start your timers, check the weather, send important texts, and complete other tasks at hand. However, the use of Bixby is still in the development phase concerning its functions and integrations.
Verdict: Wear OS
Also Read: Xiaomi Mi Band 4C vs Oppo Band: Which One’s Better?
What Type of Designs Are Offered by the Brands?
You might find Fossil Group watches support Wear OS in the market and its various sub-brands, including Misfit, Diesel, Skagen, and others. With the numerous models that the Fossil group has to offer, you will have tons of choices to make from the best designs. Moto360 and other models created are new to the list of Wear OS watches.
Samsung offers you entirely two unique models, the Galaxy Watch and Galaxy Watch Active2. The Galaxy Watch is bigger sized for people who love the use of technology but also want to maintain the traditional vibe with the spinning bezels. Galaxy Watch Active2 is slimmer in size and looks digital in view.
They say “you do not judge a book by its cover”. It is always your own particular choice that makes you unique and aesthetic. Thus, the design you choose is entirely your decision. The way it looks on you is accentuated by your confidence and affection towards the smartwatch design you choose. However, with Wear OS, you will have a variety of designs that you can choose from as it collaborates with various developers of smartwatches like Fossil group, Motorola, Mobvoi, and many more.
Verdict: Draw
Pros and cons
By the above explanations, you might have got some idea of what Wear OS and Tizen OS have to offer to you. There are areas where Google’s operating system is better, and in some cases, Tizen OS has the upper hand. There are pros and cons of both the brands, Google and Samsung. We will be looking at the points to consider before you buy any of the products these brands have to offer.
Starting with Wear OS, the pros and cons are:
| Pros | Cons |
| Different and unique designs to choose from. | Needs battery improvements |
| The Assistant is better and smarter than most. | Minor bugs in the operation |
| The updated version of navigation is more intuitive. | Needs improvement regarding trackers of health and fitness |
| Access to Google Playstore | Need to download a Wear OS app to connect. |
| Onboard GPS | Constraints with iOS |
| The facility of Microphone and Speaker |
Next, Tizen’s pros and cons include the following:
| Pros | Cons |
| Capacitive bezel for navigation | No access to Google Play ( Less accessibility to apps in Tizen) |
| App development is easier to run in Tizen | Has fewer designs to offer |
| Easy and quick access to settings | Bixby has a lot more to do in its development as an assistant. |
| Interface customizable according to user | Fewer updates and features |
| More power to the battery through Samsung premium devices like download booster and ultra power saving modes | Needs updates on GPS |
| Easy multitasking and fast processing | Constraints with iOS |
| Has better health and fitness apps |
Which One to Choose Between Google Wear OS and Samsung Tizen OS?
From the above points, we hope that most of your questions are answered. The difficult decision of which to choose when you think to buy between Google Wear OS and Samsung Tizen OS purely depends on what you find more important in your smartwatch.
If you want to focus on health and fitness, attractive interface, and the pros mentioned above, then surely Samsung Tizen is your go-to. It will assist you in making your life healthy and easy.
Similarly, if you want background apps, Google-friendly watches with attractive designs, you will have to choose Google watch.
Analyze the previous table about the pros and cons of both the smartwatches to decide your brand new smartwatch. These are only some points that you will find handy. Nevertheless, you will have to use the product to know exactly how it works and whether or not you will like it. Every person has a unique taste, and you never know what you want until you have it!
In a nutshell, you can have varieties of smartwatches to choose from; the best decision would be to choose the best in your ability that satisfies your thinking of what a perfect smartwatch should do. We hope you grabbed some ideas from this article!
