Google Pixel Watch 4

Smartwatches are well and truly part of our daily tech ecosystem, and time flies if you'll excuse the pun, because Google is already on its fourth generation of Pixel Watch.

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It took Google a while to get into the game, despite making software for wearables for such a long time previously, but the Pixel Watch quickly established itself as one of the best alternatives to the Apple Watch.

The Pixel Watch 4 might look similar to the last model, but that's no bad thing and Google has made various improvements and upgrades which are hard to see at a glance.

With the Galaxy Watch 8 series from Samsung proving something of a disappointment, the Pixel Watch 4 might be the best Wear OS smartwatch of the year. I've been using it for nearly three weeks to find out.

DESIGN

The Pixel Watch 4 looks very similar to the Pixel Watch 3 and, really, all the way back to the original. As tech reviewers, we often call for design overhauls but in this case, I don't think one is needed yet.

Apple's square design has never been to my taste and very few round smartwatches totally suited me either. That was, until the Pixel Watch came along. Google's glass-pebble-like design was stunning back then and it still is now.

Last year, Google fixed a major problem and introduced a larger size. That's the case again this year, so you can opt for 41- or 45mm models and I'm testing the larger one here in the new Moonstone colourway, which I think looks smart yet subtle, with unisex appeal.

This, like some of the other colours, can possibly be matched with the Pixel 10 phones if you pick the right model. It's not straightforward though, as Moonstone is only available in 45mm and Champagne Gold is only available in 41mm.

Otherwise, your choices are between Matt Black and Polished Silver.

Once again, the Pixel Watch 4 is extremely comfortable to wear all the time. The smooth shape and lightweight aluminium body (only 37g for the larger size) are a match made in heaven.