Google Announces Pixel Watch 4 with Major Upgrades to Display, Battery, and Health Features
Google has officially unveiled the Pixel Watch 4 at its annual hardware event. The latest iteration of its smartwatch brings a suite of significant improvements, headlined by a larger, brighter display and a substantial boost in battery life.
A key upgrade is the newly designed domed display, which is now ten percent larger than the screen on the Pixel Watch 3. This expanded view is complemented by a peak brightness of 3,000 nits, ensuring excellent visibility even in direct sunlight.
Perhaps the most welcome enhancement is in battery performance. Google states the Pixel Watch 4 can last up to 40 hours on a single charge. This extended runtime is designed to easily cover a full day and night, making sleep tracking more convenient without the need for a daily top-up. When it is time to recharge, the watch supports a 25 percent faster charging speed compared to its predecessor.
The Pixel Watch 4 also introduces a critical safety feature with the addition of SOS satellite communications. This allows users to connect directly to emergency services from their wrist, even in areas completely devoid of cellular or Wi-Fi signals, a capability that first debuted on the Pixel 9 smartphone series.
In a move that will please both consumers and repair advocates, Google is touting the Pixel Watch 4 as its first smartwatch designed with serviceability as a priority. This new focus means that replacing core components like the battery and the screen will be a much easier and more straightforward process.
For fitness enthusiasts, the watch is equipped to track over 40 different exercises, including activities like yoga and kickboxing. An AI-based personal fitness coach will be available, launching first for Fitbit Premium subscribers after the watch becomes available.
Health monitoring remains a central pillar of the device. It includes an ECG app and can provide irregular heart rhythm notifications. A brand-new, potentially life-saving feature can detect when a heart stops beating and will automatically initiate a connection to emergency services. All of this health data is accessible through a single, integrated dashboard.
As expected, the watch is deeply integrated with Google’s Gemini AI. A new speaker and a raise-to-talk functionality have been added to facilitate communication. Google says Gemini will be able to pull context from various apps on the device to provide more helpful and personalized answers to user queries.
The Pixel Watch 4 will be offered in two case sizes, 41mm and 45mm, and will work with a wide range of accessory bands. Google is also introducing new watch faces and refreshing the design of some existing ones. The smartwatch is scheduled to be available for purchase on October 9, with a starting price of $349.