The Apple Watch Series 11 Needs to Catch Up to the Galaxy Watch in One Key Area

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I'm nearing the end of my first month with the Galaxy Watch 8 and Galaxy Watch 8 Classic, and for the first time in nearly a decade of reviewing wearables, I'm reluctant to switch back to the Apple Watch. That hesitation comes down to one surprising new addition: Gemini on the watch.

Samsung's latest watches were the first to debut with Google's Gemini AI assistant, and the experience has left a lasting impression. Gemini isn't just more conversational than previous voice assistants, it's smarter, faster and, most importantly, actually useful on a smartwatch. With Apple Watch season fast approaching, it's hard to ignore how far behind Siri now feels in comparison.

If I could ask for just one thing this year (OK, maybe two, battery life still matters), it's this: Give the Apple Watch an assistant that finally lives up to the rest of the Apple ecosystem. After seeing what Gemini can do, anything less feels like a missed opportunity.

Watch this: Gemini on the Galaxy Watch 8 Made Me a Believer

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Gemini on the wrist: surprisingly life changing

I had to consciously retrain myself to talk like a normal human when using Gemini, and remind myself to use my wrist instead of breaking out my phone for random inquiries that would've otherwise fallen on deaf ears. But once I did, it felt like unlocking a new layer of productivity I didn't know was possible on a tiny screen.

I'd all but given up on wrist-based voice assistants. Siri, Bixby (Samsung's version) and even Google Assistant on older watches often felt like clunky middlemen. I had to repeat commands, speak in robotic syntax and deal with web links I'd never open on a watch UI. Asking an assistant to set a timer for something as specific as a soft-boiled egg took multiple steps. Using an assistant to change a setting? Forget it. But Gemini turned that around for me.

Now, I can say, "Set a timer for a soft-boiled egg with a runny yolk," and get an instant 7-minute timer -- no follow-ups necessary. I can ask it to blast the volume on my watch during a run without so much as touching the screen. Or I can inquire about a landmark with a vague prompt like, "What's that famous church on a hill in San Francisco?" The result gave me accurate, audible directions to Grace Cathedral.

Gemini even handles multitasking with ease. I asked it to find a trendy Latin Fusion restaurant in San Francisco and message a friend (in Spanish) to see if they were free to join. The watch did all of that in one go.

It's time for Apple to catch up

Apple has made strides with WatchOS 26. The new Workout Buddy feature shows a glimpse of what AI could look like on the wrist, using real-time fitness data to encourage you mid-workout. And the new translation feature gives live text translation on the watch, as long as it's paired to an Apple Intelligence enabled phone.

But nothing yet addresses Siri's longstanding weaknesses: slow responses, minimal context and virtually no follow-through. And it's not like Apple isn't aware; the company has acknowledged it's working on a smarter Siri, but that update is now reportedly delayed until 2026. Meanwhile Apple's current AI efforts like image editing, Genmoji and tapping ChatGPT show promise. But they're all iPhone-first, and so far, nothing about Apple Intelligence seems designed to transform the Watch the way Gemini already has for Android.

I'm not expecting miracles from the Apple Watch Series 11, but there's an opportunity here. If Apple upgrades the watch's processor to better handle on-device tasks, it could pave the way for a more responsive, Gemini-like assistant that actually belongs on your wrist.

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