I Bought a Pixel Watch 4
I’ve been thinking for a while that I wanted a smartwatch.
I’m a hardcore Android user, and I use iD for almost 100% of my payments, so my options were basically fixed from the start.
Pixel Watch 4 or Galaxy Watch Classic.
I’m not a huge fan of Samsung, but design-wise, the Galaxy Watch Classic is way more my taste. I went back and forth on this for quite a while.
In the end, I went with the Pixel Watch 4, Wi-Fi model, 41mm.
I’ve been using it for about three days now, so here’s a quick, honest review.
The Good
Light and Compact
There’s about a 10-hour battery life difference between the 41mm and 45mm models, and I saw a lot of reviews saying the 45mm is easier to use thanks to the larger display.
I have thin wrists, so I chose the 41mm — and that turned out to be the right call.
Battery aside, I almost never feel that the screen is “too small” or hard to use.
If you have thin wrists, 41mm is the obvious choice.
Very Snappy Performance
This honestly surprised me.
Everything feels fast and smooth. There’s no lag, no frustration — which is huge for a device you interact with dozens of times a day.
Music Playback Without a Phone
I didn’t expect this, but there’s a proper YouTube Music app.
For short trips outside, being able to leave my phone at home and still listen to music is way more convenient than I expected.
Works with Electronic Payments
FeliCa support was non-negotiable for me, so this is just solid.
To be honest, a smartwatch without FeliCa support is basically useless in Japan.
SwitchBot Integration Is Handy
My home setup relies heavily on SwitchBot, so controlling things from my wrist is quietly great.
I mostly use it for lights and the air conditioner, but even that alone is worth it.
Just… a Watch Is Convenient
I haven’t worn a regular watch for years.
People often say, “Your phone is enough,” but being able to glance at your wrist and instantly check the time is still genuinely useful.
The Neutral
Battery Life Is Acceptable
Given that it’s advertised as being ~10 hours shorter than the 45mm, I was a bit worried.
In reality, it easily lasts a full day with normal use.
I wear it all day except when showering, and by the time I’m done, it’s fully charged again — so battery life hasn’t been a problem so far.
The Design Is… Not Great
This is subjective, but I really don’t like the look.
Especially the curved body — I genuinely hate it. I wish it were just flat and simple.
That said, I absolutely cannot stand the square display of the Apple Watch, so compared to that, this is still the lesser evil.
The App Ecosystem Is Weak
Honestly, there isn’t that much you can do on a Pixel Watch.
Here’s what I currently use, besides basic notifications:
- Clock
- Weather / temperature / UV
- Maps & navigation
- Calendar & reminders
- Heart rate
- Sleep / health / activity tracking
- Music playback
- LINE
- SwitchBot
- Gemini
- FeliCa
- iD
- QUICPay
- Suica
- Camera (unused)
- Phone (unused)
That’s about it.
I wish there were a decent news reader, but it doesn’t seem like there really is one.
Then again, I’m not going to play games on a watch, and considering battery drain, this is probably fine.
The Price Feels Fair
The 41mm model is ¥52,800.
Not cheap, not expensive — just… reasonable. Almost impressively so.
The Bad
Very Few Band Options
This is honestly rough.
There are very few bands, and most of them are pretty underwhelming. Official bands are absurdly expensive, too.
I’d really like more options that visually “hide” the curved body design, but right now there’s basically only one viable choice.
Adding Suica Is Weirdly Complicated
Adding iD and QUICPay was trivial.
Suica, on the other hand, was a mess.
I assumed I could use the same Suica card as my phone — but nope, you need to create a separate card.
After creating a mobile Suica, I had to unlink it from my phone before it would finally work on the watch.
Even following the official instructions, it didn’t go smoothly. This part really needs attention.
PASMO Is Basically Unusable
Suica works fine, but PASMO is close to unusable.
You can create multiple Suica cards per Google account, but PASMO only allows one card per account.
And since you can’t share the same card between phone and watch… yeah, it’s basically dead on arrival.
As a programmer, I can’t help but feel this is a design failure on PASMO’s side.
Using only a smartwatch for transit payments feels risky anyway, so personally, I’ve just stopped using PASMO altogether.
Raise-to-Wake and Gesture Accuracy Is Meh
This was unexpected.
When I raise my wrist to check the time, the screen doesn’t turn on as reliably as I’d like.
There’s also a new feature that launches Gemini when you bring the watch close to your face — but the accuracy is questionable.
Always-on display would fix this, but battery life would take a hit. Hopefully this improves with updates.
The Watch Face Feels Flat and Cheap
Compared to a real mechanical watch, the display is obviously flat and lifeless.
Ironically, the more “stylish” the watch face, the cheaper it ends up looking.
There’s no way around this, but as a fashion item, it’s honestly pretty weak.
Overall, I’m happy with the purchase.
Battery life is better than expected, and being able to check sleep, steps, and heart rate is more useful than I thought it would be.
Music playback was the biggest surprise — being able to go out with just a watch and earbuds, listen to music, and pay for things feels kind of futuristic.
On the flip side, design and accessory options are clearly lacking. The Galaxy Watch Classic still looks so much better.
It seems like the new charging system introduced with Pixel Watch 4 has slowed down third-party accessories, which is unfortunate.
Personally, I don’t recommend stick-on screen protectors — a snap-on case or just going naked feels fine.
I’ll keep using it for a while and see how it holds up.