Pixel Watch 4’s new charger will warn you when it’s not actually charging

Andrew Romero | Aug 20 2025 - 1:30 pm PT

Google’s new Pixel Watch 4 comes with a newly designed charging dock for faster top-ups, and it will warn you when you aren’t getting the power needed.

In keeping with tradition, Google has changed how it wants users to charge the latest Pixel Watch. Instead of a wireless puck with magnets or pins, the new charger acts like a small stand, allowing the Pixel Watch 3 to sit sideways and upright while charging.

The stand itself takes up very little space, and it’s a more stable alternative to the previous design. The Pixel Watch 4 uses solid-state pins that allow for faster charging, and though they protrude from the watch a bit, they’re an essential part of this new design.

One of the more welcome features of this new charger is a new warning that comes with the watch when a charger or power is not detected. If no power is available, the Pixel Watch 4 will display an error message that warns the user. The message reads:

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“Check if charger is aligned and has power”

This may also appear if the supplied power doesn’t reach 7W, which is a new minimum charging requirement, up from last year’s 5W. The Pixel Watch 4 charger, according to Google, charges 25% faster than the previous model. That means a charge of 50% in 15 minutes, though it slows down as the battery gets closer to full.

When the charger is working properly, it will display the time, charging levels, and your upcoming alarm. The error message shouldn’t be a normal occurrence, but it’s nice to see nonetheless. There seems to be a little more room for misalignment, as opposed to the magnetic puck. Even still, the design change seems to be a good one.

The Pixel Watch 4 is available for pre-order now.