TL;DR
- Google heavily promoted the Pixel Watch 4’s reparability, and a teardown confirms big improvements.
- Instead of glue, the hardware is held together with screws and gaskets, for easy service.
- Everything from the battery to the display is replaceable.
Of all Google’s new hardware this season, could the breakout star be a lowly smartwatch? We maybe weren’t expecting a lot from the Pixel Watch 4 early on, when it sounded like it might be just a minor refresh of past generations. But as we started hearing more about the wearable we found a lot to start getting excited about, and ultimately came to appreciate it as the best-in-class model it really is.
One of the big improvements Google’s been using to promote the Watch 4 is its reparability — a consideration that’s all too often overlooked for wearables. But did the company actually make real progress there, or have those claims been a little oversold? According to the latest iFixit teardown, the Pixel Watch 4 very much delivers when it comes to being able to service its hardware.
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So, what’s the secret to manufacturing a smartwatch that you can actually fix when something goes wrong? Basically: Just use screws and gaskets to secure the hardware, rather than a lot of glue.
Screws hidden under the band lugs actuate a pair of hinged arms that hold the watch’s back panel firmly in place, but also allow for quick disassembly when needed. And those screws and the back panel itself are all protected against water ingress with their own o-rings.
Even the battery comes out without forcing you to fight against a ton of adhesive, with just a few screws holding it in place. This is the same story all the way through the watch’s body, with a design that really does appear to prioritize easily replaceable components.
Google Pixel Watch 4
Emergency Satellite communications • Power AI on your wrist • Capable health and fitness tracking
The best Pixel Watch to date.
The Google Pixel Watch 4 series is available in 41mm and 45mm sizes, and Wi-Fi and LTE variants of each size. The Actua 360 Display is a domes AMOLED panel with 3,000 nits of brightness, and a large viewing area with greatly reduced bezels over previous models. Multiple-day battery life and quick charging power a wide array of health and fitness sensors to keep you informed on the go.
All told, the site gives the Pixel Watch 4 a serviceability rating of 9 out of 10, and while that’s a hair short of perfect, it is just miles ahead of the rest of the smartwatch pack. Thankfully, none of the Pixel Watch 4 units we’ve been testing have exhibited any hardware failures just yet, and while we’re not hoping they do any time soon, it’s still very reassuring to know that if and when that day does come, these wearables are ready to make repairs as easy as can be.
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