Pixel Watch 4 review: the Wear OS watch to beat

Google has finally finished its fourth-iteration smartwatch. The Pixel Watch 4 combines an improved screen, more rugged build, intelligent software and actually useful safety features into a wearable that gets the everyday stuff just right. Following a week of workouts, commutes and sleep tracking, it’s the first Wear OS watch I could recommend without qualification to most Android users — particularly if they have a Pixel phone.

It’s not a radical pivot; it’s a series of thoughtful upgrades that accumulate. Thinner bezels, a robust haptic engine, on-device AI (hello Gemini), repairability, and a satellite SOS button make this the rare sequel that not only feels like it didn’t sell out but is also practical.

Design and display polish that elevates daily use

The domed shape is back too, now in 41mm and 45mm versions with the kind of finish you notice each time you check the time. The aluminum body is premium yet light in Polished Silver, Matte Black, Champagne Gold and Brushed Aluminum. It’s minimalist, but not boring, and it wears well during workouts and while sleeping.

It’s the Actua 360 display that’s the star. Active area is greater (10% by Google’s claim), bezels are narrower (about 16% less), and peak brightness jumps to 3,000 nits — putting it on par with the brightest and best mainstream smartwatches available today. It’s still chemically toughened glass, not sapphire for those who will make a song and dance about durability again, but the curve creates a seamless gem-like surface that’s as legible in harsh sunlight as it is in a dark alley.

Performance, software, and AI that feel truly unified

Wear OS 6 is where the platform feels most unified. Material You Expressions adds richer colors and animated flourishes that feel more purposeful than showy. The new haptic engine provides sharp taps that you won’t inadvertently ignore, and the speaker is clearer for calls and assistant replies.

Gemini integration is the difference-maker. You just raise your wrist and talk in a natural tone, without needing to say a hotword, to log a workout, get a summary report about your day or ask for suggestions about a new recipe. Answers are generally quite smart, although for complex things there’s still some lag when it comes to multistep queries. The caveat: some premium insights sit behind Fitbit Premium, and deeper AI suggestions are connected to Google One tiers — a paywall strategy that may be sniffed at by power users.

Battery and charging gains that ease daily worry

Battery life finally surpasses the “don’t panic by dinner” mark. Google touts a 25% increase to stamina — somewhere in the realm of 30 hours on the 41mm and around 40 hours on the 45mm. With an always-on display in use and active notifications, I’ve seen a day and a half, sometimes two, and sleep tracking only sipped less than 5% over eight hours.

There’s a new magnetic dock that is both faster and more robust. It reaches 50% in about 15 minutes and a full charge in less than an hour, with a weighted base that doesn’t slide around and a bedside Clock Mode. The trade-off is another proprietary puck that isn’t going to be backward compatible, a pet peeve for anyone with a drawer full of old chargers.

Health and fitness accuracy that builds confidence

Heart-rate tracking is outstanding. In consistent sessions, both against a Polar H10 chest strap and a Polar Verity Sense armband, the Pixel Watch 4 never strayed more than a beat or two off in steady-state exercise or while performing tempo changes and intervals. It matters because it fuels accurate calorie estimates, training zones and recovery nudges.

Sleep tracking is still solid, with results that match what I get from dedicated sleep devices in my testing. Pool swimmers get heart-rate information at long last, cyclists can mirror live metrics to a phone for easier viewing, and a dozen new sport profiles (including pickleball) round out the basics. Open-water swim tracking is not quite up to scratch with specialist devices, but the signs are promising.

GPS performance and safety features for real-world use

GPS worked well, locking on to dual-band signals quickly and holding during most situations, but route accuracy was not perfect.

In forested trails, I saw some occasional wandering off-path and around urban routes they sometimes drifted toward buildings — classic multipath behavior. In the better ones, tracks matched up quite well with a Garmin Epix Pro; in the worst cases, they were seconds behind traces from an Apple Watch Ultra. A firmware tune-up could help eliminate that gap.

Satellite SOS is the major upgrade. And if you’re off the grid, beyond cellular and Wi‑Fi, the watch will direct you to point at a satellite and transmit an emergency message. You do want the LTE model, but you do not need to activate a plan, and service is free for two years in the US. It’s a useful addition for hikers, runners or anyone who spends time off-grid — and it got here well before rivals adopted their own versions.

Repairability, value, and verdict on Google’s best watch

Unnoticed, repairability is one of this year’s biggest changes. The updated interior design and charging mechanism make it possible for official battery and case components to be replaced through Google’s service partners or by do-it-yourselfers. In a category that’s as notorious for disposability as the watch is — you may have noticed the pattern here of Father Time and such — this action is a consumer-friendly one in keeping with the larger right-to-repair movement that advocacy groups and state legislation has been documenting.

Starting at $349, the Pixel Watch 4 is the best Wear OS watch for most Android folks. The niggles — no sapphire glass, paywalled extras, a new charger, and erratic GPS — are there but they’re outweighed by the daily wins: a brighter, more personal display; accurate health data; faster charging; smarter on-wrist AI; and having a safety net that works when your phone doesn’t. This is the Google smartwatch I’ve been waiting for — and one that I’ll continue to wear.