Readers' favorite Galaxy Watch 9 alternative might come as a surprise

It’s been a few weeks since the Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 series debuted, bringing Wear OS fans a brand-new smartwatch for fitness tracking and beyond.

Although the new $380 device includes additional smart features and hardware, it’s also a little pricier this year. Its premium is even more apparent when compared to the Galaxy Watch 8‘s sale price, which regularly dips to around $300 at major retailers.

As a consumer, you can choose to accept this price increase or look for something else. So what do our readers believe is the best Galaxy Watch 9 alternative? My colleague Roydon Cerejo offered up his five candidates, and in a poll running alongside his feature article, we asked you to vote for your favorite.

So, which device won the contest? Well, the winner may come as a surprise to many — it certainly did me.

This was a remarkably tight race. We received just under 2,300 votes here, but four devices were in the running for the best Galaxy Watch 9 alternative.

Garmin’s Venu series is back in vogue

The winner isn’t Samsung or Google, but Garmin. 22.9% of respondents voted for the Garmin Venu 4 as their preferred alternative to the Galaxy Watch 9.

For the most part, the Venu 4 isn’t as “smart” as Wear OS equivalents, lacking the OS integration and app suite that Google’s platform offers. However, the Venu 4 certainly impresses in its health and wellness tracking feature suite, offers greater battery endurance than the Galaxy Watch 9, and offers a choice between two body sizes.

In second place, with 22.3% and just 12 votes behind, comes the Pixel Watch 4. Notably, this survey was conducted before the release of the fifth-generation model, yet it indicates that Google’s smartwatch line remains one of the fiercest rivals to the Galaxy Watch series.

A surprise third-place finisher (20.7%) is the Amazfit Balance 2. Arguably a better product on paper with its 32GB of internal storage and three-week battery life, the Balance 2 is a steal for $300. However, those who aren’t fond of Amazfit’s health-tracking software might be put off.

Samsung’s smartwatches sink to the bottom

Bringing up the rear are Samsung’s two previous smartwatch models. The Galaxy Watch 8 received 19% of the vote, while the Watch 7 accrued 9.9%. When their results are combined, one could argue that more readers would prefer to purchase an older Galaxy Watch over an alternative from another firm, but given that both watches fall behind the likes of Garmin, Google, and Amazfit, the results could also suggest that Samsung’s wearables are slowly losing their appeal.

A further 5.2% of respondents see none of the listed devices as worthwhile Galaxy Watch 9 alternatives, and offered their own recommendations in the comments. Devices mentioned include the OPPO Watch X3, the HUAWEI GT6 41mm, and the Garmin Venu 3.

Do you believe the Garmin Venu 4 is the best alternative to the Galaxy Watch 9? If not, what would you buy instead? Let’s discuss in the comments.