<\/a><\/p>\n Related<\/p>\n \t\t I’m ignoring the looks, because everything else is fantastic<\/p>\n Pixel Watch 5 is a fantastic wearable<\/p>\n But it’s not the game-changer that I want it to be<\/p>\n Before anyone brands me a chronic Pixel Watch basher, hear me out: I genuinely appreciate the lineup.<\/p>\n I have followed Google’s wearables since the original Pixel Watch debuted. I repeatedly toyed with strapping one on my wrist, especially after adding the Pixel 9 Pro XL to my arsenal a year ago.<\/p>\n Before that, I gravitated toward the Fitbit Air. I have spent months wearing it, consistently enjoying its screen-less form factor and week-long battery.<\/p>\n Still, I miss having a screen to check notifications, take calls, or reply to messages on my wrist, or even glance at the time, as I can on a standalone smartwatch.<\/p>\n Eventually, this made me revisit my plans to upgrade my aging Huawei smartwatch this year.<\/p>\n I had set my sights on a Pixel Watch 5 before it was announced. I thought it would bring a cohesive experience with my Fitbit Air<\/a>, filling the gaps my tracker can’t cover.<\/p>\n However, when the new Pixel Watch 5 arrived, my enthusiasm evaporated, and my plan fell through.<\/p>\n Sure, it’s an exciting upgrade for those coming from the Pixel Watch 2 or even Watch 3, but as a long-time smartwatch user, I wasn’t instantly sold on it.<\/p>\n I wanted to justify it and find ways to fit it into my everyday use, but it still lacks the crucial upgrades I expected.<\/p>\n The minimal battery improvement is lackluster<\/p>\n It’s a figure that has changed little<\/p>\n I’ve worn smartwatches for well over a decade. Although I’ve switched to a handful of timepieces, they all share features I greatly prefer.<\/p>\n One is the long, unapologetic battery life. I appreciate that my current Huawei Watch GT 4 runs a week between charges.<\/p>\n That’s with a few workouts mixed in, constant connection with my phone, and the always-on display enabled.<\/p>\n That robust endurance has removed my battery anxiety about checking my smartwatch’s charge level or when I should plug it in.<\/p>\n I was waiting for that moment when Google would push closer to real-world battery champions. Or, at bare minimum, introduce a meaningful leap for the Pixel Watch 5.<\/p>\n Instead, we get an uninspired spec bump, specifically a minor battery capacity increase.<\/p>\n The smaller Pixel Watch 5 is rated for 30 hours, while the bigger model gets 10 more hours at 40. That’s not bad either.<\/p>\n The trouble is, the rated battery figures haven’t essentially changed from last year’s Pixel Watch 4.<\/p>\n Competitors have cracked the code<\/p>\n But Google is still catching up<\/p>\n Although we should expect slightly better battery life, the figures would be negligible in practice.<\/p>\n Real-world use would still yield a day on the smaller model and a day and a half on the bigger model.<\/p>\n Sure, you can turn off the always-on display and stretch it for another day. But that compromise remains laughable next to my current smartwatch.<\/p>\n I loved how Google handled the cell capacities, but it’s still a big trade-off that I would take if I ever switched to the Pixel Watch bandwagon.<\/p>\n It could have changed my mind if Google had delivered a notable change, but no.<\/p>\n Perhaps a few more hours would have made a difference, especially on the smaller Pixel Watch 5 model, which I was eyeing over the larger variant.<\/p>\n You could say I’m nitpicking, but brands like OnePlus have overcome battery woes in their Wear OS watches.<\/p>\n The OnePlus Watch 4 is rated at 100 hours, more than double compared to the Pixel Watch 5. Not only that, the older OnePlus Watch 2 has started this trend.<\/p>\n I don’t need Google to match those numbers, but I would appreciate continued genuine battery improvements each year, which were missing in this year’s Pixel Watch.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Related<\/p>\n \t\t In fact, it’s the opposite<\/p>\n Google might need the Ultra Pixel Watch<\/p>\n An option that fans have been asking for years<\/p>\n Although I’d prefer my next smartwatch to be lighter or more compact, I would be open to Google creating an Ultra model of the Pixel Watch in the name of battery.<\/p>\n I can take extra weight or add thickness, or even drop the sleek, unique domed look in exchange for double the battery life.<\/p>\n I know many people would take these trade-offs rather than be stuck with the standard Pixel Watch models and a day’s battery.<\/p>\n It’s frustrating that Google has been stuck with the same Pixel Watch models for years, while Samsung, Motorola, and Apple have long offered a more robust smartwatch.<\/p>\n More options have always benefited consumers. That’s something I wish Google would follow with the Pixel Watch.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Related<\/p>\n
\n ![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1789953851_995_pixel-watch-5-pocket.JPG\"\/)
<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\tI tested the Pixel Watch 5 and discovered Google’s best smartwatch yet
\n\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Huawei](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/google-fitbit-air-smart-fitness-tracker-and-huawei-smartwatch-gt-4-on-a-wrist.jpg\"){kind=tracking}
<\/p>\n![\"Google](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/google-pixel-smartphone-with-health-fitness-app-opened-and-a-fitbit-air-tracker.jpg\"){kind=tracking}
<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/oneplus-watch-3-43-charging.JPG\")
<\/p>\n
\n ![\"Google](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/google-pixel-watch-5-on-a-wrist-against-a-green-abstract-background.jpg\"\/)
<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\tI’ve figured out what the Pixel Watch needs; it’s not better hardware
\n\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Motorola](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/motorola-moto-watch-ultra-vs-pixel-watch-5.jpg\"){kind=tracking}
<\/p>\n
\n <\/p>\n