The latest Google wearable is all about the alliteration it seems, as Google’s Pixel Watch 4 boasts big Bs.
Whether you don a wearable or not, it’s fair to say many around the world have embraced the extension of a phone on a wrist that is a smartwatch. It brings notifications so you don’t need to check your phone, and it brings the time, so you needn’t refer to your phone for that, either.
But perhaps most importantly, wearables add a way to monitor your fitness and health, and link those insights up with your phone for analysis and checking later.
Every year, they get a little better, and this year is no different, with Google adding to the assortment of new Pixel 10 phones with — you guessed it — a new Pixel Watch.
Now in version four, the Pixel Watch still retains much of the look of last year’s Pixel 3, complete with an option for a bigger screened model, while upgrading some of the hardware.
For starters, there’s a new “domed display” that provides what Google says is 10 percent more screen and even more brightness graded to around 50 percent brighter, while the battery life can also go for longer, as well. Forget the single days, because Google is suggesting up to 40 hours is possible from the Pixel Watch 4, with faster charging, too.
At the same time, the watch is apparently more durable, using Corning’s Gorilla Glass to protect that domed display, with protection from the elements, dust and water. And interestingly, Google has designed the Pixel Watch 4 to be serviceable, meaning the display and battery can actually be replaced if they break or die.
That’s a positive thing, though most of the other features will feel like minor updates by comparison. The GPS is improved on a hardware level using two frequencies, though most of the health tools and sensors are minor touches on the previous model.
Google notes the health tech has been fine-tuned for more accurate readings, covering heart rate, ECG, skin temperature, and SpO2 blood oxygen, with the “Fitbit Morning Brief” providing a level of insights in your health and sleep to give you a gauge of what to do that day.
One feature that is new delivers support for SOS satellite communications, what appears to be an extension of the SOS technology smartwatches normally have, but reliant on the satellites used in phones. Previously, SOS on a watch has been beneficial in saving lives, found in a recent campaign for the Apple Watch. That joins support for detecting “Loss of Pulse”, essentially providing a notice before primary cardiac arrest or other respiratory failure.
And Google is going all in on bands, because that clearly matters for watches. While the Pixel Watch 4 will likely arrive with a more standard silicone band, accessories including metal links, leather, and sporty fabrics are on the way, as are additional watch-faces on the watch itself.
Australians can expect to find the Pixel Watch online and in stores from October 9, priced from $579 for the 41mm and from $679 for the larger 45mm model.
