Google Pixel Watch 4 The Google Pixel Watch 4 is a smarter, sturdier, and more reliable smartwatch than anything Google has released to date, featuring accurate health tracking, meaningful safety upgrades, and design polish that adds personalization. It’s also finally repairable. For most Android users, especially Pixel owners, it’s the best Wear OS watch available.
Every year, Google’s wearables get a little brighter, a little faster, and a little more like something I’d keep on my wrist full time. The Pixel Watch 3 was already a step toward greatness, but the Pixel Watch 4 is without doubt the best model yet. It nails the hardware, tightens the software, and even throws in satellite SOS for good measure.
Design, hardware, and familiar polish
Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority
The Pixel Watch 4 isn’t a radical redesign, but it’s refined in all the right ways, especially if, like me, you already liked Google’s aesthetic. The minimalist build returns in two case sizes, 41mm and 45mm, recycling the same signature domed silhouette we’ve seen since Act One. The aluminum body still straddles the line between premium and practical, and four new colorways —Polished Silver, Matte Black, Champagne Gold, and Brushed Aluminum —offer variety.
Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority
This year’s Actua 360 display is physically domed to create a seamless surface, delivering a 10% larger active screen area and gloriously shrinking the bezels by 16%. The screen is also 50% brighter, reaching a peak brightness of 3,000 nits. I was disappointed to see the display still isn’t sapphire crystal, but even so, I haven’t managed to scratch it up.
I’m not in a hurry to ruin my watch, but I did wear it through plenty of workouts and hikes, and all the everyday chaos of my daily grind, plus to bed for nearly a week. The comfort is excellent, and the design strikes a perfect balance between aesthetics and utility. The shape keeps it from feeling oversized, and the size keeps it from feeling underwhelming. I could see all my workout stats mid-session, but I never worried about smashing it on gym equipment.
The minimalist design and consistent comfort of the Pixel Watch 4 make it one of my favorite smartwatches to wear.
Which brings me to my favorite design upgrade: the Pixel Watch 4 is finally serviceable. The new charging mechanism, which I’ll get to below, makes way for replaceable case and battery components, which have official support through Google’s repair network. You can send these in through customer service, visit select Google Stores or service centers, or tackle a DIY fix if you’re the tinkering type.
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