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

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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.

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.