After years of choosing the smallest smartwatch, I spent the last six months with the 45mm Pixel Watch 3. In going back to the 41mm Pixel Watch 4, I think this size class needs to grow, literally, to address how just one aspect is holding back an otherwise great device.
Read our 45mm Pixel Watch 4 review
Hardware |
Display
Simply, I am enamored by the Actua 360 display. Having a non-flat screen that is raised at the center and gradually slopes into the perimeter is fascinating from a tactile and visual perspective.
This is clearly the final form of the water droplet-inspired design that Google had in mind from the beginning. There’s a lineage that you can trace from the first three generations, but the screen feels radically new. The Pixel Watch is newer than all its competitors, but it has the most unique and elegant design.
From a functional standpoint, the dome helps to ever so slightly accelerate swipes that start at the middle of the screen. You also get greater visibility at more extreme angles, so that you don’t have to really tilt your wrist as far. This ends up feeling like the depth that’s offered by a physical watch’s dial.
The display under the cover glass is also domed and results in a 3D effect. It’s more than touching pixels, which is already the case on any modern flagship phone. Rather, it feels like you’re tapping the whole digital button. This near optical illusion is further heightened by the fact that you’re wearing this screen.
I have smaller wrists and was glad that Google started at 41mm in 2022. However, the 45mm size is wearable for the most part. While the case is not wider than my wrist, the bands do overshoot, with enough wiggle room — even when worn tightly — to squeeze in a pinkie where the rubber is permanently curved.
41mm Pixel Watch 4 vs. 45mm PW3
The benefits to having a large screen were pretty obvious from seeing more information and additional lines of text (messages, emails, notifications, etc.) to larger touch targets. Without the need for scrolling, everything becomes a bit more glanceable. In my six months with the bigger model, I’ve found myself typing out more message replies than I care to admit with Gboard.
However, the 41mm Pixel Watch 4, with its 16% smaller bezels and 10% larger active area, provides enough screen for me, with Material 3 Expressive playing a key role in maximizing the available screen real estate.
Since last year, I’ve questioned why watch faces with “Arc” complications are supported at 41mm. I’d say this generation’s increase makes faces that are clearly designed for the 45mm size — with complications that go to the very perimeter — look decent and not too cramped on the smaller size.
I do think we’re getting to a point where the bezels are small enough. Maybe one more cut would be nice, but I’m not complaining with what we have today. That said, 41mm is not as ideal for keyboard use and I’ve cut down on that.
The small screen was a non-issue, especially in the grand scheme of what you actually view on a smartwatch. How Google has domed the display and shrunk the bezel makes me not miss the 45mm’s real estate. However, I do have an annoyance with my generation-to-generation shrink.
Battery
To modify a famous saying: It’s the battery, stupid.
With the 45mm PW3, I can easily get 48 hours of usage and still have enough left over to comfortably tackle a third day of sleep tracking and some use in the morning. There’s zero anxiety and not changing nightly feels like it should be the norm at this point.
The 41mm PW4 gets about 36 hours before I enter the 15% battery saver. I can technically charge every other night, but there’s too much anxiety on day two that I’ve spent the end of my review period (and foreseeable future) changing nightly.
I don’t want to take the watch off to do a mid-day, or out-of-cycle charge, top-off and have gaps in my heart rate tracking or wrist notifications. Additionally, the charger is not located at my desk (it’s on my nightstand).
The new dock design and ultra-fast charging would make that easier than ever. However, as a once-a-day charger (an hour or so before bed), I unfortunately do not benefit from or notice any of the speed improvements, nor the nice new charging screen. In the past year, there were a handful of times where the watch was only at 90+% by the time I was ready to go to sleep as I put it on later than usual. In those cases, I still took it off before 100% as that’s absolutely enough to get me to my next charge.
I like how this Quick Charge Dock has a nice heft and weight to it, with what came before feeling flimsy in comparison. The Pixel Watch 4 can be placed backwards or forwards, which is nice depending on your charging setup. The magnetic connection is strong enough that I can hold the connected Watch by the band as needed.
On the watch itself, there’s the new side charging mechanism. Besides seeing the two charging contacts in day-to-day usage, you might end up feeling them more than you’d expect.
When my thumb is pressing the crown or side button, I use my forefinger as a brace and come into contact with the protruding bump. It would certainly be better if that edge was seamless like before, but I’m getting used to it.
Miscellaneous
The other thing about the design is that the pill-shaped side button is much thinner than before. There’s no impact to usability, but this sliver feels too thin and disproportionate.
Google touts “Gen 3 Premium haptics” that are 15% stronger and I do feel the upgrade when rotating the crown. Each tick as I scroll a list feels sharper and like a pinprick/pinpoint instead of a general buzz.
The 1,000 nits increase to 3,000 nits is always appreciated when outdoors. I am curious how far Google will keep boosting this year-over-year.
This year Google updated the speaker to be better for speech, like when Gemini reads its response. I’d much rather see apps like YouTube Music support the on-device speaker. Yes, I have my phone on me most of the time. But there are always occasions where I’m without it and need tunes or podcasts playing to fill the void.
The presence of Pixel Satellite SOS is nice, if not comforting, with its inclusion in both the 41 and 45mm impressive. It’s of course available on Google phones, but having a backup on your wrist always helps.
Software |
Material 3 Expressive is equal parts delightful and functional on the Pixel Watch 4. Given the inherent simplicity of smartwatch interfaces, it’s the truest distillation of what Google is trying to achieve with its new design language.
It’s quite whimsical and charming in places, like how there’s a “Bye” when you shut off the watch. Buttons that hug the display and stretch upon scroll and Quick Settings Tiles that morph upon selection makes the OS feel alive. However, Google really needs to let us remove and rearrange QS controls from a personalization standpoint.
On that note, the fact it took Dynamic Color four years to expand beyond phones is a bit unfortunate. It plays a key role in making the entire interface (notifications, apps, etc.) feel at one with the primary interface that is your watch face.
None of the new faces introduced this generation have entered into my rotation. Google did make some tweaks to existing ones. My beloved Modular (default) sees day/date permanently fixed above the time, so you now only have three (circular) complications. For an analog experience (on the weekends), my go-to is Pacific (Numerals II).
Meanwhile, the biggest Wear OS 6 improvement is how Tiles and various screens, like incoming message notifications, push elements to the very edge of the circular display. In taking full advantage of the available real estate, the 41mm screen feels bigger than it actually is.
Especially in the case of Tiles, M3 Expressive makes all previous layouts feel so basic and barren. It goes from UI elements haphazardly placed in a circle to a well-thought out embrace of rounded displays, which is a unique differentiator for Wear OS heightened by the Pixel Watch’s dome.
I applaud Google for updating and modernizing every single first-party Tile by the Pixel Watch 4 launch, with the larger touch targets greatly appreciated in Timer and Keep’s Create note. At this point, Tiles are the primary way I get information on watches, though I’m sure it’s notifications for the vast majority of people. Pixel Weather’s Forecast Tile with the current temperature, “feels like,” high/low, UV index, and condition has reduced how much I open the full app, which is fantastic for miniaturizing the phone experience.
On the applications front, I only use a handful with Pixel Weather (for its 10-day forecast), Fitbit Today, Google Keep, and Home leading the pack. Otherwise, Tiles are the interface I primarily interact with. As evidenced by the new Weather app, Google Calendar would greatly benefit from more features, like a month view.
Meanwhile, Wear OS 6 always-on display (AOD) support for media controls is not live yet, but is “targeted for later this year.” Until then, the M3 Expressive redesign of the play/pause screen still blurs when your wrist is down.
The big AI feature is Raise to Talk for Gemini, with the watch ideally about 4 inches from your mouth. I thought I’d use it more for complex prompts that I normally enter on my phone, but it’s been reserved for quick assistant commands. It might take a while for me to appreciate what Gemini for Wear OS is capable of.
It works well for me, though it’s curious how the Gemini glow only appears at the bottom of your watch face. Raise to Talk does work in whatever app or screen you’re using.
My account-level complaint with how voice assistants function on Wear OS remains. If you switch Google Accounts in the Gemini app on your phone (like going from your personal to work email), you’ll be signed out on the watch and have to set it up again. The setup process should be stickier on the Pixel Watch, with Google “looking into improving the experience so that the user doesn’t need to authenticate on the watch multiple times.”
After that, the next new AI feature is on-device smart replies with a small language model (SLM). I’m not the biggest user of these suggestions, but watches are where I use them the most. The quality and personalization of these smart replies are pretty good, and it slightly makes up for my lack of keyboard input on this smaller display.
Conclusion |
The screen not being flat is novel, and something I’ve been amused by and continue to just have fun with since unboxing. It’s a pure design innovation that I — to be honest — thought would come from some manufacturer besides Google.
Display-wise, the Pixel Watch 4 is a definite upgrade if you have a PW2 or earlier. I’d go as far as saying it’s worth upgrading from the 41mm PW3 as the tactility of the dome is something I find joy from with every swipe, while the bezel shrink and the dome make for an appreciable display boost. Who knew a non-flat display would be so interesting?
However, this nice hardware would be even better if the battery lasted longer. If increasing the case size by 1 or 1.5mm leads to a noticeable increase in battery life, Google should do it for the next Pixel Watch. Having to charge your 41mm Pixel Watch 4 every day is not the end of the world, but it’s not feeling very futuristic — a personal benchmark or mine — in 2025.
Otherwise, the Pixel Watch 4 is Google’s biggest leap in wearables. It’s a winner, but it could be better in an obvious way.
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