Google’s first Pixel Watch looked beautiful but barely lasted a working day on a single charge. The Pixel Watch 2 and Pixel Watch 3 improved the formula with tweaks here and there, but the Pixel Watch 4, which was released in October 2025, is hands down the best version yet.

In fact, after testing it for two weeks, I believe it’s the best Android smartwatch you can buy, a product now comfortably better for most Android phone users than the popular Samsung Galaxy Watch series.

It’s almost impossible to tell any of the Pixel Watch generations apart visually, but strapping on the Watch 4 ends up being a great experience, with an accomplished overall feel lacking on the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic, which feels over-engineered both in hardware and software.

The Galaxy Watch tends to try and look like a traditional watch while the Apple Watch is obviously a computer. I like that the Pixel Watch sits firmly in the middle, with a round but smooth face that whispers ‘gadget’ but at a glance is a normal timepiece.

The Pixel Watch 4’s most subtle but luxurious improvement is its domed display. Where the previous three models had domed glass with a flat display underneath, the actual AMOLED display here is also domed. It’s a little hard to tell unless you use a watch face that has numbers that go right up to the edges, but that look combined with the fact the centre of the display is right up underneath your finger with no sense of a gap adds to the feeling of quality here.

It’s not just better looks either. The Pixel Watch 4 is more repairable thanks to regular screws in its body. Google still recommends sending it off to be fixed rather than doing it yourself, but it could mean replacing an old battery or smashed screen is possible. Older Pixel Watch models are very hard to fix.

The watch comes in 41mm and 45mm sizes, which cost £349 and £399 respectively, or £100 more for each to add 4G compatibility. I’ve been testing the latter, which doesn’t dwarf my wrist and I can wear comfortably all day and all night to track my sleep. It sits a little way off the wrist but it’s not too bulky. Only EE and Vodafone offer full 4G plans for the Pixel Watch 4, and I was unable to test this, but it means you can link your phone number to the eSIM in the watch to receive all calls, texts and notifications out and about even without your phone on you.

What also helps me wear it for so long is the excellent battery life, which is better than on the 45m Pixel Watch 3 (the larger models have larger batteries). The Watch 4 consistently lasted for about two and a half days of use, a figure only surpassed on fellow Google WearOS watches by the OnePlus Watch 3, which can stretch to four or five days.

Testing alongside the new Apple Watch Series 11, I found the Apple Watch died after 48 hours, whereas the Pixel Watch kept going for closer to 60 hours.

Google has, annoyingly for Pixel Watch upgraders, changed the charging puck yet again, meaning no Pixel Watch generation has the same one. This one is the best yet though, a magnetic dock that the watch clips into on its left side, turning it into a mini bedside or desktop clock.

Charging is very fast, taking only 15 minutes to get to 50 percent, or an hour for a full charge. It means I can chuck the watch onto the charger even if it’s about to die and know that in a quarter of an hour there will be more than enough juice for another day of wear at least.

It means there are two raised silver charging pins on the left edge of the watch that do make the unit look a little unfinished but it’s worth the trade off. A slit in between the pins houses the new speaker, which is crisp and loud enough for talking to Google Gemini, if you’re into that.

Google’s newish AI voice assistant is, on a smartwatch, still best suited to simple requests rather than a long conversation. I also was surprised to hear a voice blurt out my kilometre split times when on a run, but the announcements were pleasantly briefer than other watches that scream out all your stats unnecessarily. Like everything on this watch, this is tastefully refined.

Most of the delight in the watch can be found in the WearOS 6 software, which Google has fully overhauled from older versions. Based on the Material 3 Expressive design language of Android 16 on Pixel phones, everything is polished and refined, from watch faces to better notification design and tiles that are curved at the edges to lean into the circular screen design.

Little touches such as WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger notifications briefly displaying the name and photo of the sender, the colour theming you can apply to watch faces that goes across the whole interface, or the very simple and clear screen with vital stats when on a run make it feel like the watch is working with you. I also found the GPS and heart rate tracking accurate, and there is full IP68 dust and water resistance for rain, showering or swimming.

All exercise tracking is via the Fitbit app, which feels better integrated with the software than in previous years, both with how stats are presented on the watch and in the visually updated Fitbit app for Android (bear in mind the Pixel Watch works with any Android phone, but not with iPhones).

There’s no steep learning curve, which I did not find with the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic, a device with so many features and menus that it’s hard to get used to.

The advantage of a Pixel Watch over Samsung or OnePlus, despite those watches being very well integrated into the Google ecosystem, is that the Pixel Watch feels completely in tune with Google apps and services. You can get turn by turn directions on Google Maps, which vibrates when you need to make a turn, handy for cyclists. The vibration motor is excellent, with the haptics of this watch the best I’ve used in any Android smartwatch. Turning the crown to scroll through menus gives tiny buzzes that are only matched by the industry-best Apple Watch. Bravo, Google.

Third party app selection is also great. I used Nike Run Club, Strava, AllTrails Pocket Casts, Spotify and WhatsApp with no issues. Fingers crossed it means developers will continue to put some love into these apps in a world where Apple Watch apps have been decidedly superior for years.

I reviewed the matte black aluminium watch with black band, which I think looks great. This year, your colour choices are different depending on the size you go for, with the larger 45mm also available in satin moonstone aluminium (grey) with matching band, or a polished silver aluminium with white band.

The smaller 41mm also comes in black or silver, but two other options of silver with a purple band or a champagne gold with lime green band.

I don’t hesitate to recommend the £399 45mm Pixel Watch 4 as it is the best Android smartwatch I’ve ever tested in a secade of doing so. It works best with a Pixel phone, and apps such as the Camera control app or Recorder are Pixel only, but will seamlessly work whichever Android handset you have. 

With improved battery life, haptics and software in a hardware design that is fully refined, you won’t be disappointed.