A bit too limited

Review: Google Pixel Watch 4 - Should impress

Pixel Watch 4 is of course powered by Google's operating system Wear OS in its latest version, but the setup in Wear OS means that the watch still differs quite a bit from other watches with the same system.

Published 9 December 2025 - 16:33

An advantage of Google's system, which all manufacturers of watches with Wear OS benefit from, is the range of apps. From the watch, or from the connected phone as it is often easier, I can download Gmail, Spotify, WhatsApp, and so on, and Google Maps is available on the watch even with offline navigation independent of the phone.

In other ways, Pixel Watch clearly differs from other manufacturers with Wear OS, and it is rarely to Google's and Pixel Watch's advantage. Samsung and OnePlus are examples of manufacturers that often come out on top in a direct comparison, Samsung with a well-developed ecosystem of services and interaction between phone and watch, and OnePlus thanks to its unmatched battery life.

Morning report just in time for morning coffee

Battery life on the low side

When it comes to battery life, Wear OS watches generally offer just over a day's battery life before you need to charge. Pixel Watch 4 is also in this range during the period I tested the watch. A one-hour run with GPS active takes about 14 percent of the battery, and a night's sleep tracking between 10 and 15 percent. Generally, I have about 30 percent charge left after a day's use, depending, of course, on how much I've used the watch's features and how much I've exercised. However, it often happens that the last 10-15 percent of the charge drains very quickly, so the information doesn't seem quite reliable. I often check the watch and see that there is 15 percent left, only to check it again after fifteen to twenty minutes and discover that it has completely drained without me noticing when it happened.

Here, the Oneplus Watch 3 has an incredibly significant advantage with its dual architecture and battery life of up to a week instead of just a day. The Google Pixel Watch 4 charges with a special charger that attaches to the edge of the watch and charges it standing on its side. It charges quickly, and it's enough for me to take off the watch, for example, when I shower to have it fully charged. 80 percent charge takes about 25 minutes.

The battery can die quickly and unexpectedly.

Each of the different manufacturers that make Wear OS watches has its own solution for training and health. This is a weakness as a whole because it means you can't easily share your workouts with other Wear OS users in the same way that, for example, Apple Watch users can encourage each other. And each of the Wear OS manufacturers develops their own training functions and doesn't help each other, even though you can, for example, share with Strava regardless of whether you use a Pixel Watch, an Apple Watch, or a Samsung Galaxy Watch.

Health monitoring is managed by Fitbit and it's done well

In the case of the Pixel Watch 4, it's Fitbit, which Google bought a couple of years ago, that manages training analysis and health functions. Overall, I think the Fitbit app, which I connect to separately, I get both a Pixel Watch app that manages settings and a Fitbit app that manages training and health, does a good job. Analysis of individual workouts is rewarding, and after a few nights with the watch on around the clock, I get an assessment of my daily form, which is then based on an overall assessment of my recent activity, my sleep, and other measurements. In the Fitbit app on the phone or watch, I can build my own workouts with intervals to then be guided step by step when I perform them.

I'm a bit more sceptical about the data collected by the watch. It can recognise workouts and sleep without me having to manually activate it, but it's not always accurate. One night it stubbornly claimed I only slept for two hours when in reality it was more than double that, and one evening when I was sitting watching a film on the sofa, it later reported that I had completed a 40-minute session on an exercise bike. At least I can go into the app and correct that.

When I closely examine the plotted route of my workouts, running and walking with GPS, the watch seems to have not exact but relatively good positioning. The line is sometimes a bit wobbly but stays fairly well on the path I actually walked or ran. To test in more challenging situations, I walked four laps around the Hötorgsskraporna at Sergels torg in Stockholm, a place where the GPS can struggle to get an exact position due to the tall buildings. Here, the Pixel Watch 4 shows a bit more spread in the route than the Apple Watch series 11, which I compared it with, but both are acceptable.

Route around skyscrapers with Apple Watch on the left, then Pixel Watch 4. On the right, a detailed image of another walk with Pixel Watch 4.

The Pixel Watch 4 is available both as a wifi/bluetooth watch and with mobile connectivity, but despite having the 5G version, I haven't been able to use e-sim as the watch is only supported by a few operators in Sweden, Telia, Telenor, and Halebop.

Small but also big, too big

The design of the watch makes it small and sleek at first glance, but it doesn't always feel that way. The round, curved display is unobtrusive and doesn't draw much attention, but it's also a bit too small to actually display much information. We are testing the 41-millimetre version, so there is a larger variant. I never find the watch bothersome during the day, but when I sleep with it, I notice that it is thick, meaning it sticks out a lot from the wrist. Pixel Watch 4 boasts its new, protruding screen, and the fact is that Pixel Watch 4 is significantly thicker (12.3 mm) in dimensions than both the Apple Watch (9.7 mm) and the Galaxy Watch (8.6 mm).

An advantage of Wear OS, which all watches with the system, regardless of manufacturer, can benefit from, is access to Google's apps. This includes navigation with Google Maps, controlling the smart home with Google Home, functioning as a remote control for Google TV, or reading emails in the Gmail app. Not to mention what Google themselves prefer to talk about, Gemini. However, none of these apps are actually good or contribute much. The Gmail app can only display emails from one account at a time, so to keep track of my different email accounts, work and others, I have to constantly switch between accounts, which is very inconvenient. Using the watch as a remote control for Google TV at home causes huge delays and is almost completely unusable, and looking at Gemini, I can indeed give it short questions and commands and get answers, but the use cases are limited. Very often, it's much easier to pick up the phone to actually get things done properly.

We have complained a bit about previous versions of the Pixel Watch that the system is slow and that problem is still not completely resolved. The first time I start a new app it takes maybe 4 seconds to get it going, then when I have done it, it takes one and a half or two seconds to start an app I have used before. It is a long time on a watch where patience is always short.

If I have to make an effort to find areas where the Pixel Watch 4 is better than the alternatives, it is the unique design that dares to stand out, some of Fitbit's analyses and functions, and the interaction with the phone. The latter, however, also means shortcomings because I can unlock my phone automatically with the watch, control the phone's camera from the watch, or record voice memos in the watch that sync to the phone. But all that only works if my phone is a Pixel.

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