I recently ran a 5K and completed a 5,000-step walk to compare fitness tracking across the new Pixel Watch 5, Galaxy Watch 9, and Garmin Cirqa. During the race, heart rate monitoring showed notable differences. The Samsung watch took nearly four minutes to sync, then spiked well above the others before stabilizing. Meanwhile, the two trackers remained closely aligned throughout most of the run.

GPS tracking presented mixed results. The Pixel Watch 5 failed to record the route due to a connection delay, though its distance calculation remained solid. The Galaxy Watch 9 proved highly accurate, logging 3.15 miles against the official 3.146-mile course. The Garmin Cirqa recorded 3.29 miles, likely influenced by connected phone GPS.

For step counting, all three devices performed reliably during the walk. The Pixel Watch 5 landed closest to the target at 5,027 steps, while the Galaxy Watch 9 reached 5,079 and the Cirqa finished at 5,012. Overall, each wearable handled daily tracking competently, with minor deviations depending on activity intensity and GPS connectivity.