The fourth-generation smartwatch delivers where it matters: longer battery life, fast charging, and a legacy for longevity.
The Google Pixel Watch is officially in its Apple Watch era. It's good news for us, the users of these products, because it may mean we can buy better-looking watch bands in the future that don't cost $30 to $50 each. (My kingdom for an AliExpress knock-off watchband that's more than just a solid color and flower pattern.) And it's a win for Google, as this justifies the gamble the company took when it rebranded its house devices under the Pixel moniker.
It's also good news for the Pixel Watch's staying power. Google made hardware you can invest in. Like the Apple Watch, every new model is now merely a consideration for those who were ready to update. On the Apple side, users typically wait three generations before updating their models. Pixel Watch users are poised for a similar legacy.
The Pixel Watch 4 looks like ...a Pixel Watch. At first glance, there's not much that's discernible between the Pixel Watch 3 and Pixel Watch 4. The major change between the third- and fourth-generation watches is the domed Actua 360 display, which is now as bright as the Apple Watch Ultra's. The differences are incredibly subtle when you view the two smartwatches side by side. The very slightly sloped base of the Pixel Watch 4 sits better on the skin than the Pixel Watch 3. Notifications and Nest camera previews are also easier to glance at with the reduced bezels.
Google sent me the Pixel Watch 4 in 45mm in the color Moonstone, which is a decidedly blue shade, although Google lists it as gray and light silver. Obsidian and Porcelain are the two other options, black and white, respectively. If color is what you're looking for, the smaller 41mm Pixel Watch 4 is the ideal choice. In addition to black and white, it comes in Iris, a lavender-purple hue, and Lemongrass, which features a yellow-gold-green palette.
The Pixel Watch 4 45mm in various angles. The last slide shows its side-charging mechanism. Image: Florence Ion/ Android Faithful
You won't sacrifice core functionality when choosing between the Pixel Watch in 41mm or 45mm. The main differences between the two are display and battery size: the Pixel Watch 4 in 41mm has a 1.33-inch display with a 325mAh battery. The Pixel Watch 4 in 45mm features a 1.49-inch display and a 455mAh battery. If you're in it for the long haul, the Pixel Watch 4 is one of the most repairable smartwatches Google has ever built—again, trending well for its longevity.
The Pixel Watch 4 runs on Google's Hybrid Compute Architecture. It's similar to OnePlus's dual-engine architecture, though OnePlus's version runs a different operating system on the co-processor. The Pixel Watch 4 uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 Gen 2 chip, which handles Wear OS tasks like graphics and GPS, with a co-processor handling lower-demand background tasks like step tracking and timekeeping. That low-power mode is even tuned to handle on-device Gemini workloads, like Smart Reply suggestions for messages.
The co-processor on the Pixel Watch 4 assists with the Raise to Talk gesture for Gemini. Let me be clear that if your primary reason for wearing a smartwatch is to talk to Google Gemini, we're not there yet. There is no cosplaying Inspector Gadget here, or whatever other character you envisioned yourself talking to on your wrist. It works, but not every time. I have to exaggerate my wrist rotation to get it to show up. If I need Gemini, I prefer talking to it through the Pixel Buds 2a. It's so much more seamless than physically attempting to engage it on the watch.
The dual-processor scheme is what helps the Pixel Watch 4's battery endure through almost two full days. I was at 51% battery a day and a half off the charger, and that's with sleeping with the watch and checking in on live Nest camera feeds. The Pixel Watch 4 lasted two nights of sleep. In the morning, I had about 18% battery left. That's too low for me to track a workout outside the house, and that's when it is time to charge.
The side-mounted charging dock needs some fine-tuning. I like the concept of waking up to the little clock-watch that's propped up on the nightstand. I've been hiding my phone in a drawer when I get into bed so I don't bother touching it, so the watch still gives me access to Google Home controls I need and the current time. But there's something about the way it docks that is not vibing with me. It's the Pixel Watch 4's watch bands, which splay out like a protruding pair of tentacles with no body to claim. It's awkward on the nightstand like this.
When the Pixel Watch 4 needs juice, it charges fast! Google promises 50% battery life in 15 minutes. I placed the Pixel Watch 4 on the charger and plugged it into a 65W power brick; it charged to 70% in just 25 minutes. There's still charging to be done here, but it will be less frequent than Pixel Watches of the past.
I just got over a month of consecutive COVID and strep throat. I did not have the gumption to go all out with fitness tests during my short time with the Pixel Watch 4 in 45mm. I've ordered the Pixel Watch 4 in 41mm, hoping to re-experience Fitbit and see whether it offers anything more than the Oura Ring (Gen 4) I wear nearly constantly. So far, Fitbit has been much more forgiving with sleep time than the Oura Ring has, often showing I slept longer than I did with the smart ring.
I did a few light Peloton workouts with the Pixel Watch 4 synced up. It was a relatively smooth experience to pair it as a heart rate monitor. I also appreciate that Fitbit workouts directly sync with Strava. I'm waiting for the Gemini-powered Personal AI Health Coach to become available later this season, hoping it'll help me make decent progress in my recovery. For now, I sleep with the watch and continue my light workouts. I'm also testing whether Health Connect can sync Oura Ring data with Fitbit for when I'm not wearing the smartwatch.
If you buy the LTE version of the Pixel Watch 4, in either size, it comes with satellite SOS. It lets you send an emergency text message when you're outside Wi-Fi or cellular network coverage. The ability relies on satellite and works even when the paired phone isn't nearby. The only bummer is that it's currently limited to the cellular watch model. I ended up buying the smaller Pixel Watch 4 without LTE since I already have the latest Pixel 10 Pro with built-in emergency satellite connectivity. I'm glad we're getting to a point where this is standardized across premium smartphones and wearables.
The Pixel Watch 4 is Android's equivalent of the Apple Watch. It's the standard third-party OEMs will have to meet going forward. I was dismissive about it when it was first announced alongside the new Pixel smartphones since I just switched to the 45mm Pixel Watch 3 last year after nearly three years with the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4. In these dire economic times, there is no valid reason to upgrade from one generation to another. But if you're coming from a Pixel Watch 1 or 2, this is going to feel like a leap ahead where Google's smartwatches used to be.
