Review: The new Pixel Watch 4 is a true runners' watch

Table of Contents

As smartwatches and fitness trackers become more and more popular, a device has to do it all. Beyond telling the time and giving you the weather, we expect them to read our pulse, give us comprehensive fitness data, track our sleep, wake us up, help us relax, play our music, and hold our credit cards, all while looking sleek, being comfortable enough for near-constant wear, and having a solid battery life that doesn't disrupt the data-gathering.

With the debut of the new Pixel Watch 4, Google is attempting to do just that: everything. 

I've been using a 41mm Google Pixel Watch 4 (the smaller of the two options) for two weeks; here are my thoughts so far.

Google Pixel Watch 4 design: A lot like the Google Pixel Watch 3 at first glance. Look again.

Visually, the watch doesn't look a whole lot different than its predecessor. They're both round and sleek, and, from afar, look pretty much identical. Both watches come in the same sizes of 41mm and 45mm and similar colorways (the new version comes in obsidian, porcelain, lemongrass, and iris while the previous version is available in porcelain, hazel, obsidian, and rose quartz) and have the glass curved cover (more on that later).

But once you actually start using the watch, you'll notice some key differences.

While both watches come in the same sizes, the Pixel Watch 4's screen seems significantly larger. In previous models of the Pixel Watch, the cover glass was curved. Now, the whole display underneath is domed with a new Actua 360 display. It's not super noticeable on some watch faces, but if you modify it to the corsa, field, expedition, or concentric watch faces, you'll see the difference. It's also noticeable if you just scroll through the grid view of your apps, take a photo, or look at your notifications. In general, it gives the smartwatch more depth and makes it feel more spacious and modern. Google says this display delivers 10 percent more screen with 16 percent smaller bezels, and when you're dealing with a screen as small as a watch face, that really matters.

Of course, domed glass also poses a problem — screen protectors. Watch protectors tend to lift annoyingly on any piece of glass with a dome feature. I didn't use a screen protector during my two weeks of testing, and I'm not particularly kind to my wearables. So far, I haven't noticed any scratches, which is a good sign.

The watch also has adaptive brightness on by default, which changes the brightness of your watch depending on if you're in a dark room or outside. I have already fallen victim to transitional lenses, so I typically turn this option off on any device I'm using, but, hey, it works with a relatively quick response time if you're into that kind of thing. The peak brightness hits 3000 nits while the minimum goes all the way down to one nit.

The speaker on the left side of the watch is longer and larger with a custom haptics engine that's 15 percent stronger than the Google Pixel Watch 3. The audio — whether you're asking Google Gemini to set a timer for you or receiving an email notification — is definitely crisper as a result.

As you might expect, there are also a whole host of new watch faces, and the tech is more customizable than ever. Plus, it should be said, the buttons have a slightly better click feel.

Broke? You can fix the Google Pixel Watch 4 yourself.

One of the coolest aspects of the Google Pixel Watch 4 is its serviceable design, which allows users to take a tiny little screwdriver, open up the watch, and fix what you need to fix including replacing the display and battery, all without breaking your warranty.

Right to repair enthusiasts will definitely be pleased, but this is above my pay grade. I do not know how to DIY service my watch and, honestly, there wasn't anything to fix within the two weeks I used the device. But this is a pretty exciting development for folks who are more hardware-minded — and those who want to get their watch fixed in front of them at a Google Store.

The Google Pixel Watch 4 really wants you to use AI

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 was the first smartwatch to run Gemini on the watch face, and those efforts have really paid off for Google. Once you set up Gemini, you can say anything from, "Hey Google, start my run," to "Hey Google, pause my run," and "Hey Google, end my workout." I did this a few times on my workouts this week and did find it helpful, although totally unnecessary. You can also click a side button or use the touch screen for that (more on running later).

Gemini pretty much sets you up with the ability to use all of the functions of your watch without actually touching it. No need to navigate to the Fitbit app, just ask Gemini how long you slept last night. No need to navigate to the Spotify app, just ask Gemini to play R&B music on the Spotify app. No need to look for your phone or open the app, just ask Gemini to ring it for you.

When you're sending a text, the Google Pixel Watch 4 uses an on-Watch Small Language Model to recommend personalized replies to texts, too.

My experience with Gemini on this watch? It's useful, but isn't a significant upgrade from previous models (which also have Gemini). Not revolutionary. 

One software update I do love on this watch is the notification cooldown. It's also not brand new for Android users, but it is new to the Pixel Watch, and makes it so that you get fewer notifications without having to fully go on do not disturb — meaning you don't miss phone calls or conversations but you aren't getting blasted with notifications when everyone is texting in your group chat at once.

The Google Pixel Watch 4 is a competitive health tracking device

There are a few things all health tracking devices must do in order to compete: track your workouts, track your recovery, and track your heart. The Google Pixel Watch 4 does all of that.

As the drama unfolds between Garmin and Strava, rest assured you can upload your workouts from the Pixel Watch 4 to Strava or a whole host of other devices, equipment, and apps. It tracks your training and cardio load, measures your body's readiness, and gives you a personalized daily target. The readiness score takes seven nights of sleep to calibrate but the target load requires 14 days of continuous wearing to calibrate — meaning I haven't gotten the chance to explore it just yet. Ask me about that in a few days. Most fitness trackers have some version of this, so there's not a ton to be impressed by here.

I do like the aesthetic and vibe of the morning brief, though, which gives you a readiness score, your sleep info, your workouts, and the weather. The Google Pixel Watch 3 also has the morning brief, and, it goes without saying, I'm a fan.

Pixel Watch 3 users will be familiar with the relax app, the ECG assessment, the irregular heart rhythm notifications, the loss of pulse detection, and fall detection.

It's lightweight and easy to sleep with it on, live with it on, and workout with it on.

I regret to inform you that I'm a marathon runner and, at my core, I want a smartwatch that can do two things: tell me what time it is and track my workouts. The Google Pixel Watch 4 can do a lot more than that, and I was pleased with Fitbit's integration for workouts. Fitbit isn't my favorite of the tracking apps — and I am familiar with them all — but one thing it does do well is give you exactly what you need to know in a concise and easy-to-read format. 

My first takeaway from running with the Google Pixel Watch 4 is that the side button is a lifesaver for a sweaty person trying to start and stop their runs. The buttons are satisfying, never slippery, and frustration-free. I found the buttons to have a lot better feel than the Google Pixel Watch 3, too.

You can build a custom run workout on your phone and use that on your watch or build a custom run workout directly on your watch. This is great for a wide variety of running workouts, from speed training intervals to threshold runs based on your heart rate. Once you get going, you get alerts when your intervals are starting or audio that lets you know your splits. You can also set up goals, including distance or pace for the week. 

If you want to take it even a step further, there's advanced form analysis on the app, which is intended to help your running form. You need a bit more data to get started on this than I had available, but I'm excited to see how it works. 

The Google Pixel Watch 4 will also give users AI-powered daily run recommendations based on your recent runs, goals, preferences, and load. I'm currently training for a race (and testing about 10 other fitness trackers for running), so I had to follow my original training plan, but this is also available on the Google Pixel Watch 3.

What is new? Pixel Watch 4 is the first standalone commercial smartwatch to support emergency satellite communications, which is about to make me feel a lot safer on solo hikes once marathon training wraps.

Battery life is solid

Charging Google Pixel Watches is annoying. Users have complained that the Google Pixel Watch 3 would plug into the charger then lose its connection and stop charging — leaving you with no watch to use at all. The Google Pixel Watch 4 has an upgrade. It charges on its side and I haven't had any trouble keeping it plugged in… yet.

In the two weeks I've used the device, I plug it in while I shower and haven't had any issue with the battery. It charges 25 percent faster than the Google Pixel Watch 3. The Google Pixel Watch 4 has up to 48 hours of battery life on the 41mm or 72 hours on the 45mm in Battery Saver Mode.

Is the Google Pixel Watch 4 worth it?

If you have a Google Pixel phone and no watch? Yes. If you already have the 3? Wait until you need an upgrade. 

Some of my favorite features — the running capabilities and the voice commands — are already available on the Pixel Watch 3. That said, I love the Actua 360 domed display, the snappier buttons, and the DIY repairability.