These Are The Biggest Disappointments With The Google Pixel Watch

When I switched from my iPhone to an Android phone again this year, I spent a lot of time figuring out which ecosystem I wanted to buy into. With my iPhone, I'd always used an Apple Watch, paired with AirPods and even my MacBook and iPad, so I knew I wanted to find something that could easily compare and let me take advantage of similar easy connections. But the nice thing about Android is that you can sometimes mix and match devices, which is why I was eyeing the Pixel Watch 4 despite planning to go with a Samsung smartphone. However, there were a few big disappointments and features about the Pixel Watch 4 that turned me off of Google's latest foray into the wearable market.

Some of these disappointments are purely my own, while others are things that users have openly complained about online, too. These disappointments range from simple concerns about the watch's overall durability to the charging setup it uses, and even to how jam-packed the Gemini AI is into the smartwatch. Ultimately, these disappointments were enough to turn me off picking up the Pixel Watch 4, but for others, they're mostly just annoyances they hope to see addressed in future releases.

While I applaud a lot of what Google is doing with the Pixel Watch's design, including the bubble-top design that Google further elaborated on with the Pixel Watch 4, there are some things that turned me away from it when it came time to select my next smartwatch. One of the primary things that pushed me away was the charging design and the lack of wireless charging support. While I do think it's much better than the pin-based charger that the Pixel Watch 2 and 3 utilized, the new side-based charging design was still far from what I wanted. 

As someone who wears their smartwatch pretty much every day, being able to easily charge my watch and phone using a combination system has become a necessity for me, especially since I have limited space to set up different chargers. And I'm not the only person who wanted to be able to do this, either, and there have been posts on Reddit asking about similar charger designs. There have even been comments about how to pull off this feat yourself by removing the Apple Watch charging puck from a charging stand and retrofitting it with your Pixel Watch 4 charger. This isn't a terrible idea, but not everyone has the knowledge or the patience to make that happen. 

Another issue several people have pointed out is the Pixel Watch 4's durability. Comments on the Pixel Watch subreddit note that screen durability feels like a huge issue, with some users even reporting two small scratches on the screen within the first 48 hours that they had the device. Of course, this isn't an issue for everyone, but it is worth noting that your mileage may vary depending on how rough your life is, and how active you are while wearing the smartwatch.

While the Pixel Watch 4 has been praised for being more repairable, and one comment in response to durability concerns has even mentioned that you can replace the screen in around five minutes without any special tools, the fact of the matter is, smartwatches are on our wrists all the time. Whether we are working in an office, working outdoors, running, or just working out at the gym, our watches are often on our wrists. As such, durability is a major concern for many and a key talking point when comparing smartwatches like the Apple Watch and Google Pixel Watch.

Because Google doesn't currently offer an Ultra model like Samsung and Apple, Pixel Watch users will need to settle for the standard durability of the Pixel Watch 4. Perhaps this will change in the future, but for now, it might be worth determining whether a smartwatch case is worth the bulky look for you.

Despite offering an upgraded chip over the Pixel Watch 3, there are still complaints from some users that the Pixel Watch 4 feels slow, especially compared to other smartwatches. One user posted on the Pixel Watch subreddit, noting that the Pixel Watch 4 feels like some of the laggiest tech they've ever used, and that when they go to use features like tap-to-Pay, it usually takes upwards of two to three times longer for their Pixel Watch 4 to pull up any of their credit and debit cards when compared to other smartwatches they've tried.

Of course, this isn't a complaint across the board; plenty of other people note that their performance on the Pixel Watch 4 feels snappy. Despite the complaints about how disappointing the Pixel Watch 4's performance is, some reports have noted that it performs very close to the Galaxy Watch 8. While the Pixel Watch 4 uses a newer chip than the Pixel Watch 3, some still recommend going with the older Pixel Watch 3, as you can get it cheaper and it performs similarly in most cases.

Google's Pixel lineup as a whole has always been better known for its software and features than for its performance, including the newer Pixel 10 Pro. So many users may already be expecting a watch that performs somewhat slower. Still, it's important to understand that some users have shared these concerns, especially if you're debating picking one up and want to know what to expect.

One of the big selling points for the Pixel Watch 4, at least from Google's perspective, is its deeper integration with Gemini, which is the company's AI replacement for Google Assistant. The Pixel Watch 4 isn't the only smartwatch to have Gemini, but it is notable because Google continues to integrate Gemini into every facet of its hardware, just as it has with the Pixel smartphone lineup.

However, not everyone is happy about this. Some people have noted that the constant Gemini pop-ups are extremely annoying, while some feel like Gemini butts into their conversations far too much. Others say it takes Gemini several seconds to even pop up and respond. 

Others have bemoaned the overall software quality, noting that every time there's a new software update, Google breaks something on their Pixel Watch. This is an issue we've also seen with the Pixel smartphone lineup, as Google users continue to report problems affecting them, including major Pixel 10 issues that users are still frustrated by even months after its release.