With the Pixel Watch 4, Google's Smartwatch Is Finally Repairable

Pixel Watch 4 introduces major repairability improvements, allowing disassembly with a screwdriver and using largely same-size screws for easier repairs. Replacement screens and batteries will be sold through iFixit, and customers can open the watch for those repairs without voiding the one-year warranty. The device retains its domed glass design while adding longer battery life and a wrist-raise gesture to access Gemini. Pricing starts at $349 for the 41-mm Bluetooth model and $399 for the 45-mm; LTE models cost $100 more. Preorders are open now and availability begins October 9.

Google's first Pixel Watch was fashionably late to the wrist computing party, arriving in 2022 when the market was already quite mature. And while the smartwatch has since cemented its place among top-tier wearables, it has one red flag: It isn't repairable. For the past three generations, Google has been replacing broken Pixel Watches instead of repairing them. "Watches and wearables are still fairly nascent," a spokesperson explained at a 2024 Climate Week panel when asked why the watch wasn't repairable. Meanwhile, Apple recently celebrated the 10th anniversary of its Apple Watch.

The good news is that repairability is one of the top improvements Google has made to the new Pixel Watch 4, which was announced today alongside the Pixel 10 phones. The Pixel Watch 4 retains its domed glass design but can be disassembled with a screwdriver, and it uses largely the same-size screws throughout its construction. A customer won't void the one-year warranty if the watch is disassembled for screen or battery repairs, and Google will sell replacements for those components at iFixit.

There are several other small improvements to the smartwatch, like longer battery life and a new gesture that lets you talk to Gemini by raising your wrist. The Pixel Watch 4 starts at $349 for the 41-mm Bluetooth model, while the 45-mm variant is $399. (The versions with LTE connectivity cost $100 more, respectively.) You can preorder it now, but unlike the Pixel 10 phones that are available this month, the watch won't be available until October 9.

Read at WIRED