Exclusive: Google Pixel Watch 4 Teardown Shows Easy Repairability

Google’s first Pixel Watch was fashionably precocious to nan wrist computing party, arriving in 2022 erstwhile nan marketplace was already rather mature. And while nan smartwatch has since cemented its place among top-tier wearables, it has 1 reddish flag: It isn’t repairable.

For nan past 3 generations, Google has been replacing surgery Pixel Watches alternatively of repairing them. “Watches and wearables are still reasonably nascent," a spokesperson explained astatine a 2024 Climate Week panel erstwhile asked why nan watch wasn't repairable. Meanwhile, Apple precocious celebrated nan 10th day of its Apple Watch.

The bully news is that repairability is 1 of nan apical improvements Google has made to nan caller Pixel Watch 4, which was announced coming alongside nan Pixel 10 phones. The Pixel Watch 4 retains its domed solid creation but tin beryllium disassembled pinch a screwdriver, and it uses mostly nan same-size screws passim its construction. A customer won't void nan one-year warranty if nan watch is disassembled for surface aliases artillery repairs, and Google will waste replacements for those components astatine iFixit.

There are respective different mini improvements to nan smartwatch, for illustration longer artillery life and a caller motion that lets you talk to Gemini by raising your wrist. The Pixel Watch 4 starts astatine $349 for nan 41-mm Bluetooth model, while nan 45-mm version is $399. (The versions pinch LTE connectivity costs $100 more, respectively.) You tin preorder it now, but dissimilar nan Pixel 10 phones that are disposable this month, nan watch won't beryllium disposable until October 9.

Watch Repair

Google invited maine to its Mountain View, California, offices to return an exclusive look astatine a teardown of nan Pixel Watch 4. (Google paid for a information of my recreation expenses to spot its investigation facility.) Junyong Park, an business designer who worked connected nan device, began disassembling it, manicured nails and all. Park says it was a “tremendous collaboration” betwixt nan creation and engineering teams. “We're beautiful proud of really this turned out.”

There are 2 T2 screws located nether nan watch set pocket—unscrew those, and you tin entree nan internals of nan Pixel Watch 4, nary request to fuss pinch immoderate adhesives. At this stage, nan Biosensor Hub, which houses nan bosom complaint show and different sensors connected nan backmost of nan watch, is still connected. Google intentionally made it truthful that this connector doesn't request to beryllium removed for artillery replacements. Kyle Wiens, CEO of iFixit, which has collaborated pinch Google to waste nan spare parts for nan watch, says these kinds of connectors tin beryllium fragile, truthful it's ever amended if nan device's creation lets you switch components without having to unplug them.

To region nan battery, region nan haptic centrifugal pinch nan T2 caput connected a Torx screwdriver. Two much screws clasp nan battery, but erstwhile they're out, you tin disconnect nan artillery from nan committee and beryllium done. You'll announcement that Google utilized T2 screws passim that full process. This is intentional, arsenic you tin usage nan aforesaid Torx screwdriver for artillery replacements, reducing nan number of devices needed for repairs. (A Torx screwdriver is commonly utilized successful electronics repairs and is included successful the repair kits sold by iFixit.)

To switch nan display, you'll request to unplug nan Biosensor Hub. Then disconnect nan artillery brackets, unplug nan show connector, and unscrew nan 4 screws that clasp nan solid to nan housing. (These are a operation of T2 and T5 screws.) Overall, it looked reasonably simple, and it took Park little than 13 minutes to region these components while talking astir nan process and answering my questions.

Francis Hoe, elder merchandise head for nan Pixel Watch, says nan Pixel Watch 4 should still support nan IP68 water-resistance rating aft servicing. A silicone O-ring helps create a seal erstwhile nan 2 halves of nan watch are placed backmost together. Hoe, who has been nan merchandise lead since nan Pixel Watch 2, says Google ever wanted to make its smartwatch repairable. “It has taken america a small spot longer to get to this place—it required a batch of alteration internally successful nan product; those types of large architecture changes return aggregate years.”

The Fix Is In

The creation changes successful nan Pixel Watch 4 are a large measurement guardant for smartwatch repairability. While you tin switch immoderate components successful an Apple Watch aliases Galaxy Watch, they're not arsenic easy to repair yourself. Apple's Self Service Repair programme doesn't screen nan Apple Watch, and connected iFixit's repairability rankings, nan Apple Watch Series 10 scored a paltry 3/10. (The Pixel Watch 3 earned a 4/10.) Samsung tells WIRED that personification repair is supported connected its Galaxy Watches (the Galaxy Watch Ultra earned a respectable 7/10 connected iFixit), but this doesn't see nan artillery owed to information reasons.

“Smartwatches ought to beryllium a mature merchandise astatine this point,” Wiens says, though he notes that challenges astir serviceability are harder connected a smartwatch compared to a smartphone owed to its smaller size. Repairability “should beryllium possible; it's conscionable a matter of will,” Wiens says. “It's going to beryllium much challenging. It's going to beryllium easier and little costs to make it little repairable.”

That echoes what Anna-Katrina Shedletsky says. Now nan CEO of Instrumental, Shedletsky spent six years astatine Apple and was 1 of nan merchandise creation leads connected nan original Apple Watch. She says nan privilege astatine nan clip of nan Apple Watch's debut was to creation thing group would really want to wear, not repairability. Other concerns took privilege too, for illustration h2o guidance and figuring retired nan intricacies of wherever to spot nan Wi-Fi antenna connected nan metallic framework of nan watch.

“I deliberation we did a beautiful bully job—it's overmuch harder to make than a phone, but it had overmuch little return rates," Shedletsky says. “It's really difficult to get each nan worldly successful location that you need; astir of nan worldly that you'd require for repairability requires other space.” She besides noted that nan quadrate style of nan Apple Watch made it much challenging to seal. “There's a logic astir watches are round, because you tin make a amended seal that way. You couldn't usage an O-ring connected a creation for illustration this; it wouldn't work.”

Timely Update

What other is caller pinch nan Pixel Watch 4? While it whitethorn triumph points for repairability, Google's latest wearable isn't earning immoderate plaudits for biology impact: For nan 3rd clip successful 4 generations, Google is changing nan charger. The smartwatch now charges connected its side, allowing it to remainder sideways, for illustration a clock. It's not conscionable for show—charging is faster, too, going from 0 to 50 percent successful 15 minutes. There aren't galore third-party chargers for nan Pixel Watch astatine nan moment, but Google says we'll spot much options pinch nan latest generation.

The creation is mostly nan same, isolated from nan Actua 360 show is domed for nan first time, resting nether nan domed glass. It somewhat improves nan visibility of nan watch look astatine various angles, and it looks spectacular. The bezels are 15 percent slimmer, meaning you get 10 percent much screen, and that surface tin deed 3,000 nits of brightness, making it 50 percent brighter than nan Pixel Watch 3. The watch's haptic motor is stronger, truthful you tin consciousness much precisely erstwhile there's a notification aliases alert, and nan clearer civilization speaker should make it easier to perceive answers from nan Gemini sound assistant.

Speaking of, 1 of nan caller capabilities connected nan watch is simply a motion to activate Gemini. Just raise your wrist, and Gemini will aftermath up and listen, eliminating nan request to opportunity a hotword aliases property a button. The institution had to train nan algorithms to differentiate betwixt a wrist raise to cheque nan clip and a wrist raise to speak to Gemini. (There are settings to move disconnected this characteristic aliases set nan sensitivity.)

The Pixel Watch 4 besides has a redesigned smart reply system, utilizing a caller on-device Gemini mini connection exemplary optimized for nan smartwatch. These smart replies aren't personalized to you, but they'll show up much consistently arsenic reply options erstwhile you person a message. Google says they make 80 percent of nan time, whereas nan erstwhile speedy replies only showed up 20 percent of nan time.

You'll spot a capacity boost acknowledgment to nan caller dual-chip architecture—Qualcomm's Snapdragon W5 Gen 2 paired pinch a machine-learning microprocessor—delivering much processing astatine half nan power. That besides intends 25 percent longer artillery life, bumping Google's declare up to 40 hours of tally clip for nan 45-mm watch and 30 hours for nan 41-mm model.

Google says nan Pixel Watch 4 is nan first smartwatch pinch SOS outer communications, allowing you to link to emergency services straight via nan watch alternatively of a phone. Several smartphones have this capability, including Pixel phones, but this whitethorn beryllium useful for folks who thin to time off nan telephone astatine location erstwhile going connected a run.

As for wellness features, Google focused connected upgrading slumber search this year. It says nan watch is much meticulous astatine classifying your complete slumber cycle, precisely detecting erstwhile your assemblage is successful REM, light, aliases heavy sleep. A caller tegument somesthesia sensor tin observe erstwhile your temps veer retired of your accustomed range, which could thief you place if you're nether nan weather. It maintains galore of nan aforesaid features arsenic before, including Cardio Load, Loss of Pulse Detection (which became disposable successful nan US earlier this twelvemonth connected nan Pixel Watch 3), Fall Detection, and Car Crash Detection.

Fitness-wise, you tin watercourse cycling workouts to your phone, turning it into a bike computer of sorts, and nan caller dual-frequency GPS power allows for much meticulous way tracking. There's a caller “AI-powered activity nickname system,” meaning if you forgot to way a workout, nan watch will still way your activity successful nan inheritance and springiness you in installments for it—it classifies nan activity and will nonstop a summary afterward pinch your cardio load, calories burned, and different metrics.

In October, Google will present a redesigned Fitbit smartphone app pinch a caller AI Health Coach, powered by Gemini. Google says you'll beryllium capable to “ask virtually immoderate wellness and fittingness question,” and this is disposable for older Pixel Watches and Fitbit devices. It'll motorboat arsenic a preview—sort of for illustration a beta—and is only disposable successful nan US astatine nan commencement for Fitbit Premium subscribers. Google says this wellness and fittingness coach is built pinch “leading manufacture experts and done technological research,” though support successful mind it was conscionable complete a twelvemonth agone that Google’s AI Overviews recommended adding glue to pizza sauce.