Google Pixel Watch 4 Reviewed After Wear OS 6.1 Update

The Pixel Watch 4 got a second look in January 2026 after the Wear OS 6.1 update, and some things genuinely improved. GPS lock times are faster, battery life now clears 30 hours in GPS mode, and heart rate accuracy for runners tightened up enough to take seriously.

On the GPS side, the improvement is real but context matters. Thirty-plus hours puts it ahead of the Apple Watch Ultra 2 in everyday GPS mode, though it still trails the Garmin Fenix 8 Solar and Coros Vertix 2S, both of which push well beyond 100 hours in their low-power modes. For a half marathon or a sprint triathlon, the Pixel Watch 4 holds up fine. For a 50K or a full Ironman, you are still looking at the wrong watch.

Heart rate accuracy is the bigger story. Wear OS 6.1 appears to have addressed some of the optical HR dropout issues that plagued the watch during tempo runs and intervals. In testing it tracked closer to chest strap data than the previous firmware, though it still loses ground to the Polar H10 pairing on a Garmin Forerunner 965 during hard efforts above 170 bpm. The gap narrowed, it did not close.

The nine cons listed in the original review reflect real limitations: no native running dynamics, no training load tools worth relying on, Wear OS app fragmentation, and a form factor that prioritizes lifestyle over sport. Five pros including the improved GPS, decent sleep tracking, and tight Google ecosystem integration are genuinely useful if you live in that world. The trade-offs are structural, not software-fixable.

Solid update. Not a sport watch. If you train seriously across disciplines, Garmin or Coros still own this space. If you want a capable daily watch that handles a 10K without drama, the Pixel Watch 4 post-6.1 is a legitimate option.