I've been wearing the new Google Pixel Watch 4 (in 45mm) for two weeks straight, and I'm sold: It's the best smartwatch for Android users in 2025.
This is thanks to a class-leading display and battery life, support for Google Gemini AI voice assistant with easy activation via a raised wrist, thorough health and fitness tracking tools, and loads of useful safety features — including new satellite SOS messaging — all for the same cost as last year's model.
While the enhancements may not be enough to convince Pixel Watch 3 owners to upgrade, those with older Pixel Watch models or smartwatches from other brands might want to take a closer look. Here's everything you need to know about the Google Pixel Watch 4.
Google Pixel Watch 4: Specs
Pixel Watch 4 |
Pixel Watch 3 |
Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 |
|
|---|---|---|---|
Starting price |
$349 |
$349 |
$349 |
Sizes |
41mm, 45mm |
41mm, 45mm |
40mm, 44mm, 47mm (Classic) |
Display |
320 ppi AMOLED, 3,000 nits |
320 ppi AMOLED, 2,000 nits |
327 ppi AMOLED, 3,000 nits |
Weight |
31g (41mm), 36.8g (45mm) |
31g (41mm), 36.8g (45mm) |
30g (40mm), 34g (44mm), 63.5 g (Classic) |
Case colors |
Matte Black, Polished Silver, Satin Moonstone (45mm); Matte Black Polished Silver, Champagne (41mm) |
Matte Black, Polished Silver, Matte Hazel (45mm); Matte Black, Champagne Gold, Polished Silver (41mm) |
Graphite, Silver (standard model); Black, White (Classic model) |
Processor |
Snapdragon W5 Gen 2, Cortex M55 co-processor |
Qualcomm SW5100, Cortex M33 co-processor |
Exynos W1000 |
Connectivity |
Bluetooth 6.0, Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax 2.4GHz, 5GHz 4G, NFC, UWB, LTE |
4G LTE (optional), Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi 802.11n, NFC, UWB |
LTE (optional), Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi 2.4+ 5 GHz, NFC |
Water resistance |
50 meters |
50 meters |
50 meters |
Battery life with always-on display (rated) |
30 hours (41mm), 40 hours (45mm) |
24 hours |
30 hours |
Storage/RAM |
32GB/2GB |
32GB/2GB |
32GB/2GB |
Compatibility |
Android 11.0 or later |
Android 10.0 or later |
Android 12.0 or later |
Google Pixel Watch 4: Price and availability
The Pixel Watch 4 is available for pre-order now, with a starting price of $349.
It officially goes on sale on October 9, 2025. Like the Pixel Watch 3, the Watch 4 is available in two sizes: 41mm and 45mm, and configured with or without cellular connectivity.
- 41mm (Bluetooth/Wi-Fi): $349
- 45mm (Bluetooth/Wi-Fi): $399
- 41mm (LTE): $449
- 45mm (LTE: $499
The cellular versions of the Pixel Watch 4 require an active data plan for a phone-free connection. Fortunately, a limited-time promotion allows U.S. customers who purchase the Pixel Watch 4 from the Google Store or Best Buy to score two years of free service.
Google Pixel Watch 4: Design and display
The Google Pixel Watch 4 looks the same as the Pixel Watch 3, unless you're looking really closely at the fine details. For example, can you tell the Pixel Watch 4 from its predecessor in the image above? (Answer: The Pixel Watch 4 is on the left.)
The newer model offers 10% more screen real estate in a case that's the same dimensions and roughly the same weight as before. A reduction in bezel size contributes to this, as does a new dome-shaped crystal that replaces the flat glass screen found on the Pixel Watch 3.
I didn't love the domed crystal at first; the curvature results in a slightly stretched effect near the edges of the screen that can feel a little wonky/jarring.
That said, I ultimately learned to love it. The display is easy to read at any angle, and reminds me of the classic dome Hesalite crystals found on some of my all-time favorite (dumb) watches, like the Omega Speedmaster.
Not only is the Pixel Watch 4 screen easier to view at odd angles than the Pixel Watch 3, it's also brighter: 3,000 nits versus 2,000 nits. This is a match with the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8, also rated at 3,000 nits, and 1,000 nits brighter than the latest Apple Watch Series 11.
Google's latest Pixel Watch can also drop down to as low as 1 nit, so you don't bother people at night or in the movie theater.
The Pixel Watch 4 is also the first Google watch with a replaceable battery and display, so you don’t have to chuck the whole thing if it gets damaged.
Like before, the Pixel Watch 4 has a crown and a button on the right for navigating menus, but now on the right side are two metal contacts for recharging the device. The new charger sits the watch upright on its side, and the display automatically rotates 90 degrees, so that you can use the watch as a mini alarm clock on your bedstand or desk.
Unfortunately, this means that older Pixel Watch charges are not compatible with the new model and vice versa.
Like its predecessor and the competition, the Pixel Watch 4 is rated for 50 meters of water resistance. Of course, this doesn't actually mean you can go scuba diving with it at depths of 50 meters. However, you should be fine wearing it for short surface-level swims and when showering.
To test the water resistance, I submerged my review unit in just under one foot of water for 30 minutes. After the soak, everything worked just fine.
The Pixel Watch 4 is also the first Google watch with a replaceable battery and display, so you don’t have to chuck the whole thing if it gets damaged. That said, you'll need to send the device to Google or a certified repair technician; the screen and battery can't be swapped at home.
Google Pixel Watch 4: Gemini and gesture controls
You never need to say, "hey, Google," again.
The Pixel Watch 4 isn't just the best smartwatch for Android in 2025; it's also proving to be one of my all-time favorite smartwatches, thanks to a genuinely useful implementation of Gemini AI voice assistant built in. While other Android smartwatches also support Gemini AI, including the Galaxy Watch 8 and prior-gen Pixel Watch 3, only the Pixel Watch 4 allows you to "wake" Gemini by simply raising your wrist.
This means that you never need to say, "hey, Google," again. In practice, the new wrist raise gesture works incredibly well. You can set how sensitive you want the watch to be on a scale from one to three. I left it maxed out at three and recommend doing the same.
Even if you activate Gemini with an unintended wrist raise — a blue glow appears at the bottom of the screen when active — the AI assistant is quick to notice your silence, and disengages after a few seconds.
Unlike old-fashioned digital assistants, like Apple's Siri, Gemini AI can answer super-specific questions and rarely resorts to a "I found this article on the subject" kind of answer.
It can also provide smarter, contextualized replies to messages. So, if someone texts you "Are you still coming to dinner?", Gemini can look at the time, your calendar, and where you are, and come up with an automatic reply such as "I'm running 10 minutes late."
I used Gemini AI on the Pixel Watch 4 a ton during the testing period. This included everyday tasks, like figuring out which movies were playing within my current walking distance, along with their showtimes. I also used it to scan my calendar and emails to quickly identify some free weekends to host out-of-state friends.
Gemini accurately answered several seriously nerdy questions about the value of old Pokémon cards, and provided handy advice on how many blueberries I should allow my 18-pound Dachshund chihuahua mix to consume.
It accurately answered several seriously nerdy questions about the value of old Pokémon cards, and provided handy advice on how many blueberries I should allow my 18-pound Dachshund chihuahua mix to consume. In fact, I rarely found Gemini AI stumped by my inquiries.
Gemini can automatically (and retroactively) identify workouts, assuming your Pixel Watch 4 was worn while completing them. So, if you forget to start tracking your run, the watch will send you a notification after you've finished, saying something to the effect of, "It looks like you went for a run. Do you want me to save this as a workout?"
The more activities you log yourself, the more accurate the Pixel Watch 4 will get at automatically detecting what it is you're doing.
Google Pixel Watch 4: Fitness tracking
The Google Pixel Watch 3 proved itself to be a mighty accurate fitness tracker, and the Google Pixel Watch 4 continues the trend. An updated GPS antenna with two bands instead of one promises even better tracking accuracy in tricky situations, like those with obstructed skies (think: forests and cities).
In addition to using the Pixel Watch 4 to keep tabs on all my workouts during the two-week review period, I also tested its fitness tracking accuracy versus the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 (another proven top-notch tracker) during a 6,500-step walk (manually counted) through a mix of urban and wooded areas in Seattle, Washington. Check out the results below.
Pixel Watch 4 |
Galaxy Watch 8 |
Control |
|
|---|---|---|---|
Steps |
6,529 steps |
6,503 steps |
6,500 steps (manual count) |
Distance |
3.49 miles |
3.48 miles |
3.57 miles (Strava) |
Elevation gain |
410 feet |
353 feet |
361 feet (Strava) |
Average pace |
17 mins 42 secs per mile |
16 mins 55 secs per mile |
16 mins 16 secs per mile (Strava) |
Average heart rate |
127 bpm |
130 bpm |
n/a |
Max heart rate |
171 bpm |
173 bpm |
n/a |
Calories burned |
557 calories |
418 calories |
n/a |
Battery drain |
7% |
5% |
n/a |
With just 29 steps separating the Pixel Watch 4's total from my actual, manually counted total, the results are seriously impressive and fall well within a reasonable margin for error. The same can be said for distance data.
However, Samsung and Strava noted less elevation gain and a faster average pace than the Pixel Watch 4. The former is a bit odd, given that both the Google and Samsung watches sport onboard altimeters for monitoring your climb/descent. It's possible, though, that Samsung's is just a tad more fine-tuned. (I'll continue testing and update this text if these results are an outlier.)
Coincidentally, the Apple Watch Series 11 also seems to overestimate climb data by a strangely similar amount in my recent head-to-head testing.
The discrepancy in pace data is likely due to Google presenting an average elapsed pace figure, which includes any pauses in movement, while the other two methods are providing an average moving pace metric. I find the latter more useful, and ultimately, wish Google offered users both.
Heart rate data between the Pixel Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 8 is similar enough, with the differences likely attributable to the watches being worn on different wrists. Finally, despite logging a more leisurely pace, the Pixel Watch 4 noted more calories burned than the Galaxy Watch 8.
Small variances in data aside — I am, ultimately, splitting hairs here — the Galaxy Watch 8 is just as accurate and reliable at monitoring your workouts as any of the top choices on our best smartwatch list, including the Apple Watch 11 and Galaxy Watch 8.
Plus, with handy post-workout insights and recovery advice, including a Target Load metric to help you avoid overtraining, a daily Readiness score based on recent workout efforts and sleep quality, and over 50 trackable activities, the Pixel Watch 4 has no shortage of tools and features to keep you motivated and active.
Google Pixel Watch 4: Health tracking
The Pixel Watch 4 offers essentially the same, albeit comprehensive, holistic toolkit as its predecessor. Hardware-wise, the only change is an upgraded skin temperature sensor, which Google says should make sleep stage tracking 18% more accurate.
Speaking of sleep, Google's sleep reports are fairly comprehensive, giving you a daily sleep score out of 100, plus a rating. You also get metrics for time spent asleep, time spent in REM vs. deep vs. light sleep, oxygen variation tracking (low is good and high is bad), sleeping heart rate, and percentage of sleep time spent restless."
You can also see how your previous night's data compares to your 30-day average and overall data benchmark. While not quite as actionable or detailed as Garmin's sleep reports (which are the best in the biz IMHO), Google's are on an equal caliber to Samsung's and way ahead of Apple's.
Lastly, while it's not new, the Pixel Watch 4 also offers Loss of Pulse Detection — a feature that launched earlier this year on the Pixel Watch 3 and is currently only found on the latest two Pixel Watch releases. Fall and Car Crash Detection also return with the new watch.
Google Pixel Watch 4: Satellite SOS
The latest in smartwatch safety tools — found only on the latest Pixel Watch and the $799 Apple Watch Ultra 3 — satellite-based SOS messaging lets Pixel Watch 4 users (with the LTE model) connect to loved ones and/or rescuers even when completely off-the-grid, just as long as there are clear skies.
The option to connect via satellite is automatically presented if/when you try to contact help via your watch outside of cellular range. Note: You don't need to actually have a data plan to use this safety feature, but you do need the LTE model (the Wi-Fi models lack the hardware).
Google offers a handy and easy-to-follow demo of the steps you'll need to take to establish a satellite connection from your wrist in the event of an emergency. They involve essentially spinning around in either direction once or twice and adjusting the height of your wrist slightly.
I tested my ability to establish an SOS satellite message connection via the Pixel Watch 4 from the roof of my home in Seattle, Washington, under clear skies, and was able to do so in under thirty seconds. That said, an unobstructed view of the heavens is required, something that could easily limit the usefulness of this new safety feature if say, you're in the middle of a forest.
As of writing, Google's SOS satellite messaging is only available in the contiguous United States.
Google Pixel Watch 4: Battery life
In my testing, the larger Pixel Watch 4 lasted, on average, 60 hours per charge.
With slightly larger capacity batteries and more efficient power management than the Pixel Watch 3, I expected the Pixel Watch 4 to last even longer, and I was not disappointed.
Google rates battery life for the 45mm Pixel Watch 4 at 40 hours per charge in standard mode and 72 hours per charge in low-power mode (the smaller model is rated 30 hours and 48 hours). In my testing, the larger Pixel Watch 4 lasted, on average, 60 hours per charge in standard mode.
Outside of the much pricier/chunkier Galaxy Watch Ultra, this makes the 45mm Pixel Watch 4 the longest-lasting smartwatch for Android users. By comparison, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic lasted an average of 40 hours per charge in my testing, and the 45mm Pixel Watch 3 averaged 48 hours per charge (double its official rating).
The Pixel Watch 4 is also quick to recharge. 15 minutes on the new side charger —which I quite like — gets you roughly 50% charge. A full charge, from zero to 100%, took just over 45 minutes on average.
Google Pixel Watch 4: Verdict
With Google's latest wrist raise gesture coupled with the brand's best-in-class on-wrist Gemini AI assistant, the Pixel Watch 4 feels more like the smartwatch of the future than anything else I've tested.
The 45mm Google Pixel Watch 4 is my favorite smartwatch for Android, thanks to battery life that's only matched by the far pricer Galaxy Watch Ultra, comprehensive fitness and holistic tracking toolkits, loads of safety features including a new SOS satellite messaging mode (something I quite appreciate as an avid outdoor adventurer), and a sleek design with a bright and responsive touchscreen.
However, my favorite feature of the new Pixel Watch 4 has nothing to do with any of the above. With Google's latest wrist raise gesture coupled with the brand's best-in-class on-wrist Gemini AI assistant, the Pixel Watch 4 feels more like the smartwatch of the future than anything else I've tested.
Sure, the best Samsung smartwatches support Gemini, and the best Apple Watch models feature similarly useful gesture controls (including the awesome new wrist flick gesture). However, only the Pixel Watch 4 combines a trustworthy AI voice assistant with a gesture control that not only feels natural but also works reliably.
Ultimately, the Google Pixel Watch 4 steals the mantle of its predecessor and is our new best Android smartwatch pick for 2025 and 2026.
