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Google Pixel Watch 4: One-minute review

Google Pixel Watch 4

(Image credit: Blue Pixl Media)

Fitbit rollout, replaceable parts, a refreshed user interface, and a new domed display that’s physically raised to the touch.

It’s a slick piece of kit, and one we really like using for the most part. It looked great, although it was thick on the wrist it was comfortable, and the Material 3 Expressive software design is a joy to use. Fast charging works as described, and the battery on our 45mm unit stands up to its 40-hour claim with moderate use. The Fitbit app, which got a redesigned this year, is intuitive and works very well, although it’s irritating that some features are locked behind the Premium paywall.

Testing the PW’s heart rate against a chest strap during a workout showed a small amount of inaccuracy: not enough to bother those who just want an estimate of how well they’re doing during the day, but enough to make serious athletes looking for pinpoint accuracy slightly wary of trusting the Pixel Watch 4 in the same way they do Apple or Garmin when looking at heart-based metrics.

Google Pixel Watch 4 (Black) at Amazon for $349.99

Pixel Watch 3. Sure, we’ve seen smartwatches on which the display slopes down the sides towards the watch case, such as the Apple Watch Series 10, but the glass display here is actually domed to the point where, as you swipe across the screen, you’ll feel the surface rise or lower.

This makes the sides of the display and the graphics appearing on the edges even more sloped, a feature the new Material 3 Expressive interface uses in its animations. However, it also noticeably increases the thickness on your wrist. The domed 360 Actua display still looked rich and vibrant with crisp text or numbers, and it got considerably brighter in the demo room, which wasn’t brightly lit. Google says it can hit up to 3,000 nits, a jump of 1,000 nits compared to the Pixel Watch 3.

The third-generation Pixel Watch got a larger display than its predecessor, and the fourth-gen model goes bigger again, with 16% smaller bezels and 10% larger active display area, which Google says is made possible by the domed display.

Google Pixel Watch 4 hands-on

(Image credit: Future/Lance Ulanoff)

We think the physical touch and interaction with the watch might take some time to get used to, but the new design delivers a theoretically more durable surface – as is the case with some dome shapes – and more space to hit touchpoints or see items presented on your wrist is certainly a win. It enhances what we described in our Pixel Watch 3 review last year as the ‘polished pebble’ effect of the Pixel Watch’s looks.

The Pixel Watch 4 still boasts Corning Gorilla Glass to protect against drops or scratches, and the rest of the build here is aerospace-grade aluminum. It’s also water-resistant up to 50 meters. Another major change this year is a redesigned back, which has resulted in the moving of the charging ports in order to make this smartwatch repairable and serviceable.

Yes, you’ll notice several screws, which allow the battery to be replaced for a more sustainable design. This isn’t something that’s common for major smartwatch brands, as most devices are sealed units, so it’s a welcome step in the right direction from Google.

Google Pixel Watch 4 hands-on

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

This also means a pretty significant change in charger design, as you’ll no longer place this on a proprietary puck with prongs as you would the Galaxy Watch, Apple Watch, or any Pixel Watch before this. The Pixel Watch 4 charges on its side in a dock, and if you’re charging it on a nightstand this should make it easier to use the smartwatch as a small alarm clock – it’s even perfectly positioned so that you can tap the crown to snooze.

Google is also taking advantage of these charger and design changes to speed up refueling. You can now charge the Pixel Watch 4 from 0% to 50% in just 15 minutes, and Google is promising longer battery life for both sizes – up to 30 hours for the 41mm and up to 40 hours for the 45mm. Your mileage will, of course, vary depending on usage, but it’s a good step beyond the Pixel Watch 3.

Oura Advisor.

While the Pixel Watch 4 doesn’t usher in a tremendously radical redesign, it’s mostly about polishing and the addition of a healthy dose of AI functionality – something that Google is a big fan of. It’s likely that you don’t need to rush out for it if you already have a Pixel Watch 3, as you’ll get many of the same features and the same smorgasbord of third-party app availability there.