Customer Ratings & Reviews

_____ *Pros: -Bright and crispy screen with slim bezels and silky-smooth glass. -Clickity and responsive crown. -Light and comfortable to wear all day. -Excellent battery life on and off the wrist with quick recharging speed. -Wear OS 6.0 is snappy with fast app launch times and smooth animations. -The side button above the crown opens the Recents menu, which is very useful. -The speaker is decently loud and clear. -Tracks health metrics and exercises very well. -5ATM waterproof and IP68 rating. -Supports emergency satellite communication. -Very comfortable wristband. -Robust app store. -Comes with 6 months of Fitbit Premium membership. _____ *Neutral: -No VO2 max data measurement. -No body composition measurement. -Installing the wristband was finicky and frustrating. _____ *Cons: -No charging brick included, just a charging cable. -$9.99/month for workout suggestions and information that the competition makes available for free I’ve been a long-time wearer of smartwatches from the South Korean camp, and I never felt a desire to try a smartwatch from a different brand until I saw the Google Pixel Watch 4. Compared to the latest offering from Samsung, the more stylish and modern look of the Watch 4 caught my attention. Upon seeing, feeling, and wearing the Watch 4 for the first time, I knew I made a good choice. The domed, curved Actua 360 AMOLED display is striking, bright, and very stylish, and I appreciate the slim bezels all around. The watch has a minimalist look but it projects premium vibes. The glass is silky smooth, and it’s highly responsive to my taps and swipes. The crown rotates smoothly and predictably, and it also offers a satisfying clickity feel and sound. The side button located above the crown launches the Recent Apps function, and I found myself using it quite often to quickly jump between apps. Thanks to the Snapdragon W5 Gen 2 processor with a Cortex-M55 co-processor, 2GB of RAM, and 32GB of storage, the Pixel Watch 4 is snappy and responsive. Apps launch quickly, and the transition animations don’t lag or have annoying janks. When compared to my previous daily driver – the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic – the Pixel Watch 4 is faster turning the screen on and off, have smoother animations, and launch apps and voice-activated functions way faster and with more accuracy, especially when it comes to using the “Hey Google” or Google Gemini voice interactions. The speaker is decently loud, and although it’s not an ideal way of carrying a long conversation due to privacy and volume reasons, it’s good enough for short and quick chats. Fortunately, the watch is also very comfortable to wear all day long. It’s relatively light, and the soft silicone watch band wraps around my wrist without causing wrist strain or pain, even when I’m typing away at work for eight hours long. I initially thought I would hate the silicone band and was planning on ordering a fabric band. To my pleasant surprise, it’s very well-made annd comfortable. I still might get a blue fabric band though just to switch things up once in a while. 😊 My main exercises are resistance training, running, and cycling, and I was quite satisfied with the accuracy of the sensors that tracked my heart rate, pace, calories burned, and form analysis. I also appreciated the more accurate and reliable location tracking made possible by the dual-frequency GPS built into the watch. Compared to the competition, I was disappointed to see that the Pixel Watch 4 was missing two functions I was used to having – VO2 max analysis and body composition measurement. Although I know they aren’t known to be highly accurate in a smartwatch, having those measurements are still useful and nice because it enables one to keep track of historical trends and get a sense of fitness progress and development. Hopefully Google will include those functions in the future. When it comes to the software and ecosystem side of things, Google has done a pretty good job setting them up. Wear OS 6 is snappy and performant, and the app store offers a huge library of useful apps, both free and paid. The default watch faces are fun, stylish, and useful, and the Google Pixel Watch app offers a myriad of options to set up and customize the Watch 4 to your liking via a well-organized and intuitively laid out app design. Besides looking good on the wrist, being fast and responsive, and having a strong ecosystem for apps, the Pixel Watch 4 is fortunately a battery life champ. Even with the Always-On display function activated, the battery got me through two days of usage. The charger recharges the watch very quickly, and its side mount design means you can lay the watch down on its side and be able to easily see the time and other information. The 5ATM waterproof and IP68 dust and water resistance ratings are no longer novelties but it’s always nice to have them than not so no complaints there. All in all, I think the Pixel Watch 4 is a fantastic smartwatch worthy of being strapped onto everyone’s wrists. It’s stylish and premium looking, it’s light and comfortable, the performance and battery life are great, the health fitness sensors and tracking are reliable and accurate, and the app ecosystem is robust and diverse. It’s not THE perfect smartwatch for me yet (due to some missing fitness functions), but the Pixel Watch 4 still has several strong and compelling traits that elevate it to a top-tier level, making it an easy recommendation to friends and family. I give it 4.5 Stars.

Google has really put Samsung and even Apple on notice with its latest Pixel Devices and the new Pixel Watch 4 continues that trend. Ever bit as beautiful and well designed as its Apple counterpart, this watch does everything that one does but with the one big advantage of better AI. The watch is sleek and modern looking. The screen is bright. All the fitness features you want are built in. It has excellent battery life. And it does all this while staying lightweight and comfortable to wear. Having owned an Apple Watch for several years, I wasn't sure I'd like moving from the square screen to a round screen. It felt like that might be giving up some real estate and have a negative impact and reading text or scrolling through apps. It doesn't! In fact, it made me feel like Apple's squareness was just a gimmicky way to be different but not better. The round face on the Pixel 4 works just as well for everything and I dare say looks better than a square one. It definitely has a sleeker and more elegant look to it which I really love. The watch is very light weight and comfortable to wear. I love the way the band attaches and detaches from the watch. It took a minute to figure it out but once I did, I was super impressed by the engineers behind it. It's way better than the Apple Watch - so much easier; and better than any detachable watch band system I've used before. The crown is nice and easy to use whether pushing or twisting. The secondary button works fine, but I wish they had put it on the side of the watch opposite the crown rather than above the crown. It can be a little awkward to push because of the placement - it still works fine though and isn't a bad thing. I just would have preferred it on the left side instead. The screen is amazing - super bright. Easy to read even outside in the sun. It appears almost bezelless. The touch sensitivity is dead on. Even when I was typing on the tiny little keyboard, I had no problem selecting the correct letters. The layout of everything is excellent. Scrolling through apps is great. Getting into settings is easy. Reading notifications on the phone is as good as any watch I've ever used. Everything is super crisp and clear. The fitness features are, as you would suspect, excellent since Google owns FitBit and all the algorithms and functionality of those devices are built into this watch. Recording workouts is easy and works well. The built in gps has done a great job keeping up with my walking miles without the need for my phone to be with me. Tracking your heart rate is great and seems to be dead on accurate. Keeping up with your sleep patterns over time is simple. You can really be as detailed or not as you want to be with your health metrics. This watch does it all so you can dial it in and get super advanced if you want. Or, if you're like me, you can just use it for the simple stuff like keeping up with your steps, recording your walks, and occasionally checking your heart rate. Having Gemini on my watch is my favorite new thing. Gemini is possibly the best AI out there and having access to it right on my wrist is very cool. The speaker on the watch is great so when asking Gemini for information I can read it on the watch or just listen - either way works! And I love the fact that Gemini is also my phone assistant and so I can use it on my watch to not just get answers and information, but also to control things or send a text message. It all works very well together. The perfect pairing is the Pixel Watch with the Pixel 10 Phone - in that case you have a combo that in many ways beats an Apple Watch with an iPhone especially with the much better AI. I love that this watch has some of the latest and most advanced safety features built in. Thankfully, I haven't had to use any of them yet, but it's good to know that has SOS Satellite Communications built in (only available on the "ultra" versions of competitor watches) as well as loss of pulse detection, fall detection, car crash detection, and a smart "safety check" feature that allows you to set a time if you're walking alone that will alert someone if the timer goes off without you letting it know you're okay. Google Wallet on Pixel 4 works exactly as it should for quick and easy payments. Google Maps also works really well even without a phone around. If you're heavy into the Google ecosystem you can also use it with Google TV and Nest devices. The battery is super impressive. I've been charging it once every day and never have had it get close to being out of power. I love the way it charges too. The little "cradle" charger it comes with holds the watch face on it's side so that it's a little "clock" for you when it's not being a watch on your wrist. Little details like that really are the icing on the cake. For many years now I've said if you want the best of the best, you can go Apple or if you prefer Android, you can go Samsung. That's not true anymore. The Pixel 4 watch is as good as it gets - in many ways it's better than an Apple Watch, though if you're stuck in that ecosystem, you don't really have a choice. But if you're an Android fan or if you're just ready to try something different you'll find the Pixel 4 watch is on par with any smart watch out there and better than most. Pair it with the Pixel 10 phone, and you'll have the most premium set of devices you can get with several amazing features you won't find on any other devices.

Best Android watch I’ve experienced! Granted, it’s also the newest but the other two are no slouches either. What makes the Pixel Watch 4 stand out are the plethora of sensors and true all-day battery life. In fact, it’s advertised to go for 30 hours and that’s about exactly what I’m getting. With the display in the “always-on” mode! I can’t even get my other watches to last 15 hours in that mode, so I’m already more than impressed. But to be able to maintain that battery life with a constantly running heart rate sensor and a couple other helpful sensors almost seems magical. It’s not a big watch either. At 41mm it’s the smaller of the two Pixel Watch 4 models and a good fit for a small to medium wrist. I wear medium to large gloves and it’s right at the limit of what I’d consider small without looking out of place. I was a little worried about the screen display being smaller, but everything is remarkably sharp and easy to read. And if you want a better look it’s just a tap away on the touch screen display. Watch controls are by voice, touchscreen, and a little knob on the side that functions as a button and scroll wheel. Thankfully, the watch user interface is snappy, which also makes it a joy to use and explore its other capabilities. If fitness and health tracking is important to you, you’ll love this watch. I didn’t realize it’s essentially a FitBit device as it’s one of the recommended free apps to download and a big part of how it measures and tracks your fitness. From heart rate, sleep patterns, steps, to calories burned, skin temperature, and seemingly even oxygen saturation, this watch has all of the latest fitness tracker options. I also love how it seamlessly integrates with Google Fit and the other devices I have synched to it. Things like my latest scale results automatically get added with the watch data to create a comprehensive picture of my health in the Google Fit and FitBit app. And if you’re shy about tracking some of your data, you can always opt out in the app settings or make an anonymous profile. Thankfully, setting up the watch and Google Watch app was a breeze on my Samsung S25 phone. It can take a while to go through all of the options, but they’re fairly easy to understand and changing/customizing watch faces is simple as well. If anything, the most time consuming part is deciding what options you like, because there’s so many. Some of the notable ones you might not want to skip out on though are the sudden fall and car crash sensors. There’s even a no pulse detection monitor that will call emergency contacts and services if triggered. On top of that, there’s safety features like Emergency Location sharing that you can quickly activate if you’re in a troubling situation. It’s a feature I never really thought about wanting, but I can see it being quite beneficial today. Should you get the Pixel Watch 4? Yes! I’m barely scratching the surface of what this watch can do so far, but I absolutely love it. It’s a good looking watch with a gorgeous display, outstanding battery life, and a whole plethora of useful sensors that I hope become a new standard. And what’s really neat is that supposedly all generations of Pixel Watch wrist bands are compatible as long as the body size is the same. So I should be able to use any generation of 41mm wrist bands for mine, which is pretty neat. And one more big feature is that it’s supposedly the first smartwatch that’s designed to be repairable. So a cracked screen doesn’t mean it’s the end of the road anymore! PROS - Attractive - Sharp and clear screen - Well built - FitBit app compatibility - 30 hours of battery life (even with display always on) - Diversity of sensors - Good vibration and haptic feedback - Knob has excellent tactile feedback - Easy to change and customize watch faces - Easy setup on Samsung S25 Ultra - Wrist bands from all generations seem compatible - Designed to be repairable - Waterproof down to 50meters - Reasonably priced - Quick charging CONS - Can’t find rugged G-Shock style cases as nice as other brands yet - Curved screen means no hard glass screen covers

Lots of bells and whistles! Gemini works amazing. But I'm not sure how accurate the heart rate is but I'm sure people have checked. Oh, but the battery life is not the best.

As a huge fan of the Google Pixel series of products, I couldn't wait to try out the new Google Pixel Watch 4! There has been a lot already written and reviewed about the Pixel Watch in general. I'm going to focus on the stuff that is new to the Watch 4 specifically. Just know that the Watch 4 builds upon the already excellent Pixel Watch series and has added some meaningful upgrades that solidifies this as the best Pixel Watch to date by a very wide margin. It could quite possibly be the current best WearOS watch on the market and gives a solid running for one of the best smart watches, period. First the foremost, the #1 best thing about this watch is it's battery life. Google states about 40 hours between charges, and I've consistently gotten 48+ hours after 2 straight weeks of use, wearing the watch 24/7 and enabling all of it's features. I haven't had to place the watch on the charger but once every 2 days! this is crazy from any other watch I've used to date, even including the infamous direct competitor to this one :) This brings me to the next best thing about this watch, and that is charge time. From the 3-5% left battery I have after 48 hours pass, I place on the charger and within 40 minutes it's back up to 100%. After about 20 minutes it's nearing 80%. That's fast. The only con I have about the new charger is that it is yet another, different charger which makes all other Pixel chargers obsolete, including third part chargers. This makes it really hard for Pixel watch owners to confidently upgrade year after year and keep their previous accessories. I hope this one sticks around, with one exception. The charge port is on the underside of the watch which doesn't both me, but gives visibility to holes in the side of the case which many watch people may find obnoxious. The new domed display with allows the OLED panel to reach to the edges of the case looks absolutely fantastic. The 41mm size I've been using is nearly identical to last years larger Pixel watch in terms of usable space and in a smaller footprint. I have smaller wrists so I appreciate this change a lot. The 3000 nits of brightness is also amazing in direct sun, the watch face is very easily visible even in the brightest of conditions. The above reasons alone are enough to justify the upgrade. I did find at the software level having Gemini integrated is also a huge plus. Gemini has gotten so good over the past year, it easily has replaced traditional Google searches and/or Google Assistant in my daily activates. Having access to it on my wrist is a welcome convenience. Having a faster processor also means health tracking is even more accurate. I found Watch 4 to be substantially more accurate on walks in terms of step count and mileage than previous generations or even other competitors. Watch 4 supports the same watch band clasp as long as the mm of the case matches. This is great, unlike the charger, where you can continue to use the bands you've invested in. This is a must have upgrade for anyone with a current Pixel watch or even any Android user in general (though some features are limited to Pixel phones). Everything great about the Pixel watch is present here in gen 4 with some game changing improvements that solidify this as a serious contender in the space. Absolutely amazing job to Team Pixel over at Google and I cannot wait to see what the team comes up with next year!

I am a big fan of the Pixel watch. I have always liked its simplicity and clean looks. I own a Pixel Watch 2 that is being replaced by this Pixel Watch 4. They have much in common, and that is a good thing. The initial appearance is so similar, it is difficult to tell them apart. Both of mine have the 41mm bezel, which looks best on my small wrists. The Pixel Watch 4 has an improved display that is curved to result in a 10% increase in the active area, and the display is 50% brighter- up to 3000 nits which makes for better viewing in direct sunlight. This model offers integration with Gemini out of the box, which should be welcome news to those of you who have had the pleasure of interacting with Google’s AI persona. Richer colors are offered in the display, and a beefed-up haptic engine and custom speaker spice your interaction with this model. You will enjoy these new improvements the moment you finish setting up the watch. Battery life is said to be 25% longer, or up to 30 hours. My experience easily confirms this spec. This model certainly betters the battery performance of the Watch 2 which, for me, was not bad. The charger is different. The Watch 2 required you to lay the watch face up, being sure the cord came out on the same side as the stem. If you didn’t, you might find out later in the morning that you did not successfully fully charge the phone. A new dock has you place the bezel on its side, so that the face is vertical to you in bed, so that the time is visible to you lying in bed. A quick charge will result in a 50% charge in 15 minutes! I really like that feature as I walk with my wife in the morning after wearing the watch all night for sleep monitoring. The Snapdragon processor is 25 percent faster while drawing ½ the power. The Corning Gorilla glass and aluminum housing is water resistant to 50 meters, and now has a replaceable battery and display- a welcome first for this model. The Pixel Watch 2 already had me sold on its health and fitness features. A couple of months ago the phone alerted me to an abnormally high pulse rate while I was at rest, sitting at my desk. This warning had me visiting my provider and the ER as a precautionary measure. My issue has not evolved into an official diagnosis of AFib, but I now monitor that status on my Pixel Watch on a frequent basis. That feature is, of course, retained in the Watch 4, and it is a great one which is not always available as a feature on other smartwatches. Improvements to the health and fitness capabilities on the new model include better and more accurate sleep tracking and skin temperature sensing as well as more route tracking via GPS. If you monitor your walks, like I do, the phone uses AI to automatically detect and classify your activity, even if you forgot to start the monitoring yourself. This is perhaps my favorite of the new features. I liked the old model. I love the Pixel Watch 4 and recommend it.

This is the 2nd smart watch that I've ever owned, but the first one that I actually enjoy wearing. Its style, comfort, and functionality are all excellent. Pros: - This watch is perfectly balanced and lightweight, which makes it comfortable to wear. The silicone band does not irritate the skin and is well designed to wrap around your wrist with ease. The clasping design makes it easy to put on with one hand. There is an extra band provided for folks with larger wrist sizes. The smaller size worked perfectly me as I have fairly small wrists. - The set up process was very simple. Everything is fairly automatic when using your Android phone. The Google Pixel Watch app helped quickly identify a nearby watch that was ready for set-up and I was able to get up and running within 5 minutes. - It charges very quickly. I can take it from 50% to full in about 5-10 minutes. - The default display provides me with all the information I could want/need and more (see photo). Not only do you get the date and time, but you can see the outdoor weather, and your heart rate. I love that I don't need to swipe to see these things and the display isn't overcrowded in any way. The interface provides easy access to other features via quick swipes. - The AI tool, Gemini, can be accessed from the primary display with a single touch. I've found it very useful to get quick help or information without having to grab my phone from another room or even having to pull it out of my pocket - All the features you would want in an activity tracker are present. Let the step counting begin! Cons: - It took me a few minutes to figure out how to dock the watch onto the charging base. Once I figured it out it makes perfect sense, but it wasn't obvious to me right away. The design of this watch is extremely high-end and I am extremely pleased with it so far. I feel like it is going to make my life simpler and more convenient in many ways.

The Google Pixel 4 watch is a great all around smartwatch. It does everything that you would expect a smart watch to do, while having its own identity that is solidified by its own unique theme. Build Quality of the watch is very good. I was skeptical of the band that comes with it, but I was pleasantly surprised at the comfort of it. Its like its not even there. Its very easy to put on and take off as well. It comes with two sizes for bigger and smaller wrists. I used the bigger one, but I may have been able to use the smaller one as this one I have almost down to the last hole. The face of the watch is semi bubble shaped and after 2 weeks of use in a pretty rough job I haven't scratched it, so it seems very durable. The charging base is really nice as it allows the watch to double as an clock while charging. Battery life is decent as far as smart watches are concerned. I've been able to stretch a charge out for 2 days, but if I'm being active and recording my workouts, its about a day and a half. This aligns with nightly charging habits though so I had no issues. Only complaint I have with the watch is sometimes the touch detection isn't the greatest, requiring more finger tip to touch it to get it to respond than I would like. It also can get a little laggy at times when swiping or moving through apps. The software on the phone side is great. It allows you to customize tiles so that you get the information that you need readily available. There are also plenty of different appearances that you can select from.

The hallmark of Google products in general are their style and elegance and this watch is no exception. The Pixel watch 4 is a great looking, stylish and sleek watch that looks great on the wrists. It’s extremely light weight and feels comfortable to wear it all day. The display is stunning with Actua 360 domed display that allows viewing from any angle and the 3000 nits brightness enables to view it in bright sunlight day with ease. All the watch faces are great looking with customizable complications to display any information required. Speaking of information, this watch can track and display steps, distance in miles / km, calories burnt, floors climbed, heart rate, weather, battery and many other complications to choose from. Gemini is just a gesture away – lift the wrist to invoke Gemini. The watch has a decent speaker enough to interact with Gemini or to even take a call. With earbuds connected, you can summon the watch to call and take the call with earbuds. Google claims this to be the most accurate heart rate tracker (I will be verifying this when I go to the doctor’s office) and the watch can detect the loss of pulse and call the emergency services. The sleep tracker can track how long light and deep sleep and provide a sleep score. Setting up the Google Wallet enables to pay via watch, which is extremely convenient. Multiple cards can be linked and its v easy to choose from. I have used other leading brand watches for Android and undoubtedly, the Pixel watch has the most natural swap actions to navigate through the notifications, quick settings etc. The greatest highlight of this watch is the battery life. It easily lasts more than 24 hours with ease never needing a top-up on the same day. It charges extremely fast with 15 to 100% in just 45 minutes. Watch has a whole list of Activities that can be tracked. Common ones are Walking, running, Biking and a whole bunch of sports like Badminton, Pickleball, Canoeing, Cricket and many more. But my qualm with activity tracking is the inability to auto detect if I am on a treadmill or outdoors. I understand why the watch asks the user to tell the watch whether they are on a treadmill or outside - to track it accurately, but with location access ON and GPS options available, it’s a shame the watch doesn’t auto detect and relies on user input. After activity ends, once again the watch ask the user to confirm, which is even is even more annoying with sweaty hands. Getting the activity to auto track has been a tedious task. If you run into the same difficulty, please note, both activity start and end tracking auto detection needs to be enabled for this to work. Pixel 4 is a huge step up from the previous generations especially in battery and display department. This watch is a perfect companion to a pixel phone and when coupled with Pixel buds, it feels complete. Being a Pixel/Nexus user for the past 13 years, it’s a no brainer to use a pixel watch but I really wish Google would enhance the Auto Activity tracking features to make it a seamless experience.

I finally upgraded to the Google Pixel Watch 4 because my original Google Pixel Watch could not last a day on a full charge anymore. I’m glad Google didn’t change most of the physical aspects, so most accessories can be used interchangeably. I own several bands already and I am able to use them on the new watch. The specifications stated that the bezel is now about 15% thinner, but I don’t notice it significantly. The only major difference is the charger. Instead of charging on the bottom of the bezel, the charger is now sideways. Battery life is literally amazing! After a whole day, I still have a good 75-80% battery left. And I can typically get it to fully charge in 15-30 minutes. I can’t be happier with the battery life! The screen is also much more vibrant, and notifications are bigger now, making it easier for me to see. One of the new functions that I noticed was the Loss of Pulse detection. You can set up to alert your emergency contacts just the same as if it detects you’re in a car accident. It’s supposed to ask you to confirm before it’s notifying your emergency contacts. Overall, I’m super impressed with the updates and it’s totally worth the upgrade for me!

I’ve used a Fitbit and a Smart Fitness Ring in the past, but this is my first watch. I have a small wrist and I was afraid the 41mm Google Pixel 4 watch was going to be too big, but although it looks large on my wrist, it fits and the small band is just the right size. I was a little disappointed in the appearance of the watch. The Google Pixel watch I received is all black and round. The band can be easily swapped out for around $50, but the rest will always be plain black. If I were buying it, I would purchase one with a silver case and colored band. The display is edge to edge and made of Gorilla glass, which I found out from experience with a phone made of Gorilla glass, is not scratch proof. It is water resistant but not waterproof. When set on Touch to Wake, the battery lasted 48 hours. The side of the watch has charging pins that snap into a docking station. Charging is very quick. It was so fast that I don’t know exactly how long it took - but less than 30 minutes. The Google Pixel 4 watch will only work with Android phones. A Pixel phone works best, but isn’t a requirement. I have a Microsoft Surface Duo 2 phone and it connected quickly and any missing functionality is minor. There are a lot of settings. Some are only on one device and some are on both the watch and the phone watch app. When in both places, it’s usually easier to make the changes using the phone. With the watch and phone adjacent, changes made using the phone are immediately visible on the watch. New email and texts can be set to vibrate and make a sound. There is a setting to always turn off notifications when the watch thinks the user is sleeping. Or with a swipe it can be put in Do Not Disturb mode where only select messages get through or Theater mode which silences everything. I put it in Theater mode just before turning out the lights. Google Wallet is on the watch, and can be used to tap and pay. The wallet can also store things like credit cards and boarding passes. Google Find Hub will play a sound to help locate the watch. If it is truly lost, it can be secured so that no one can access any of the financial data. There are quite a few safety features that can be activated to summon assistance. They work with cellular data or Wi-Fi and some even work via satellite when neither phone or Wi-Fi are available. The features are No Pulse, Hard Fall, Emergency SOS and Car Crash. Pressing the crown 5 times dials 911 even without a phone present. Gemini AI is included. Gemini can be activated by pressing the button above the crown knob or by touching the Gemini icon on the watch face. I haven’t had any problems with Gemini understanding me, although so far it hasn’t given me any useful information. A press of the crown shows the apps in alphabetical order. I’d like to be able to re-sort them so that the ones I use most are on top, but that’s not possible - at least not with my brand of phone. But if I press the button instead of the crown, recently opened apps show, which is almost the same. The problem with using the button is that I often get Gemini instead of my app list. Google acquired Fitbit a few years ago and the original Fitbit app is incorporated into the watch. I could still see some of my data from 2014. Most of the data can be seen either on the face of the watch (if the default face is selected) or by opening the Fitbit app on the watch. Some of the features, like the ECG require the phone. The feature I like the most is being able to check emails and messages with one touch instead of having to hunt down my phone when it dings. My folding phone is heavy (equivalent to carrying 2 phones) so I rarely carry it with me and I have to run for it when it rings. With the watch I can see who is calling and answer the call. But there is a range limit. The watch says that to save battery it uses Bluetooth first and then Wi-Fi. I have no problem seeing messages and calls when I’m in the house. I was hoping I could leave the phone in the house when working in the yard, but I missed some messages when I did that. Of the Goggle Pixel 4 watch, Smart Fitness Ring and Fitbit, the watch is the most versatile and would be my recommendation for the following reasons. Google Pixel 4 Watch - Though not a simple process, the battery can be changed by the user. Battery status, fitness stats and much more can be seen on the watch itself. Messages and texts can be read on the watch face and phone calls can be screened and answered. It’s a little big and clunky, but it doesn’t get in the way of day to day activities. Smart Fitness Ring - The life expectancy of the ring is the life of the battery. Nothing (including battery status) is visible on the ring itself. All data and stats are in the phone app, which is similar to the Fitbit app. The ring can get in the way when turning the car steering wheel and turning a door knob. Easy to put on and leave on, but it needs to be protected to prevent damage when doing manual labor, lifting weights, etc. Fitbit - Has a robust fitness app. Many components of the app can be seen on the device itself. It is less expensive than either the watch or the Smart Fitness Ring, but it is limited to the fitness component.

Here is a watch that does everything you could ever want in a watch, except it’s missing time travel. Every feature is well thought out and works excellently. Screen: The screen is crystal clear and curves around the sides of the watch. The screen can be set to be always on which I prefer and even in this setting, it uses up very little battery. You can change the watch face to your liking with many choices available. The default face shows you about the most information at the same time. Now while the screen is very clear and bright, even in the sun, along the edges if there is small text, it is hard to read so I don’t think having the screen curve around the edges is very helpful or buying you anything. Battery: The watch takes around 35 minutes to charge. With the display always on, I can get around two days of battery life which is great. There is a small charging base that magnetically holds the watch sideways while it is charging. No aligning necessary like my previous watch which I always struggled to align the charger, it just works. While charging, it will display the current battery charge level and how many minutes are left to charge it, which is fairly accurate. Connection to Phone: There is a Google Watch app that you will need to install on your phone to connect the watch to your phone. The connection is very reliable, and I’ve had no problems with it. It was also easy to set up. If you step away from your phone, when you return, it will connect immediately. Notifications: When you get a notification on your phone, you will get a quick vibrate on the watch and will briefly show you who it is from and the subject. If you scroll to the notifications area you will get a list of emails you have received recently and if you click on one, it will display all the text in the email. Sorry, no pictures. I do find the vibration to be very short and therefore sometimes I miss it, except I hear the notification on my phone if it is nearby. I wish the vibration were a lot longer. You also can clear all the notifications on the watch and phone. There are also other watch specific notifications that you will see in this area. Now, I have found that if I have the phone set to silent, the watch will no longer notify you. There are various settings around syncing the notifications between the watch and phone, but I have tried every setting and can’t get it to work. This is unfortunate since I would like to silence my phone in the office and still know when I get a new email. As a result of this, I can’t silence my phone, which is frustrating. I wish I could find settings that would solve this but couldn’t. But maybe some combination of the settings will fix this. Features: If you scroll up on the watch face, there are a ton of buttons you can press to do various things. • Settings: A ton of settings to control the watch. • Displays the battery remaining and allow you to put it into battery saver mode. • Ring and notifications on and off. • Bedtime mode: turns off screen and notifications. Only alarms stay on. • Do not disturb: Silences all notifications except from certain people and apps. • Theater mode: silences everything and turns off screen. • Airplane mode • Flashlight. Turn the entire screen bright white. I was spectacle about this, but it works. • Set brightness • Water disable: Now this is a very important feature. I used to wear it in the shower and the water that hit it would activate the touch screen. As a result, I stopped wearing it in the shower until I discovered this. It would disable the screen while you are taking a shower or in the water and pressing the crown re-enables the touch screen. • Google pay: You can set up a credit or debit card on you Google account and this allows you to pay using the watch on the store’s card reader, like paying with your phone. • Google home: Allows you to control smart devices around your home. • Ring phone: Rings your phone from your watch, I assume to help you find it if it gets lost. Various other controls: When scrolling to the left/right. • Start an activity • Display weather • Current steps and goal • Average sleep hours and time • Heart rate • Contact someone configured on your watch • Safety check • Gemini • Calendar and events coming up • Maps for where you are, your work, your home and other locations, and how long it will take you to get there and the distance. Google Watch App: The Watch App allows you to change a ton of settings beyond the settings that you can set on the watch itself. You can change settings for: • Notifications o Mute notifications from your phone o Hide silent notifications o Allow new app notifications o Mute phone calls o Mute notifications on phone o Smart replies • Google account o Accounts o Backup by Google One o Digital assistant o Google wallet • Fitbit o Sync • Play Store for downloading apps to your watch, including watch faces • Watch preferences o General o Display o Gestures o Modes o Security o Wrist preferences • Safety and emergency (haven’t had a chance to use this yet so I can’t say how good it works, but that is a good thing. o Emergency sharing o Safety check o Emergency SOS o Car crash detection o Loss of pulse detection o Fall detection o Emergency contacts o Medical ID • System o Find Hub o Calendar sync o Transfer watch • Accessibility o Magnification o TalkBack o TalkBack shortcut o Font size You can also select your watch face and see how much battery you have left Activities: There are a ton, and I mean a ton of various activities to choose from. If you can do it, it is there. I’ve heard it is over 40, and I believe it. I’ve only tried a few and I can say they are all very accurate. It is supposed to automatically detect your activity and start tracking it, but I found this doesn’t work so well so I manually start the correct one when I start that activity. Fitbit App: You can (and should) install the Fitbit App to use with your watch. It will continuously sync with your watch for various statistics, and body properties. This is the best way to keep track of your activities. It keeps track of: • Steps today (very accurate, watched count increase as I walked) • Miles today • Calories today • Sleep duration (very accurate) • Daily readiness • Cario load • Running distance for the week • Exercise days • Hourly activity • Floors (very accurate, counted to compare) • Average heart for today (very accurate compared to another device) • Stress and mindfulness • Stress management for today It can also view previous day’s statistics. If you get the premium subscription, you can get coaching. I didn’t get premium so I can’t comment on it. You can also see your goals and badges you have earned. As I can see, most of the readings seem very accurate. Maps: The maps is a great app that keeps a list of various places you want to store, such as home or work, and will display them on a small map. With that, it will tell you how far away that place is from your current location and how long it will take you to get there. If you give it a category, such as restaurant as an example, it will find nearby places and give you info like your stored places. This can be useful, although you can get the same info, plus more, from your phone’s map app. Gemini: Press the Gemini button on the watch face and ask your question with its built-in microphone. The watch will respond with the answer in its built-in speaker. It works the same way as Gemini on your laptop or phone. After speaking to it, it heard me accurately 90% of the time. It can also control and read from apps on your watch or phone. I was also able to control YouTube on my phone from my watch. This Gemini feature works well and is so cool. Conclusion: Here is a watch that does a ton of things and does them all well. Because of all the features it packs in, there is a learning curve on how to use it. If you’re very active or you’re someone that just takes a stroll and wants to easily see their notification, which is my favorite part, and you have an Android phone, this is a must buy. I can’t really think of anything that needs improvement.

Google Pixel Watch 4 I recently received the Pixel 4 Watch in black and 41 mm. I was looking for a good smart watch that had better reliability than those knock-offs from China, and this was a great choice! The watch looked soooo sleek and smooth with the round face and the rounded edges. I have been wearing this watch daily for a little bit over a month and unlike other watches, smart or traditional, the watch face is still pristine with no scratches! Love! This is one watch that I am not embarrassed to wear to the office or a night out on the town. It looks good with everything! The watchband is made of silicone, and is comfortable. One can switch out the bands to some that are on the Pixel store, or some online that are available. Lots to choose from. In the box was a charging wire, but no cube. I had to buy a cube to charge, but that is ok since they are not that expensive. Charging is really fast, usually the time it takes me to take a shower, it is at 100%. I have yet to drop below 80% charge too, so the battery lasts quite long. Set up was a snap since I was a big Fitbit user since 2013, so had the app on my phone and my account was still active. I was not going to buy another Fitbit watch, and I always liked the information provided on the Fitbit app, so this worked beautifully. Connection was easy and the watch stays connected unless I walk the dog and leave my phone at home. However, when walking the dog, it still records my activity and keeps great time! As soon as I come back to the house, it automatically reconnects. I set up the watch to give me notifications from my phone, which is great! I can look at the watch and decide based on the message whether I need to get up and respond to it or read, etc.. I did have the watch answer my phone calls too, but found that to not be the best. I could hardly hear the person talking on the phone, so I had to raise the watch to my ear and then talk through it. Not for me. I turned that feature off. I do pay attention to my sleep duration and my sleep score as well as the resting heart rate and breathing. Ever since I got older, sleep has been a challenge for me, so I really strive to get good sleep, get a good score, and try to keep my stress under control and have good oxygen levels. Exercise is important to me too, so it is great to keep track. There are stairs in my house, so it is very interesting to see how many times I go up and down the stairs a day. I hate the stairs, but it is good exercise. I love that you can customize the watch quite a lot either through the app or on the watch itself like changing faces (maybe to match your outfit of the day?), and there are a lot of faces to choose from, changing target ranges for activities, sleeping, stress level, Cardio load, and even notifications for when your heart rate or breathing falls out of certain ranges, etc. One of the big things that I love (unlike early versions of Fitbit), the watch face is off when I am sleeping. Love that! I don’t get blinded at night from the watch! Overall, I really like the watch, how it looks, functions, etc. I am so glad I got it. I hope it lasts just as it is for many years.

Google nailed it with the Pixel Watch 4. Accurate tracking sensors, useful functions that integrate perfectly with my phone, and impressive watch independence when my phone isn’t nearby — all done with a beautiful screen and a great fit. Let’s begin with the screen. It’s bright, has great contrast, and displays characters that are easy to read and navigate. Text messages, emails, pictures, and controls all look fantastic — to the point where I can’t keep my son away; he’s constantly running over trying to touch the screen. Easily one of the best watch screens I’ve had across all the digital watches I’ve owned. Continuing with the screen, the touch controls are very responsive. Even with my thick fingers, I have no problem pressing the keys on the keyboard when it pops up. Sliding through tabs is extremely smooth, and I haven’t had a hiccup yet. The processor inside keeps the watch running flawlessly, and I haven’t encountered a single bug so far. I’m using this with a Pixel 10 Pro, and while I can’t speak for other Android phones, the combination is fantastic for my daily activities. Just yesterday, while cooking, I received a couple of notifications — a quick flip of the wrist and I could see them without grabbing my phone. I can use Gemini to send text messages, emails, and more, and it works seamlessly with the AI component. All the connected features are well thought out — it truly feels like an extension of my phone on my wrist. I’m not sure how previous Pixel Watches performed, but as my first, it’s easily the best smartwatch experience I’ve had. Now here’s where I’m really impressed — fitness tracking. This is where most watches fall short. For all of my fitness activities, my favorite heart rate monitor has always been the Myzone series. What often happens with other watches is that when I’m doing anything that squeezes the wrist, the heart rate reading gets thrown off and struggles to recover. Sometimes you’ll get no reading for several seconds, and by the time it catches up, your heart rate has already dropped — making the data inaccurate. This was very common with the Fitbit series. With the Pixel Watch 4, it’s been going hand-in-hand with my Myzone. Whether running, lifting weights, or just during daily activity tracking, the new heart rate sensor technology is the best I’ve ever experienced for a wrist wearable. Beat for beat, it was on par with my Myzone, even surpassing my Oura Ring in accuracy and responsiveness. This is very important to me because I like having multiple tracking options to cross-check workout intensity. Speaking of workouts, the new cardio capacity, cardio intensity, and workout display are great motivators for keeping the intensity high. Google has also taken a page out of Oura’s playbook with its recovery and well-being tools, helping you understand when you’re primed and ready to go. Having all of this available right on your watch screen makes it easy — just a quick flip of the wrist and you know exactly what to tackle and how hard to push. As a former Fitbit user, I’m very familiar with their interface. Combining Fitbit’s design with Google’s ecosystem has created an incredibly effective platform for anyone serious about their health and wellness. The integration feels seamless and thoughtful. Compared to an Oura Ring, I’d say the price point is a bit high, but the features and metrics are absolutely worth it. I’m currently using the free version, and it’s more than enough to meet my needs. Overall, the fitness integration feels just as refined as the smartwatch features — it doesn’t feel like an afterthought but like a core part of the design. Now for the bands — both good and bad. Google uses a proprietary clasp system that locks you into their band options. I’m not a fan of that since typical silicone bands often irritate my skin, and I prefer to choose my own. Fortunately, the included Google band hasn’t caused irritation so far, though time will tell. That said, the band fits well, doesn’t interfere with activity, and looks good enough that I don’t need to change it for style reasons. Google has mentioned new band options coming soon, so we’ll see how those go. Lastly, the only sour point — battery life. This comes with a caveat, though, because smartwatch battery life is always a balancing act. You want maximum functionality in a small device that still lasts as long as possible. I have the 41mm model, which provides up to 30 hours of use. Since I use nearly every feature, I’m averaging closer to 24 hours. Typically, this would be a point of criticism, but Google has improved the charging speed and convenience. Like other devices, they recommend topping it up while you shower or get ready — and it really does charge fast. I’ve seen it go from nearly empty to full in under 30 minutes. While I’d love multi-day battery life, I understand the trade-off for performance and display quality. Fast charging keeps me moving even with a quick 10-minute top-up. I’ve only been using the watch for a short time, but every feature I’ve tried has exceeded my expectations. I know I’m still only scratching the surface, and I look forward to discovering even more of what it can do. As of right now, it comes highly recommended!

Full disclaimer that I'm not the kind of person who really understands smart watches. I see friends and family with them, but I don't understand the point. I've tried one in the past - a fossil e-ink hybrid smartwatch - but I don't remember the last time I even saw it, much less wore it, or thought about it aside from now. All of this to say that I didn't really come into this knowing exactly how I was going to use it. I must confess that even after using it constantly for several days, I'm not sure I understand the point. I tend to not want to look on my phone. I don't like being attached to it, I don't like using it. A smart watch only makes me feel more attached to it, and it's not my jam. That being said, it has a lot of very cool functions, and gives helpful information. Not to mention that it can be used for sleep tracking, which I find very helpful. As far as looks, it's simple. Straightforward. Not trying to grab your attention. I like that a lot. I don't want to be flashy and loud with it, I don't want it to stand out too much. It's pretty comfortable, as far as watches go. The strap is a little obnoxious to secure to your wrist, as it's a bit unusual compared to every other watch I've used, but it's not difficult to put on or anything, and it stays very secure. It charges quickly, and the battery life is about a day and a half to two days, I've found. It's fantastic! I wear it to bed. I use it with Pokemon Sleep, for more accurate tracking. Pokemon Sleep itself is a little finicky, and so is the sleep tracking on the watch - if more than one app has sleep writing permissions, it won't track properly - but once you get that all figured out, it's excellent. It has a lot of functions I didn't use, but I think could be helpful for a lot of people. I don't think it's for people like me. But it's a lovely, feature-rich watch that would be great for a lot of people.

This one replaced my previous Google Fitbit Watch 2 from 2017. Like the previous version it is very durable, very sleek, has all the functions of a Smart watch but comes with an improved battery life. If you are looking for a smart watch without a bulky watch face or price tag like majority of its competitors, you will love this watch. I wish they will continue to improve the battery life to 4 days or more.

I recently switched from iOS to Android and have been searching for a watch that is on par with thr Apple Watch and this is it! Notifications come quickly, battery life has been really good, it charges quickly and auto detection of activities is a great feature and has been really accurate so far. I’m loving the round shape after having a square watch so long. If you’re a recent Apple watch user and looking for a great replacement, this is it!

Love the size, charging speed, great integration with Pixel phones (as expected) compared to non Pixel watches . Battery life is acceptable and to spec, not an issue since it charges so quickly. Durability of the domed glass is questionable, but not too worried since it's repairable.

I upgraded my pixel watch 1 to this and the difference is night and day. Battery life has improved dramatically and everything feels much snappier. The screen is also a big improvement over the original with a smaller bezel and increased brightness.

Upgraded from the first pixel watch, and this is such a major upgrade. Battery life is amazing, can get 2 full days with AOD. Plus this thing charges so fast, charge it while showering, you're good to go!