Smartwatches can be easy to abandon. When you’re not training for a marathon, don’t care to glance at notifications, and dislike the idea of charging yet another device daily, an analog watch—or a simple fitness band—often feels like the better fit. But the Google Pixel Watch 4 is the kind of wearable that can pull you back in, thanks to a polished screen, smoother software, and a battery-and-charging combination that makes wearing it feel less like a chore.
Why the Pixel Watch 4 stands out quickly
For people who gravitate toward classic watch shapes, the Pixel Watch line’s circular design remains a major draw. The Pixel Watch 4 continues that approach with a rounded look that feels more like a traditional timepiece than a gadget strapped to your wrist—an aesthetic that appeals to anyone who previously liked round smartwatches such as the Moto 360.
Where the Pixel Watch 4 meaningfully pushes forward is the display hardware. Google uses a curved, domed Actua 360 screen, and the bezels are thinner than last year’s model. In day-to-day use, that slimmer border makes the watch face feel more expansive without turning the watch into a chunky slab.
Sizes: 41 mm vs. 45 mm
The Pixel Watch 4 comes in a 41 mm size and a 45 mm size. Testing was done with the 41 mm version, which is compact and comfortable, but the larger 45 mm option is an understandable preference for anyone who values two things: a bigger display and the potential for better battery life that often comes with a larger chassis.
A brighter screen you can actually use outdoors
Google rates the Pixel Watch 4’s display at 3,000 nits of peak brightness. In practical terms, that higher brightness makes the watch easier to read in daylight—one of the most common pain points with wearables, especially when you’re walking outside, commuting, or checking a workout stat mid-session.
Battery life and fast charging: the real “wear it every day” upgrade
Battery anxiety is one of the biggest reasons people stop wearing smartwatches. If you have to remember to top up your watch every night—and you’re not getting enough value in return—it’s easy to leave it on the dresser and go back to a standard watch or a basic tracker.
On the Pixel Watch 4, battery life is described as “great,” even on the smaller 41 mm size. With lighter activity days, it’s possible to exceed a full day of use. That matters because it reduces the mental overhead of smartwatch ownership: you can wear it, sleep in it if you choose, and still not be punished by an afternoon shutdown the next day.
Proprietary charger, but the speed helps
The Pixel Watch 4 uses a proprietary charger, with the watch placed on a cradle like a puck. Proprietary charging can be inconvenient—especially if you like to keep spare USB-C cables everywhere—yet fast charging can offset the annoyance by shrinking the time you’re tethered to that one charger.
Google advertises charging from 0% to 50% in 15 minutes, and from 0% to 100% in 45 minutes. Real-world results may not match those figures perfectly, but charging times can come close. The practical benefit is simple: short charging sessions become useful. Put the watch on the charger while making coffee or doing a quick household task, and you can regain enough battery to make it through the day.
Fitness and software: strong overall, with some gaps
For many Android smartwatch buyers, fitness tracking is a primary reason to wear a watch in the first place. The Pixel Watch 4 is used for activities like pickleball and walking, and it tracks basics such as calorie burn. However, there isn’t a deep layer of sport-specific movement insight for pickleball in particular, which may disappoint anyone who expects tailored analysis for every activity.
Gym tracking: general modes instead of machine-specific options
In gym use over a 15-day period, the Pixel Watch 4 includes treadmill and elliptical modes, but it doesn’t provide specialized workout modes for specific pieces of gym equipment beyond those. Instead, you’re expected to choose broader categories such as:
- core training
- weights
- a general workout mode
That approach can still work well for logging sessions and keeping a record of effort, but it requires more manual interpretation and selection than a watch that offers a long list of machine-specific profiles.
Runner features exist, but real life gets in the way
The watch includes more features for runners, though running isn’t always feasible depending on conditions. In Delhi, for example, terrible AQI can make outdoor running a non-starter, which turns a watch’s running focus into a “nice to have” rather than a daily driver feature.
The Pixel Watch 4 can also detect cardio workouts after 15 minutes of continuous activity. In practice, that auto-detection can be inconsistent during walks—sometimes it triggers, sometimes it doesn’t.
Accuracy quirks: floors climbed can be unreliable
Some metrics can be off. Floor count is cited as an example: on days involving a walk to a cafe, the count can appear unexpectedly high, while on days with multiple trips up to a terrace, the number of floors climbed can still be incorrect. For users who love climbing stats or use them as a weekly goal, this is worth noting.
Sleep and readiness: a habit shift, but limited on-watch insight
Sleep tracking is another area where wearables promise a lot—sometimes more than they deliver. If you’re not already accustomed to sleeping with a watch on, it can take time to build that habit. With the Pixel Watch 4, regular sleep wearing becomes possible after a few weeks, helping generate sleep and readiness scores.
Still, there’s a limitation in how those insights are surfaced. The daily summary on the watch doesn’t provide extra or actionable guidance tied to sleep or readiness. Suggestions related to readiness do appear in the Fitbit app, but the on-watch experience remains more about reporting than coaching.
As more fitness apps incorporate AI features and deeper personalization, this is an area where Google has room to improve—particularly for users who want a wearable to do more than log data.
Material UI, Fitbit, and Gemini: the everyday software experience
Software is where the Pixel Watch 4 aims to feel cohesive inside Google’s hardware ecosystem. The new Material UI design is described as refreshing, and it matches the theme on a Pixel Fold—exactly the kind of cross-device consistency that can make an Android wearable feel more “native” rather than tacked on.
Weather and usability wins
The weather app is highlighted as particularly well-designed, presenting both hourly and daily forecasts in a visually appealing way. For many people, weather is one of the most frequently checked watch apps, so a clean presentation matters more than it might seem.
A quick-start gripe for workouts
One software frustration: the exercise app’s quick start can only show three kinds of workouts. If your routine rotates through multiple activities, that limit can add friction, forcing extra taps to find the mode you want.
Gemini on your wrist: useful, but not essential
The Pixel Watch 4 supports raising your wrist to talk to Gemini. It’s a neat interaction, and it can be handy for straightforward commands like:
- starting timers
- asking for occasional sports updates
- starting a workout
But the experience also suggests an important truth about wearables: even with a powerful assistant present, many users don’t necessarily want an always-on AI layer. Convenience features matter, yet so does getting out of the way when you don’t need them.
Small interactions that make the watch feel better
Beyond specs, smartwatches live or die on “micro-moments”—how easy they are to control when you’re walking, carrying bags, or mid-workout. A recent Pixel Watch 4 update adds a pinch gesture that can dismiss notifications, play or pause videos or music, and even lets you move your wrist to dismiss calls.
Those kinds of gestures can meaningfully improve the experience because they reduce reliance on tiny touch targets and make one-handed control more realistic in everyday settings.
What ultimately makes the Pixel Watch 4 compelling
Even with a few annoyances—such as imperfect floor tracking, inconsistent auto-detected walks, and limited quick-start workout options—the Pixel Watch 4 succeeds where many smartwatches struggle: it’s pleasant to wear daily. The display is called fantastic, and the combination of updated design, strong battery life, and fast charging is what most strongly encourages continued use.
Put together, the Pixel Watch 4 lands as one of the best Android smartwatches available, particularly for people who previously felt smartwatch ownership demanded too much maintenance.
Conclusion
The Google Pixel Watch 4 makes a persuasive case that an Android smartwatch can be both attractive and low-friction: bright enough for daylight, strong enough on battery for real-life routines, and fast-charging enough to fit into short breaks at home.
This article is based on reporting originally published by TechCrunch.
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Based on reporting originally published by TechCrunch. See the sources section below.
