{"id":93156,"date":"2025-10-20T19:01:24","date_gmt":"2025-10-20T19:01:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/93156\/"},"modified":"2025-10-20T19:01:24","modified_gmt":"2025-10-20T19:01:24","slug":"pixel-watch-4-in-depth-review-where-does-it-fit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/93156\/","title":{"rendered":"Pixel Watch 4 In-Depth Review: Where Does It Fit?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

The new Pixel Watch 4 is here, and with it satellite emergency SOS communications, as well as more battery life, a brighter display, and deeper AI integration with new Gemini features. The Pixel Watch 4 is best viewed as a large slate of minor to moderate hardware tweaks, alongside a slate of software improvements. For example, there\u2019s a new mode to stream your fitness metrics while cycling to your phone \u2013 ideal for commuting (or those that don\u2019t quite want to commit to a dedicated bike computer). As well as a slate of new sports\/activity profiles.<\/p>\n

But most of the changes are indeed at the hardware layer, even if it doesn\u2019t look like it from the outside. The display is bigger, but with reduced bezels. That display is also brighter, up to 3,000 nits. Likewise, they\u2019ve added a dual-frequency GPS antenna inside, and increased the battery specs up to 25% more. Plus, they increased the vibration motor too. Along with slightly increasing the speaker volume. Individually, these are all semi-minor things, but in concert, it\u2019s a solid hardware iteration.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been putting the watch through it\u2019s paces over the last little while (and even having my wife do some workouts with it too), to see how it handles across both daily life and workouts alike.<\/p>\n

With that, let\u2019s dive into it!<\/p>\n

What\u2019s New:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a pretty solid swath of new features on the Pixel Watch 4, both internal hardware changes as well as software feature changes, including a pile of new sports profiles too:<\/p>\n

\u2013 Added satellite SOS emergency assistance feature (no cellular coverage required)
\u2013 Increased display brightness by 50%, now at 3,000 nit display
\u2013 Display is 10% larger, with a 16% smaller bezel
\u2013 Display panel is now domed underneath (previously, it was just the top curved glass piece)
\u2013 Vibration\/Haptic motor increased strength by 15%
\u2013 Speaker volume increased slightly, but more specifically tuned better for voice (e.g., Gemini responses)
\u2013 New chipsets (still dual-chipset architecture), but now operating 25% faster, but only drawing 50% of the power as before
\u2013 Battery specs are 25% longer than before
\u2013 Battery charging is faster, now 0 to 50% in 15 minutes
\u2013 Switched to (another) new magnetic charging dock
\u2013 Added user-serviceable battery and display (user can swap it out themselves with just a simple T2 Torx screwdriver)
\u2013 Added dual-frequency GNSS\/GPS
\u2013 Updated skin temperature sensor to increase accuracy
\u2013 Added about a dozen new sports profiles (see list below), bringing total to 50 sports profiles
\u2013 Added watch to phone screen mirroring of data metrics during cycling (called \u2018Bike Realtime Streaming\u2019)
\u2013 Added new AI-powered workout\/activity recognition algorithm to substantially increase hyper-specific types (more details below)
\u2013 Added new sleep tracking algorithms, which Google says increase sleep phase\/stage detection by 18%
\u2013 Revamping the Fitbit app (coming later this year)
\u2013 Revamped Fitbit app will feature new Fitbit Premium Personal Health Coach, with substantial AI features (see below)
\u2013 Watch now uses Wear OS 6.0, including Material 3 UI
\u2013 Wear OS 6.0 now has AI smart replies to texts via Gemini, among other Gemini integration features
\u2013 Still uses Corning Gorilla Glass as before, still 50-meter waterproof spec
\u2013 Still offered in two sizes \u2013 41mm & 45mm
\u2013 Still offered in both WiFi-only, and LTE+WiFi models<\/p>\n

When it comes to the new software features, Google says the majority of them will go back to existing Pixel watches. They don\u2019t quite yet have a full list of which watches are getting which things, but expect that soon. For the new Fitbit app, that\u2019ll start in public beta shortly here in mid-late October for US Fitbit Premium users, and then expand from there. I\u2019ll have a separate post on that, once it fully releases.<\/p>\n

Pricing-wise, things remain the same as last year:<\/p>\n

41mm: $349 for Wi-Fi and $449 for LTE
45mm: $399 for Wi-Fi and $499 for LTE<\/p>\n

The Basics:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

To start, the Pixel Watch 4 looks just like the Pixel Watch 3 from a distance. Only a few things give it away once you get closer. First, the bezels are a little bit smaller than previous, but additionally, the screen itself is now curved. Previously, it was just the glass atop the screen. This gives the text a bit more of a \u2018bubble\u2019 like appearance at certain angles. Likewise, you\u2019ll get up to 3,000 nits of brightness out of it, a 50% increase. Realistically, though, the previous edition was plenty bright, and I had no issues with either Pixel Watch 3 or Pixel Watch 4 during bright sunny workouts where I live:<\/p>\n

\"GPTempDownload<\/p>\n

But we\u2019ll dive into workouts later on. In terms of the touch layer, it worked well when dry, but occasionally struggled when wet. Most smartwatches struggle when wet, to varying degrees, but it felt like I had a slightly higher number of touches that were ignored here, compared to most. On the side, you\u2019ve got both a Digital Crown and a dedicated button just above it.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The next thing to know is that it does require an Android Watch, though not a Google Pixel phone. There are a handful of increased minor integrations with a Pixel phone (e.g., a camera shutter feature and a Pixel phone unlock feature), but it\u2019s otherwise a wash for the vast majority of features. It will not work with an iPhone (in the same way an Apple Watch will not work with an Android phone). What\u2019s ironic here is that Android Wear OS used to work with iPhone. I do wonder if we\u2019ll soon get back to that cross-compatibility in future years, and concurrently, if that would notably help Google Pixel watch sales.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

In any case, setting things up was relatively straightforward. As usual, there\u2019s a lot more tapping of \u2018I agree\u2019 type bits when setting up an Android watch than an Apple Watch (or Garmin watch), but eventually you reach the finish line.<\/p>\n

Your life with a Pixel Watch is roughly divided up into two apps on your phone: the Watch app, and the Fitbit app. The Watch app is for configuring things like watch settings, such as the watch face (and connectivity, preferences, safety settings, etc\u2026), whereas the Fitbit app is where you\u2019ll see all your activity data.<\/p>\n

Starting off on the Watch app side, it\u2019s easy enough to quickly change my watch face, and change all sorts of other settings. I had no problems here.<\/p>\n

\"\" \"\"<\/p>\n

Whereas on the Fitbit app side, you\u2019ll see all of your recent activity data. I\u2019m only going to briefly touch on this app, because in the coming weeks I\u2019ll do a deeper dive on the revamped Fitbit app. If you want a good look at the current state of the app, see my review from last year (it\u2019s essentially the same)<\/a>. In a nutshell, almost every stat is divided into today, the last 7 days, the last month, and the last year. And as with Fitbit in the past, virtually every stat you can imagine is there to look at.<\/p>\n

\"Screenshot_20251012 \"Screenshot_20251012 \"Screenshot_20251012<\/p>\n

That\u2019s because Google has announced that starting in the coming weeks, they\u2019ll be opening up a public beta to a fully revamped version of the Fitbit App. I\u2019ve seen some hands-on demos of it, and it is indeed vastly different. It\u2019s rebuilt from the ground up around Google\u2019s Gemini, for AI insights. And not just the useless kind you find in most apps, but literally almost every single graph\/chart\/etc you can tap to chat about that particular item. In the hands-on demos I\u2019ve seen, it\u2019s worked well (or, mostly well). Though we\u2019ll have to see it in real life.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Point being, things are about to get a whole lot different. The rollout plan is still fuzzy, though. It\u2019ll start with US-based Premium subscribers, and then go from there. But where it\u2019ll go, and when it\u2019ll get there, hasn\u2019t been disclosed.<\/p>\n

\"\" \"\"<\/p>\n

In any case, all of your metrics within the Fitbit app first originate on the watch itself. This includes, for example, all of the data in the various widgets\/tiles, such as steps, heart rate, sleep, and more. These can be viewed a few different ways. First is via tiles you swipe left\/right through:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

And then secondary through the Fitbit dashboard. I prefer the views in the Fitbit dashboard, as they allow greater depth and the ability to dive into them more. You can also tap on the higher-level tiles to take you into the Fitbit dashboard, too.<\/p>\n

\"\" \"\" \"\"<\/p>\n

Last year, Fitbit revamped their Readiness score to include HRV, and also made it free to everyone. In fact, at the time, they really minimized the need for any sort of Fitbit Premium subscription anymore. This was a good thing, because it was clear that years of poor communications around the Fitbit Premium subscription put off a lot of people from buying Fitbit devices (even if most of those assumptions were simply correct). These days, like most of those days, there\u2019s virtually no reason to have a Fitbit Premium subscription in terms of seeing your own data. You can do that just fine without one.<\/p>\n

\"\" \"\"<\/p>\n

I will note that my readiness scores have been oddly low in the first week, despite having good sleep (e.g., 8 hours some nights), and other \u2018good\u2019 metrics. They\u2019ve been floating in the 20\u2019s most days, with a high of 30. This is down from my normal Fitbit Readiness scores in the 70-80\u2019s. Then the 2nd week was like 100 all the time. Then the 3rd and 4th weeks have simmered down into 70\u2019s and 80\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Speaking of sleep, I had no issues with sleep tracking here, and each night the times I went to sleep and woke up were spot on.<\/p>\n

\"\" \"\" \"\"<\/p>\n

As I note in other reviews, I don\u2019t compare sleep phase\/stage data. There simply isn\u2019t a reliable comparison to grade that on, with so-called gold-standard devices topping out in the mid-80% range (in a best-case scenario), which is pretty bad. We\u2019d never accept that for comparing heart rate data to be wrong 20% of the time as our \u2018gold standard\u2019. Thus, I don\u2019t do comparisons of sleep phases\/stages, as catchy\/fun as that might be.<\/p>\n

However, what is fun is playing around with Gemini, which is Google\u2019s AI assistant. The company has touted the increased integration with other aspects of your watch, including your calendar and more. Plus, of course, search. And there are many things it can answer that are impressive. Some of it is just silly stuff (here, asking it what I said in my initial preview post, not this review):<\/p>\n

\"\" \"\" \"\"<\/p>\n

And others, more practical, like finding a place to eat and remembering the types of food you like. I was also impressed that it knew my wife\u2019s name, and correctly figured out the names we use for our kids (thankfully, it could not figure out their real names).<\/p>\n

\"\" \"\"<\/p>\n

However, one area it falls a bit short is that there isn\u2019t any integration with the Fitbit app at this time. Thus, it can\u2019t answer any questions about any stats. For example, I asked it why my Readiness scores were so low the last few days, and this is what it came back with. Not super useful.<\/p>\n

\"\" \"\"<\/p>\n

Likewise, when I asked it various things about sleep or steps or other Fitbit-related things, it did a weird double-skip where it repeats back the question, and then opens up the Fitbit app to the correct data page. So there\u2019s clearly some minor integration there, but definitely not where things will likely end up soon.<\/p>\n

\"\" \"\" \"\"<\/p>\n

It sounds like this sort of integration is on the whiteboard, but isn\u2019t quite there yet. It wouldn\u2019t surprise me to see some of that expand out as the new Fitbit app arrives.<\/p>\n

Sports Tracking:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Last year, the Pixel Watch 3 got a substantial upgrade in terms of sports features, especially around running. It got running efficiency metrics, a whole slate of structured workouts aspects, Cardio Load (like Training Load), and more. It was a big lift, likely to counter Apple\u2019s big lifts in those areas in recent years.<\/p>\n

This year though, things are a bit more subdued in terms of new features in the sports section. It did get a number of new workout profiles, though, adding the following:<\/p>\n

Badminton
Baseball
Basketball
Cricket
Field Hockey
Football (American)
Football\/Soccer
Outdoor Swim (for HR only)
Padel
Pickleball
Pool swim
Sport
Rugby<\/p>\n

The other new feature is a new bike screen mirroring option, which mirrors data fields from your watch to your phone. More on that in a second.<\/p>\n

First, let\u2019s start a workout. You can swipe from the right to open up the quick sports listing, or you can open up the sports app on the phone to get to a longer listing.<\/p>\n

\"\" \"\"<\/p>\n

Once you select a sport, it\u2019ll go off and enable GPS, if it\u2019s an outdoor one that uses GPS. Otherwise, it\u2019ll keep GPS off. On the left, there\u2019s the settings option for changing the data field views, alerts (HR & automatic splits), and auto pause.<\/p>\n

\"\" \"\" \"\"<\/p>\n

I\u2019d argue, though, that the data field options are at this point pretty behind their competition, and really need an upgrade. I think this is one of those areas where a few years ago, it was probably OK for a company like Google to have a more limited set, but as you go forward, it\u2019s sticking out pretty heavily compared to all their competitors as being lagging.<\/p>\n

Or, on the right side, you can see the automatic workout that Fitbit has created for you that day (based on an assortment of factors, including Cardio Load and Readiness Score). Or, you can simply build your own (on the watch, or via the app). This is, ironically, the opposite of the data field situation, in that they are clearly ahead of many of their competitors in terms of automatic workout generation, etc\u2026<\/p>\n

\"\" \"\"<\/p>\n

Once you tap start, you\u2019ll get your data pages shown, and you can swipe through them. You\u2019ll also get automatic laps if those are configured.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

You can take manual laps, but it\u2019s pretty cumbersome. You have to swipe from the left, to pull open this page, and then tap interval:<\/p>\n

\"\" \"\"<\/p>\n

I\u2019d like to see them make it easier to take manual laps, cause otherwise it\u2019s not awesome. The main reason you\u2019d want to take manual laps is when you do some sort of structured workout\/repeats, but don\u2019t have it loaded ahead of time. There are lots of times I do this, especially if I\u2019m running with someone else (like my wife), and we\u2019re following her structured workout for the day. I won\u2019t bother to recreate it on my watch (whatever the platform), but would just hit the lap marker when her watch dings.<\/p>\n

Setting aside the lap bits, I had no issues seeing the watch in either day or night conditions. I often run in bright sunny conditions, as well as at night. I use the Always-on display feature, which means the watch dims a bit when I put my wrist down, but it responded super quick upon wrist-raise, so viewing metrics just wasn\u2019t an issue.<\/p>\n

\"GPTempDownload<\/p>\n

When it comes to the bike real-time streaming of data, this is pulling the data from your watch to the phone, via Bluetooth. It\u2019s essentially loading up a page within the Fitbit app that mirrors the main data page of your watch. The goal here would primarily be bike commuting scenarios, though certainly any cyclist with a phone mount could use it. In my case, I don\u2019t have a case\/mount for this specific Pixel phone the watch was paired to, so a Yolo\u2019d it and held it there so I could show you how it works (with the other hand holding my camera). Don\u2019t worry, totally safe while descending.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

This works just fine, but seems like it\u2019s missing the big-ticket item that bike commuters would want from Google: The Maps page. Google owns maps. Dominates it. And yet, this entirely skips it. Even if it didn\u2019t have routing, just seeing where I was on a map page would be super useful.<\/p>\n

In some ways though, this exposes the challenges with maps at both Google and Apple: Those are entirely different teams. And I get the impression those teams don\u2019t much care about that \u2018cute little watch\u2019 project. Whereas all of the \u2018legacy\u2019 sports watch makers (Garmin\/Polar\/Suunto\/etc\u2026), the maps experience is very much core to the identity of the watch.<\/p>\n

In any case, with your ride (or run, or any other workout) complete, you\u2019ll see that data first on the watch itself, with a pretty straightforward summary list:<\/p>\n

And then you\u2019ll also see it on the Fitbit app, with far more details:<\/p>\n

\"Screenshot_20251013 \"Screenshot_20251013 \"Screenshot_20251013 \"Screenshot_20251013<\/p>\n

It\u2019ll also sync to Strava, though in my case, every time it synced to Strava, it didn\u2019t include any of the heart rate data, which was kinda weird.<\/p>\n

For running workouts, you\u2019ll also get a bunch of running efficiency metrics as well:<\/p>\n

\"Screenshot_20251013<\/p>\n

Finally, note that while you can download offline maps to the Pixel Watch 4, you can\u2019t do any sort of offline sport routing\/navigation on them. It\u2019s more for just looking around at what\u2019s near you. Further, it\u2019s not integrated into the sports\/workout apps, but is still the standalone Google Maps app.<\/p>\n

Satellite SOS Hands-On:<\/p>\n

\"Vlcsnap<\/p>\n

Next, we\u2019ve got the satellite SOS pieces. This allows you to use your Pixel Watch 4 LTE edition to directly communicate with satellites in an emergency scenario. However, in my case, living in Europe, this isn\u2019t available for me to test on the regular. Not to mention the fact that it\u2019s only for emergency usage, and thus isn\u2019t something I could test, unless I throw someone down a cliff first, and then call support for them.<\/p>\n

In discussions with Google this week, they haven\u2019t committed to a timeframe for when the satellite pieces will be available outside the US. Nor have they committed to when they\u2019ll expand beyond just Emergency SOS (both Apple and Garmin also announced satellite bits in the last month, and they have both general location updating pieces, as well as general messaging pieces). That said, Google was clear they don\u2019t see this as the end of the road, and are keenly aware of these gaps, saying: \u201cWe do look at this as the beginning of the journey\u2026not just something we\u2019re trying out\u201d.<\/p>\n

Further, when asked whether or not hardware would prevent them from expanding into other regions or use cases, they confirmed: \u201cThere\u2019s nothing in the current hardware that prohibits us\u201d from doing so.<\/p>\n

With that in mind, back in August, I got to test it out while on a trip to the US, so let\u2019s dig into that case.<\/p>\n

When it comes to the requirements for satellite SOS, they are as follows:<\/p>\n

1) It requires you to have the LTE edition, because it leverages some of the antenna and chipset hardware there
2) For launch, this is limited to the US lower-48 (not including Alaska\/Hawaii)
3) This is specifically for emergency situations, not regular texting\u2026at least for now<\/p>\n

So, let\u2019s dive into how it works. In my case, I got a hands-on demo where the watch was forced into a satellite connectivity mode, and wouldn\u2019t leverage LTE connections anymore.<\/p>\n

In any case, first up, is contacting 911. I say specifically 911, because Google wants the user to mirror what they\u2019d normally do in an emergency. Further, they want to at least try cellular networks first. If those cellular networks don\u2019t exist, then it offers to escalate to satellite.<\/p>\n

When it does so, the first thing it\u2019s going to do is a short set of questions to understand what the emergency is, and what you need. The goal here being if only one message ever gets out before your battery dies or the bear eats you, it has everything it needs in that first message:<\/p>\n

\"\" \"\"<\/p>\n

Next, you\u2019ll get a very quick 2-page tutorial on how to position your wrist for satellite connectivity. Just like with phones doing this same thing, you kinda have to aim it toward the satellites. In Google\u2019s case, they\u2019re using Skylo as their launch partner, which uses geo satellites. Skylo is kinda an umbrella company for satellite services.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Once you\u2019ve completed the tutorial, you\u2019ll position your wrist to match what the watch wants. It\u2019s silly-easy, and is vaguely like the directions you might sometimes see when calibrating a compass on some GPS watches. Within a few seconds of proper placement, the message is immediately sent.<\/p>\n

\"Vlcsnap<\/p>\n

And then a moment later, an automatic confirmation from the emergency response center came back.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

But here\u2019s the fascinating part: That response center is Garmin.<\/p>\n

Yup, Garmin\u2019s Response Center that typically handles Garmin inReach devices (among others) is what\u2019s handling Google\u2019s emergency response pieces. That\u2019s great news for consumers, because Garmin\u2019s response center is a well-seasoned entity when it comes to these sorts of things. It\u2019s literally all they do. According to a video about a year ago, they had handled some 20,000 SOS incidents since inception. I wrote up a whole thing about how that works here<\/a>. Google says they worked with Garmin to specifically tune the questions and response flow to fit best on the limitations of a wearable. In fact, you may remember two years ago the agreement that Garmin signed with Qualcomm<\/a> in this arena.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, all of this ends up with Garmin contacting those people on your emergency contacts list (which you set up), as well as contacting actual emergency responders to your location (GPS data is included in the messages). You can see the message it sends to your emergency contacts concurrently:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

You can communicate back and forth via text as the situation unfolds.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Now, what\u2019s also notable is that when in this satellite SOS mode, they drop the watch down into the lower power battery saver mode, which lasts up to 48 hours of battery life for the 41mm and 72 hours for the 45mm. You can exit this mode (and return back to SOS too), if you need to.<\/p>\n

Note that while fall detection and other emergency features can trigger this flow, it requires human interaction in order to contact the Emergency Response Center. So, merely falling down a cliff and being unconscious won\u2019t trigger a helicopter. A bear or something has to press some buttons for that to happen.<\/p>\n

Keep in mind, though, when it comes to comparisons with something like Garmin inReach devices\/platform, the Google solution here is purely about emergencies. Whereas inReach is far wider ranging, including live tracking, general texting, audio and photo messages, etc\u2026 Meaning, for most people who own an inReach for scenarios beyond just emergencies, they\u2019ll probably continue that inReach usage.<\/p>\n

Finally, when it comes to pricing, it\u2019s free for the first two years. After that\u2026shrug. Google sounds like they\u2019re following Apple\u2019s model here, which was also free for the first two years. Except, we\u2019re now almost 3 years into things, and Apple isn\u2019t charging for the feature yet either. Given Apple doesn\u2019t seem to be in a rush to charge people, it doesn\u2019t sound like Google is either. I suspect the number of incidents here is so low, that the PR\/publicity benefit of saving people far outweighs any monetary costs of the platform.<\/p>\n

Accuracy (GPS & Heart Rate):<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s take a look at the accuracy of both the heart rate sensor and updated GNSS sensors. In this case, the Pixel Watch 4 has received a new dual-band antenna design, allowing for dual-band GPS\/GNSS (also called multi-frequency GPS). That should allow it to handle harder locations better, such as downtown scenarios, mountains up against cliff walls, and so-on. For most other scenarios, it simply won\u2019t matter. Google says they are dynamically switching between single band and multi-band GPS constantly, as conditions require. This sounds relatively similar to what Garmin is doing with their SatIQ system, all of which is designed to save battery life (since multi-band typically requires a boatload more battery life than single-band).<\/p>\n

In any event, let\u2019s look at heart rate first. Here\u2019s a trail run I did, which had some nice easy steady sections, and then some not-so nice sections up embankments and such. There\u2019s a break in the middle there where I toyed with some satellite features on other watches.<\/p>\n

\"PixelData<\/p>\n

The Pixel Watch 4 was perfect here. Interestingly, we can see that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 did struggle a bit here, as I bounced along on a rocky trail path. Prior to that on a bit less wobbly path, it did better. Though equally, it may have nothing to do with the path, but the fact that a satellite message was sent at the 35-minute marker. Perhaps there\u2019s a bug there? (I note this, because there\u2019s some other quirky post-satellite message bugs on the Garmin Fenix 8 Pro, you\u2019ll see in a second).<\/p>\n

Next, we\u2019ve got a much challenging interval workout (running), including a number of ascents up\/down hills. This is notable because hills can often introduce so-called \u2018cadence lock\u2019, where the optical HR sensor will match the beat of your footsteps, rather than your heart rate. Thankfully, I didn\u2019t see any of that here (or on my trail run).<\/p>\n

\"PixelData<\/p>\n

You can see things performed quite well here. In fact, all of the sensors performed really well here, with only a very slight bit of variance for a few seconds from the Apple Watch Ultra 3, around the 10-minute marker. But otherwise, everyone was spot-on to the chest strap (and to each other).<\/p>\n

Next, let\u2019s look at an indoor trainer workout I did (aka a \u2019Spinning\u2019 workout in Google Pixel sports mode). Typically speaking these are the easiest things to get right, from an optical HR sensor standpoint, since there\u2019s very little movement (relative to outside with vibrations\/etc\u2026). Here we can see, it\u2019s spot on:<\/p>\n

\"PixelData<\/p>\n

So then, I decided to mix up body types, and put it on my wife\u2019s wrist for her 90-minute trainer ride. I swapped the strap to the smaller strap as well:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

And here\u2019s those results, compared to a Garmin Fenix 8 (non-Pro):<\/p>\n

\"PixelData<\/p>\n

Ok, so finally, we\u2019ll take it out on a road ride. This includes mostly smooth roads, but some road sections which are a bit less perfect. Generally speaking, it\u2019s outdoor road rides that are the most challenging for optical HR sensors, due to your wrists typically being flexed, while concurrently absorbing road vibrations. Here\u2019s those results:<\/p>\n

\"PixelData<\/p>\n

As you can see, really strong results all around on the heart rate side here. Actually, I\u2019m very impressed with that.<\/p>\n

Switching over to GPS, let\u2019s take a look at that trail run first<\/a>. As you can see, it\u2019s spot-on through the trees:<\/p>\n

\"PixelData<\/p>\n

And also this section against cliff walls. Sure, they\u2019re all about squiggly, partially cause my path is squiggly, and partially because of slight differences in GPS tracks. That said, note the scale in the lower left corner is only 10m, so we\u2019re only talking a few meter difference here between the different cliff-side paths.<\/p>\n

\"PixelData<\/p>\n

Remember I mentioned earlier that I thought it was odd the Apple Watch Ultra 3 struggled a bit post-satellite, and that I had seen something similar from Garmin? Here\u2019s that example here, with the GPS not coming back from a paused state. Notably, this should be now fixed in this morning\u2019s Fenix 8 Pro firmware update 18.68.<\/p>\n

\"PixelData<\/p>\n

In any case, the Pixel Watch 4 had no issues at all there.<\/p>\n

Next, we\u2019ve got the downtown run. Or, as downtown as I can get: Hotel hell! This area is packed with tall 10-15 story hotels, along a beach area, and thus has turned out to be a pretty good GPS testing ground. The quick wide shot:<\/p>\n

\"PixelData<\/p>\n

Then if we look at this core hotel area, just packed with buildings, even a hanging swimming pool I ran under (not a tiny one, a giant near-50m long pool):<\/p>\n

\"PixelData<\/p>\n

And here\u2019s the non-satellite view for clarity:<\/p>\n

\"PixelData<\/p>\n

Again, all of this was spot-on.<\/p>\n

After that, heading up into the mountains for a road ride, with some twisty-turning mountain paths, and here\u2019s how that looked. First up, the super-wide view:<\/p>\n

\"PixelData<\/p>\n

The, we zoom in on some of the switchbacks:<\/p>\n

\"PixelData<\/p>\n

Uh-oh. That\u2019s not good. In fact, that\u2019s really bad. Almost as bad as the top, where we stopped for a couple mins to catch our breath.<\/p>\n

\"PixelData<\/p>\n

Distance-wise, the Pixel Watch 4 recorded 3KM extra (45.88km vs ~42.90km), compared to the Apple (42.90km)& Garmin bike computer (42.86km), which were a mere 40m different in distance at the end of the ride.<\/p>\n

Interestingly, during this ride, I noticed (repeatedly) when I looked down, that the watch was showing 0KPH at times for the speed. Which, I thought odd. Even more odd given my running tracks have been spot-on perfect. On the runs, they were all within 40-80m (including Pixel Watch).<\/p>\n

Finally, note that while the Pixel Watch 4 does support swimming, it does not have an openwater swim mode. Meaning, it\u2019s just recording heart rate data only, but it is at least recording that heart rate data now. Getting a shot of a watch underwater while swimming is tricky, but it\u2019s that block dot on my wrist.<\/p>\n

\"GPTempDownload<\/p>\n

I swam with it, but as usual, doing any sort of swimming accuracy testing on optical HR sensors is kinda silly, since there\u2019s just so much variability between people and how the bubbles travel that the results have always been quite wobbly. Even all the companies themselves will say that optical HR is at best \u2018lucky if it works\u2019.<\/p>\n

(Note: All of the charts in these accuracy sections were created using the DCR Analyzer tool<\/a>. It allows you to compare power meters\/trainers, heart rate, cadence, speed\/pace, GPS tracks, and plenty more. You can use it as well for your own gadget comparisons, more details here.)<\/p>\n

Battery Usage:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Just a super-quick section to cover some battery bits. First up, there\u2019s the new charger, which delivers faster charging than in the past. Up to 80% in just 25 minutes. It\u2019s super impressive.<\/p>\n

The only downside here is that the one Google included has the cable as part of it. I would have loved to see that end-piece just be an adapter for USB-C cables. Similar to what we see from a lot of companies these days.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Google says they didn\u2019t do this because they were concerned about people having crappy USB-C cables, breaking the fast-charging experience (and there are a *LOT* of crappy USB-C cables out there). And that\u2019s fair. The good news is that Google does actually have a program, \u2018Made for Google, that has dedicated component for Pixel Watch chargers, including the new Pixel Watch 4. And in fact, you can already see one of these chargers on Amazon already,<\/a> which is great.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

In any event, from a battery standpoint, let\u2019s start with the official specs:<\/p>\n

\/\/\/\/ 41mm Battery Specs \/\/\/\/<\/p>\n

\u2013 30 hours always-on display
\u2013 48 hours battery saver mode<\/p>\n

Charging speeds:
\u2013 0 to 50% in 15 minutes
\u2013 0 to 80% in 25 minutes
\u2013 0 to 100% in 45 minutes<\/p>\n

\/\/\/\/ 45mm\u00a0Battery Specs \/\/\/\/<\/p>\n

\u2013 40 hours always-on display
\u2013 72 hours battery saver mode<\/p>\n

Charging speeds:
\u2013 0 to 50% in 15 minutes
\u2013 0 to 80% in 30 minutes
\u2013 0 to 100% in 60 minutes<\/p>\n

In terms of real-world usage, I was seeing pretty much exactly that for the always-on display battery configuration, which is what I used. Basically, in the 45mm variant I was making it about 1.5 days of real-world usage, including an hour or so of GPS time per day.<\/p>\n

In terms of workout usage, my battery burn rates were roughy:<\/p>\n

Indoor Usage (non-GPS): ~2%\/hour
Outdoor Usage (GPS): ~7%\/hour (so approximately 14-15hrs of GPS battery)<\/p>\n

This is roughly on par with\u2026oh\u2026right, Google doesn\u2019t actually publish GPS or non-GPS workout battery life specs. Look, I don\u2019t know why. They just don\u2019t. The thing is, this is beating the Apple Watch Series 11 battery usage in the same configurations, so I don\u2019t really know why Google isn\u2019t being more clear about this. Especially given all the other battery spec transparency they have.<\/p>\n

Battery Swappage:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Now one of the nifty features of the Pixel Watch 4 is that it\u2019s the first mainstream smartwatch to allow a user replaceable battery, if\/when that battery sputters out. And not just by some sort of fancy service center, but literally yourself. Google says at some point you\u2019ll be able to purchase the battery and then replace with just a single screwdriver. This if, of course, being heavily driven by upcoming EU laws that require user-serviceable batteries, and even more specifically, require that the battery replacement costs effectively the same as what the manufacturer paid for it.<\/p>\n

So, what\u2019s that look like? Ask and you shall receive!<\/p>\n

All you need is a T2 Torx screwdriver<\/a>, which are commonly available online, or simply at most dollar stores. The one I picked up has\u2026.umm\u202648,000 reviews on Amazon<\/a>. I can\u2019t remember the last time I saw something that high, that\u2019s nuts!<\/p>\n

In any case, to get started, you\u2019ll remove the bands, and then the two outer screws (one on each side):<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Then you\u2019ll pry off the back optical HR sensor panel.\u00a0 This comes off easier than it looks:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

From there, you\u2019ll simply remove the screws that hold in the vibration motor (since that sits atop the battery screws), and then the battery itself. This is super easy.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Now, while it\u2019s definitely silly easy, it\u2019s also super clear people are definitely going to break the small ribbon cable that attaches to the main board from the battery. Certainly, Google says they\u2019ll offer other battery replacement options. So as long as you take approximately 7 seconds instead of 2.8 seconds, you\u2019ll be good.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Then, just put it back together again. Easy peasy.<\/p>\n

Wrap-Up & Going Forward:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

In some ways I feel bad for Google, because they were the first company to announce satellite messaging connectivity in a wearable, and that\u2019s a (really) big deal. But they were quickly overshadowed by Apple and Garmin just two weeks later, not just because they announced satellite connectivity too \u2013 but because they announced broader coverage and more features. Now, to Google\u2019s credit, they noted numerous times that this is not the end-state for Pixel Watch satellite connectivity. Back in August they suggested it\u2019ll probably follow a pretty similar path as the Google Pixel phone satellite features, which have expanded beyond the US already. And they confirmed the current hardware has no physical restrictions in those areas. Meaning, a software update should allow connectivity beyond the US, as well as beyond just emergency SOS.<\/p>\n

The challenge Google has is that most of the other features, while very good\/helpful\/useful, weren\u2019t super exciting. At least, to non-geeks. Increasing vibration strength is typically something reserved getting excited about elsewhere, besides a wrist wearable. And the same goes for battery life. Though again, if you look at Google\u2019s Wear OS battery life over the years, they\u2019ve made really strong gains there. It\u2019s no longer the battery burn laughingstock it used to be. And likewise, for both GPS & heart rate accuracy, both are super strong now, with the Google Pixel Watch 4 consistently beating the Apple Watch Ultra 3 in terms of heart rate accuracy, something I certainly wouldn\u2019t have imagined for years ago.<\/p>\n

While the sports gains this year were more modest, it\u2019s clear that Google invested that time into the Gemini (AI assistant) pieces. Given Google\u2019s corporate directions there, that\u2019s probably logical. And to be fair, it works super well, and I\u2019d struggle to think of any wearable that executes it (AI integration) better than Google does. It\u2019s super thorough.<\/p>\n

Ultimately though, Google is doing all the right things on paper, but feels like they\u2019re still struggling to attract significant interest to the watch. From a features standpoint, it\u2019s checking all the boxes. At this point, as I argued last year, Google really needs to think about the design of the watch. Or at least offering some sort of non-perfectly-rounded option that appears to those wanting a larger watch. Said differently, they need a Pro\/Ultra-watch (whatever you want to call it) offering. And it needs to be something that excites their core base. Of course, I\u2019d also argue they also do a few things in the sports world to corner that realm better (heart rate strap support, navigation\/routing, and cycling meter support).<\/p>\n

Still, I\u2019m keen to see where Google takes this, and what updates over the next 12 months look like. Google tends to be pretty good about dropping new features throughout the year. Not quite as many as Garmin, but typically more new features than Apple or Samsung does for their watches. All of which is good to see.<\/p>\n

With that, thanks for reading!<\/p>\n

Found This Post Useful? Support The Site!<\/p>\n

Hopefully you found this review\/post useful. At the end of the day, I\u2019m an athlete just like you looking for the most detail possible on a new purchase \u2013 so my review is written from the standpoint of how I used the device. The reviews generally take a lot of hours to put together, so it\u2019s a fair bit of work (and labor of love). As you probably noticed by looking below, I also take time to answer all the questions posted in the comments \u2013 and there\u2019s quite a bit of detail in there as well.<\/p>\n

If you’re shopping for the Pixel Watch 4 or any other accessory items, please consider using the affiliate links below! As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. It doesn\u2019t cost you anything extra, but your purchases help support this website a lot.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

And of course \u2013 you can always sign-up to be a DCR Supporter<\/a>! That gets you an ad-free DCR, access to the DCR Quarantine Corner video series packed with behind the scenes tidbits…and it also makes you awesome. And being awesome is what it\u2019s all about!<\/p>\n

Thanks for reading! And as always, feel free to post comments or questions in the comments section below, I\u2019ll be happy to try and answer them as quickly as possible. And lastly, if you felt this review was useful \u2013 I always appreciate feedback in the comments below. Thanks!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The new Pixel Watch 4 is here, and with it satellite emergency SOS communications, as well as more…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":93157,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[203,1711,6794,40223,61,60,21201,80],"class_list":{"0":"post-93156","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-gadgets","8":"tag-gadgets","9":"tag-google","10":"tag-google-pixel","11":"tag-google-pixel-watch-4","12":"tag-ie","13":"tag-ireland","14":"tag-pixel-watch","15":"tag-technology"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93156","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=93156"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93156\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/93157"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=93156"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=93156"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=93156"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}