Google says the Pixel Watch 5 can beat Apple and Garmin for GPS accuracy — so I decided to test all three watches myself on the London Marathon course

Tech companies always love to make big claims.

Like the one Google made about the Pixel Watch 5: promised health, wellness and Wear OS improvements aside, there was one feature that my ears pricked up for.

Google stated that the Pixel Watch 5 included its most accurate GPS route tracking for exercise.

More interestingly, Google said that tracking outperformed the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and the Garmin Fenix 8 Pro .

I’ve used both of those smartwatches and I can confidently say they are two of the best performing smartwatches available for GPS route tracking.

I’ve listened to other smartwatch brands talk big about Apple and Garmin-beating performance.

Did I really believe Google was going to deliver? I was sceptical, given my experience of the GPS tracking on previous Pixel Watches.

But I still had my Fenix 8 Pro and Watch Ultra 3, which made for the perfect opportunity to see these promised performance gains for myself.

Having just recently made it through the millions in the ballot to secure a spot in the double-day 2027 London Marathon, my mind immediately went to the part of the marathon route I know causes major issues with GPS.

I grabbed my watches, jumped on a train, and then onto the DLR tram service to the Isle of Dogs, where the nearby tall skyscrapers always create difficult GPS conditions.

I ran miles 18-20 of the London Marathon course, and then did it in reverse, to put the Pixel Watch 5’s big GPS claims to the test. (Image credit: Future / Mike Sawh) How exactly does the Google Pixel Watch 5’s new GPS work? Before getting into how the testing went, it’s worth drilling down into just how Google says its GPS tracking outperforms the competition.

Like the Fenix 8 Pro and Watch Ultra 3, the Pixel Watch 5 includes dual-band GPS.

This means it can communicate to major satellites responsible for calculating our precise locations over two frequency bands.

This can help to boost tracking accuracy when moving through tall buildings, densely forested environments and even during adverse weather conditions.