Sign in to your Android Police account

It’s very easy to recommend any of the Google Pixel 10 series phones due to the excellent cameras, slick software, and cool designs. Surely then, it’s just as easy to tell people to go out and buy the Google Pixel Watch 4?

Well, sort of. While it’s good, it doesn’t quite reach the same heights as the latest Pixel phone range, but does that mean you should put your money elsewhere? Time to find out in our review.

Google Pixel Watch 4

8*/10*

Case Material Aluminum

Case size 41mm / 45mm

Display AMOLED

CPU Snapdragon W5 Gen 2

The Google Pixel Watch 4 comes in two sizes, but if you want long battery life, the 45mm is the one to choose. Google’s Wear OS 6 is the other major success here.

Pros & Cons

• Two case sizes

• Excellent Wear OS 6 software

• More than two days of battery life

• Fitbit app is great for fitness addicts

• Handy fast charge feature

• Repairable

• Plain design

• Fitbit data can be off

• No sapphire glass

Price, specs, and availability

There are two versions of the Google Pixel Watch 4, one with a 41mm case and another with a 45mm case. The 41mm model costs $349, and the 45mm model costs $399. And if you add another $100 to both prices, you’ll get LTE connectivity instead of just a Wi-Fi connection.

Each comes in a series of different colors. The 41mm comes in Iris, Porcelain, Lemongrass, or Obsidian. The 45 mm has a slightly less varied palette, available in Obsidian, Porcelain, or Moonstone. You can see a 45mm in Moonstone in our photos. Each comes with a matching Active Band, but other band types are available.

The Pixel Watch 4 syncs with the Fitbit app on your phone, which is free to use but does offer additional features as part of its optional, subscription-based Premium package, which costs $10 per month.

You can buy the Pixel Watch 4 directly from Google, through Amazon, and various retail stores including Best Buy.

Specifications

Case size 41mm / 45mm

Case Material Aluminum

Display AMOLED

CPU Snapdragon W5 Gen 2

RAM 2GB

Storage 32GB

Battery 325mAh / 455 mAh

Cellular connectivity 4G LTE

Bluetooth V6

Software Wear OS 6

Dimensions 12.3mm thick

Weight 32g / 36.7g (without band)

IP Rating IP68

Always on display Yes

Sensors Compass, Altimeter, Red and infrared sensors, Multipurpose electrical sensors, Multi-path optical heart rate sensor, 3-axis accelerometer, Ambient light sensor, Far field skin temperature, Barometer, Magnetometer

Display glass Corning Gorilla Glass 5

Is this a beautiful smartwatch?

It depends on your definition

Since the Pixel Watch 4 was released, I’ve seen social media posts and other reviews that call the Pixel Watch 4 stunning, beautiful, and “a looker.” Design and beauty is subjective, but I must be looking at a different smartwatch, because to me, the Pixel Watch 4 is plain.

I understand that one person’s plain is another’s minimalist chic, but the Pixel Watch 4’s circular case lacks identity, unless you consider having no distinctive flair at all an identity. It means I haven’t felt anything for the Pixel Watch 4. It’s a piece of technology on my wrist, and nothing more.

However, it is a very comfortable smartwatch to wear. The aluminum case is neatly curved, the rear glass is smooth, and the small crown never pokes into my wrist. It did get a bit sweaty where the case back presses against my wrist, but never to the point I want to take it off.

The special domed Corning Gorilla Glass 5 over the screen is raised a little more than before and does look good, but it’s hardly an outstanding visual feature, and it can catch a lot of reflections. I don’t find the standard collection of watch faces to be that inspiring, which doesn’t help elevate its style.

There’s a tiny physical button above the crown on the side of the smartwatch, but it’s barely noticeable and easily forgotten. A single press displays recent apps, a double tap displays Google Wallet, and a long press launches Google Gemini. You can’t customize it either.

I wish I had something more to say about the Pixel Watch 4’s design. I’m very pleased there are two case sizes, the proprietary strap system works well, and it fits under my shirt cuff. Unlike the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8, I never felt like I wanted to wear it though. I appreciate it’s not a mechanical watch, but anything you put on your body should make you feel good in some way. Otherwise, why bother?

The Pixel Watch 4 will neither excite nor disappoint in terms of design. It’s as middle-of-the-road as designs get, but at least it’s comfortable and unobtrusive.

Excellent software

Almost makes up for the design

The Pixel Watch 4 has Google’s Wear OS 6 installed, and it has been redesigned to fit with the brand’s Material 3 Expressive style and usability. It’s a real success, and it makes the Pixel Watch 4 one of the most enjoyable, most natural-to-use smartwatches you can buy.

How? Everything flows so well, from the way icons and buttons form around the circular screen, to the large, easy-to-view and interact-with tiles; it genuinely feels like it has been designed for use on your wrist.

How about some examples? Some Tiles have multiple elements, such as Maps and the Weather app, but none of the smaller parts look out of place or difficult to tap. The icons make it clear (mostly) what each one does, so you’re never struggling to work out what to do next.

Because Wear OS 6’s colors are customizable, and the palette has been expanded, you can change the look to help you see the information more clearly, or help it match your phone or outfit. The software makes the Pixel Watch 4 more fun, more vibrant, and more enjoyable than the hardware design ever could.

Interacting with the watch

Screens and buttons

To use the Pixel Watch 4’s software, you swipe the screen or twist and press the digital crown. I’m giving this its own section in the review because there are important things to know about both methods.

Let’s start with the positives. The screen is very responsive to your touch, unless it’s being woken up from a long period of inactivity, when it takes a moment to get itself going. You swipe to the side to see Tiles, up to see notifications, and down for Quick Settings.

You will need to spend some time editing the Tiles, as the default ones aren’t always relevant. I wonder how many will need the Safety Check Tile, for example, but Google chose to make it a standard entry.

Menus can be navigated using the crown, and a twist is accompanied by some neat haptic feedback, just like notifications. I’ve had it at the maximum setting, and while the effect is very pleasant, I still miss some of the subtler pokes from it. The crown is also quite small, and the push button action doesn’t have a pleasing motion at all.

Google’s decision to use Gorilla Glass over the screen hurts the Pixel Watch 4. It’s just not very tactile, and feels more like plastic than it does glass. There’s none of the smoothness you get from sapphire crystal, separating it from the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic.

Like the design, the Pixel Watch 4’s touch points are a disappointment, especially when comparing it to the competition.

Battery and charging

A surprising strong point

I’ve been wearing the 45mm Pixel Watch 4 which has a 455mAh battery inside, much larger than the 41mm’s 325mAh cell. This is important, because I’ve had great battery life from the 45mm, but I doubt the 41mm will come close to matching it.

On a single charge with general use, the always-on screen active, and including both sleep and a single 30-minute workout tracked each day, the Pixel Watch 4’s battery lasts for just about three days. Ignore sleep or workout tracking, and it’ll stretch into day four.

This is excellent performance, and puts the Pixel Watch 4 up with smartwatches like the TicWatch Pro 5 Enduro for battery life. However, just to reiterate, do not expect the same performance if you buy the 41mm version. For some comparison, the 41mm Galaxy Watch 8 also has a 325mAh cell, and the battery lasted for a single day during my review.

The Pixel Watch 4 recharges using a special plinth that holds the smartwatch vertically on its side, so the screen shows a little bedside clock-style view. It’s a decent solution, and more elegant than a magnetic puck or attachment.

Unfortunately, this means the charging pins are located on the side of the Pixel Watch 4’s body. Although not visible when wearing the smartwatch, I prefer the seamless look achieved by placing the charging points on the back of the watch.

It takes a little over an hour to fully charge the battery from flat, but I’ve found the 15-minute quick charge system to be really useful, as it adds around 45% to 50% in one short burst, which is more than enough for a single day and night.

Fitbit and fitness tracking

Lots of data, some odd scores

The Pixel Watch requires both Google’s Wear OS app and the Fitbit app to function properly. There are multiple fitness and health Tiles available on the watch, showing instant data on your heart rate, sleep, and steps, plus there’s quick access to workouts on the watch too.

It’s all very well presented due to Material 3 Expressive, and all the Tiles can be rearranged and altered, so you can make the watch’s software appear and function just as you like. For example, you can focus it entirely on health and fitness, or ignore it altogether.

The Fitbit app is a mixed bag. It’s fast to sync, and there’s a host of information and data in it, but I rarely feel like it’s “on my side,” as it really just presents information to me. I’ve also noticed some of its metrics, which are supposed to be “about me,” appear off, and it doesn’t give me confidence in its advice.

Here’s an example. After you’ve worn the Pixel Watch 4 for a while, Fitbit will start to show a Readiness score between one and 100, based on various metrics, to inform you about how you’re set for the day. My scores have been all over the place, with very low to average being common, even when I’m feeling fine.

What concerns me is the dramatic difference between Fitbit’s score and the Oura Ring 4’s Readiness score. On the most recent day, Fitbit gave me a terrible Readiness Score of 22, while the Oura Ring 4 gave me a 79. That’s a massive difference. Looking at the data, a 10bpm discrepancy in resting heart rate stood out most. For reference, I felt well rested and ready for the day.

Neither are medical devices, but I’ve used the Oura Ring 4 to compare data recorded by Samsung Health and Apple Health over the last months, and almost all the time they are all very close to each other. Perhaps I need to wear the Pixel Watch 4 for longer so it better understands my baselines, but it’s something to be aware of if you also see low scores early on in Pixel Watch 4 ownership.

Tracking workouts and FitBit Premium

Think hard before paying

Where Fitbit really excels is in the amount of data it presents after a workout, as well as the clarity of its graphs. Track a run and there’s everything from heart rate zones and split pace to ground contact time and step cadence.

It’s all informative and interesting. Track more than 10 runs, and you get an indication of personal range, showing where you’re improving. For sleep, you get a timeline graph, a sleep score, and some basic data points.

What’s interesting is how different these two key tracking elements feel. Sleep is practically an afterthought, at least compared to the Oura Ring 4, but the fitness and exercise tracking is far more informative. The lesson here is, Fitbit and the Pixel Watch 4 are far more about an active life, while the Oura Ring 4 better suits lifestyle tracking. Know which one is for you before buying.

Elsewhere, you get data on your heart rate, body temperature, and a Health Metrics graph, which works like Vitals on theApple Watch Series 11, showing key metrics in one place. There’s more than enough information for most people, and it’s presented in an easy-to-read way.

The Pixel Watch 4 does have auto workout tracking, but it doesn’t alert you mid-workout; instead, it delivers results when it recognizes you’re finished. It’s moderately successful, but often needs editing to make sure times and categories are correct.

What about Fitbit Premium? Pay $10 per month to see more than just your Sleep Score and Stress Management Score, plus gain access to workouts, mindfulness sessions, and recipes. Even with Fitbit Premium, the Pixel Watch 4’s sleep tracking isn’t great, but some may find the workouts fun and motivational.

Fitbit Premium is by no means essential, unlike the Oura Ring 4’s subscription, which is a welcome feature. Give it a try to see if you like the workouts, and cancel if they don’t.

A word about Body Response

Some clarification from Google

During my time testing the Pixel Watch 4, I’ve had repeated Body Response notifications, telling me I’ve been stressed or excited. The notifications were so frequent and unexpected that I wrote a separate article about them before completing my full review.

Following this, I received some clarification on how the feature worked, and it was also confirmed that Body Response is not active by default. I’ve likely turned it on in the past while testing a Fitbit device, and it has carried over to the Pixel Watch 4.

Body Response is designed to alert you after a stressful situation, allowing you to reflect on what caused it and potentially helping you avoid or mitigate it in the future. There’s an interesting blog on how Body Response was trained, which helped me better understand the feature.

However, I have kept the feature switched off despite this. I found the number of alerts didn’t fit in with the way I felt, or suitably reflect the circumstances. Therefore, it didn’t provide any value. It’s unfortunate, as the concept is intriguing, and few other wearables have such a proactive approach to stress.

A repairable smartwatch

But will you want to do it?

The Google Pixel Watch 4 has been designed for repairability, a feature you won’t really find anywhere else in the smartwatch world.

In an extensive iFixit teardown, you can see how (relatively) easy it is to take the Pixel Watch 4 apart, and gain access to components you’ll be able to replace without taking it to a specialist. Google even supplies its own service manual for the Pixel Watch 4.

At the time of writing, it’s hard to find official replacement parts — which are expected to include the battery and the screen — so prices are unknown. Despite the “easy” repairability of the Pixel Watch 4, you’ll still need specialist tools, patience, and a steady hand to carry out any repair.

Google should be applauded for making the Pixel Watch 4 more repairable than many other smartwatches, but as to how many people who buy it will attempt it themselves rather than entrusting it to an expert remains to be seen.

Should you buy the Google Pixel Watch 4?

The Google Pixel Watch 4 is a recommended smartwatch purchase, but rather than being an absolute recommendation, the design and touch points let it down, and I’d suggest those who look at it and feel nothing, and want a high-quality tactile experience, to consider the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 or the OnePlus Watch 3 instead.

For those who see beauty where I see, well, not that, the recommendation becomes much higher. Wear OS 6 is excellent, from the design to the speed, and it makes the Pixel Watch 4 really enjoyable to use.

Fitbit is great if you’re a motivated fitness fan, but less so if you’re looking for more lifestyle-focused tracking. However, the app is easy to understand, and starting exercise or tracking stats on the watch is simple. The choice of case sizes, repairability, excellent software, and long battery life make the Pixel Watch 4 the best Pixel Watch I’ve used. Provided you’re a fan of the design, you’ll be really pleased with your purchase.

Google Pixel Watch 4

8*/10*

Case Material Aluminum

Case size 41mm / 45mm

Display AMOLED

CPU Snapdragon W5 Gen 2

The Google Pixel Watch 4 puts the brilliant Wear OS 6 software inside a plain, but comfortable case, and adds in at least two or three days of battery life to make a conveninent, easy-to-live smartwatch.