For the past few years, I’ve been wearing an analog watch or the Xiaomi Band 6 for basic step and time tracking. I didn’t choose Apple Watch because I’m not constantly active, I don’t need to check the news, and I don’t want to think about charging the watch every day.
This year, I got the chance to test the new Google Pixel Watch 4, which made me feel like I could use a smartwatch again.
I’ve always had a soft spot for round watches. One of the first smartwatches I owned was the Moto 360, and I loved the rounded design.
The Pixel Watch 4 has a curved Actua 360 dome display with thinner bezels compared to last year’s watch. I have a 41 mm watch as a test unit, but I would go for the 45mm size for the larger battery and display. The display is also brighter with a peak brightness of 3,000 nits, making it easier to use during the day.
Battery life is excellent on the Pixel Watch 4, despite its smaller size. I have been able to get more than a day’s use out of the watch when I have lighter activities.
Even though the Pixel Watch 4 has a proprietary charger where you can place the watch in the cradle like a puck, the charging speed makes up for it.
Google advertises that you can charge this watch from 0% to 50% in 15 minutes and from 0% to 100% in 45 minutes. While the actual time doesn’t match those numbers, I’ve seen charging times that are close to those numbers. The advantage of this fast charging is that you can always charge your watch while making coffee or doing a quick job around the house, and get enough juice to last you the whole day.
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Fitness and software
I mostly use my Google Pixel Watch 4 to track my pickleball sessions and walks. In addition to burning calories, there is no specific understanding of exercise-related movement. During the last 15 days, I started to go to the gym, and except for the treadmill and the elliptical mode, there is no special mode for certain exercise equipment. Instead, you should choose from options like core training, weights, or general training modes, based on the type of training you’re doing.
The watch has more features for the walker – but that’s not possible in Delhi weather with today’s horrendous AQI. It also detects cardio after 15 minutes of continuous activity, but when it comes to walking, it’s hit or miss for me. Another measure that has been dead to me is the floor count. In the days I walk to the cafe, I have seen a very high number, and in the days I have climbed the terrace many times, the number of floors that have been climbed is not correct.
I’m not one to wear watches or bands to sleep. With the Pixel Watch 4, I had to mentally train myself to stay on the watch to better understand my sleep and alertness scores. After a few weeks of use, I regularly wear the watch to sleep. However, you don’t get any additional or actionable insights related to your sleep or readiness scores on your watch in the daily summary. You get advice on the Fitbit app related to fitness, but that’s about it. With fitness apps adding more AI to their apps, Google needs to up its game.
Google’s new Material UI design for this watch is refreshing and matches the theme on the Pixel Fold. Weather apps are great to look at for hourly and daily forecasts. My only complaint is that I wish the exercise app allowed more than three types of workouts to be available via quick start. I can raise my watch to talk to Gemini, which is nice, but beyond starting a timer, getting the occasional sports update, and starting a workout, I don’t need Gemini to be me.
I’ve been a fan of the new Pixel Watch 4 update that allows me to use pinch gestures to dismiss notifications, play or pause videos or music, or even move my wrist to reject a call.
The complaints I have about the watch don’t interfere with everyday use. The look is great, the software and overall fitness experience is great, and the display, along with the new design, is an upgrade from the last generation. However, what attracted me to the watch the most and kept me hooked was the combo of battery life and fast charging.
Overall, the Pixel Watch 4 is one of the best Android smartwatches out there.