I always underestimate what effect a smaller bezel and larger display will have on me when I see a new product. It happened with many Pixel phones and watches before, where I based my early opinion on online renders. The real thing, though, ends up being 10 times better. And this is precisely what happened when I saw and tried the new Pixel Watch 4 for the first time.
There’s something more elegant and refined about Google’s new smartwatch, but that’s not all. A newer processor, faster sideways charger, impressively improved repairability, and promise of better battery life; all of these contribute to making the new Pixel Watch 4 a significant upgrade. Even Google told me this is the biggest update to the Pixel Watch portfolio since it launched, so don’t let the minor appearance changes fool you into thinking it’s an incremental change.
Google Pixel Watch 4: Hot or not? 25 votes Hot 96 % Not 4 %
Google Pixel Watch 4 Google Pixel Watch 4 Emergency Satellite communications • Power AI on your wrist • Capable health and fitness tracking MSRP: $349.00 The best Pixel Watch to date. The Google Pixel Watch 4 series is available in 41mm and 45mm sizes, and Wi-Fi and LTE variants of each size. The Actua 360 Display is a domes AMOLED panel with 3,000 nits of brightness, and a large viewing area with greatly reduced bezels over previous models. Multiple-day battery life and quick charging power a wide array of health and fitness sensors to keep you informed on the go. See price at Amazon
A stunning design, now even more refined
Rita El Khoury / Android Authority
Photos have never done justice to the Pixel Watch, even since its first iteration, and it’s once again the case for the Pixel Watch 4. Flat images don’t really convey the curvature or three-dimensional effect of the watch’s domed design, and even videos don’t showcase it as well as seeing it in person does. The bezels, for example, have always looked bigger and more invasive in all photos and online renders of the previous models than on the watch itself. I likened this to the “camera adds 10 pounds” myth; it’s explained by the fact that anything you see on a screen will be flatter and wider than the more curved and nuanced 3D aspect you get in reality.
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The Pixel Watch 4 won’t escape this phenomenon either. In the photo above, you might think there’s a very large black bezel around the display, but when I saw it in person, I felt that the new Actua 360 display was nearly extending to the edge of the glass, embracing the curved edges. It helps that the display itself is curved, not flat, under the Gorilla Glass 5. This brings up the only concern I still have: micro-scratches. My Pixel Watch 3 is full of them. When most flagship smartwatches have graduated to sapphire, it’s disappointing to see Google stick to the less durable glass. Perhaps it hasn’t figured out how to get the dome shape with sapphire, yet?
C. Scott Brown / Android Authority
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