The Google Pixel Watch 4 got me into smartwatches again

For the past few years, I’ve been wearing an analog watch or the Xiaomi Band 6 for tracking steps and time. I didn’t choose the Apple Watch because I wasn’t working all the time, I didn’t feel the need to check my notifications, and I didn’t want to think about paying for a watch every day.

This year, I had the opportunity to test the new Google Pixel Watch 4, which made me feel like I could start wearing smartwatches again.

I’ve always had a soft spot for circular watches. One of the first watches I owned was the Moto 360, and I loved its circular design.

The Pixel Watch 4 has an Actua 360 curved display with thinner bezels compared to last year’s watch. I have a 41 mm watch as a test piece, but I would choose a 45mm size for the battery and the larger display. The display is also very bright with a maximum brightness of 3,000 nits, and this makes it easy to use during the day.

Battery life is excellent on the Pixel Watch 4, despite its small size. I’ve been waiting more than a day on days when I’m doing light work.

Although the Pixel Watch 4 has its own charger where you can put the watch on the bed like a puck, the current speed also 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. Although the actual time does not exactly correspond to these numbers, I saw charging times that came close to these figures. The advantage of this fast charging is that you can stop your watch every time you make coffee or do some quick work around the house, and get enough water to last you the whole day.

Fitness and programs

I used the Google Pixel Watch 4 a lot to track my pickleball sessions and travel. Aside from calorie burn, there was no specific information on exercise-related behaviors. For the past 15 days, I started going to the gym, and except for the treadmill and elliptical mode, there are no other special types of exercise equipment. Instead, you have to choose from options such as exercises, weights, or exercise method, depending on the type of exercise you are doing.

The watch has information about a person who runs – but it is not possible in Delhi weather with bad AQI right now. It also detects cardio after 15 minutes of continuous activity, but when I’m walking, this is hit or miss for me. Another measure that has been taken away from me was counting down. On days, I walk to the cafe, I have seen a lot of this, and on the days I have gone to my yard several times, the number of places that have risen is not wrong.

I am not someone who wore my watch or my bandage to bed. With the Pixel Watch 4, I had to smartly train myself to stay on the watch to better understand sleep and better planning. After using it for a few weeks, I always wore my watch to sleep. However, you don’t get any additional information or capabilities related to sleep or readiness on the clock in the daily summary. You get ideas on the Fitbit app about getting ready, but that’s about it. With fitness apps adding AI to their apps, Google needs to step up its game.

The new Google Material UI design on the watch is refreshing and matches the theme of my Pixel Fold. The weather app is great for checking hourly and daily forecasts. My one wish is that I wish the fitness program would allow more than 3 types of exercise to be available for quick start. I can raise my watch to talk to Gemini, which is neat, but beyond starting the time, asking for the occasional game update, and starting a workout, I’ve never needed Gemini to be there all the time.

I’ve been a fan of the latest Pixel Watch 4 update that allows me to use a few gestures to block notifications, play or pause videos or music, or even move my wrist to turn off calls.

The complaints I had with the watch didn’t bother me in day-to-day use. The display is amazing, the programs and exercises are all good, and the display, along with the new design, is an upgrade from the last generation. However, what really drew me to the watch was its ease of use and battery life and fast charging.

All in all, the Pixel Watch 4 is one of the best Android watches in the world.