Okay, I do love Android for it's ... 'variety'. The 'be together, not the same' mantra we used to see. It warms my heart when I look out over phones and see not just iPhones but Samsungs, OnePlus, etc... It especially brings a bi of pride to have that recognition of the Pixel visor. The geek in me wants to saddle up to them and ask "did you get the latest update? That message feature is bangin'!" I don't, but I really really want to.
I feel it's been a beat since I've had the Pixel 10 Pro in my hands and the Pixel Watch 4, so I thought it might be time to re-dive back and in and give you my thoughts after some medium term usage. Has anything changed since the original reviews (Pixel 10 Pro / Pixel Watch 4). As we're nearing the new launch of the 11 and potentially a Watch 5, it's a good time to reflect on what has been and what might I be looking for in a newer model
Phone
Performance
Okay, so everybody wants to know how the device is working; how's the battery, is it still buttery smooth?
Yeah, it's still been buttery smooth with everything I use. I use my phone a lot, a lot of apps, a lot of tabs, and a lot of switching back and forth. I don't have any stand out 'whu' moments using the device.
But how's the battery? Well, for those that have been following along for a while, you know I have that battery-fomo. My family finds it odd that I have a hard time letting my phone get below 80%... if it's below 70% I get antsy. So I've been trying to just see how long it gets in a day. I do get through most days with about 40-50% remaining.
Letting my battery get that low, one thing I've been noticing - it takes a long time to charge. Despite what we used to think about PD charging, it just feels slow when we compare it to things like the OnePlus lineup. When I measure charging speeds it's like 25-30W max. I mean that's good for 5 years ago, but it feels like it takes forever. I usually let my battery get to that 50% Mark just to try to train myself to not always be charging, but then we'll go out somewhere and I'll put it on charge and it doesn't feel like it's doing much for how long it's been on.
I'll grab a wireless charger with me to go as we go out and sometimes it just feels like it's just slowing the battery loss. And the Qi2 Pixel Snap charger is not really any faster than other wireless chargers I have.
I'm being melodramatic for sure, but I'm really looking forward to a model with faster charging.
Another 'melodramatic' thing for me, is that I absolutely baby my devices. I cautiously put it in pockets or set it on tables. Ensuring nothing can scratch it. Yet, I have a few little striations on the watch in places that annoy me. Sure, you can only see it if you look at it in the right angle and light just the right way, but I know it's there, and I feel like it shouldn't.
Overall, I am as happy with the device for its punch and handling as it was when I got it; but would love a device that charges that much faster down the road.
Features
Honestly, I love the Pixel features.
The 'what's playing' feature that sits on my lock screen is something I do that nearly every day.
The Circle to Search (yeah, it's not just Pixel anymore) is something I use nearly a dozen times a day. I wish they would bring back the 'share' button from it like it originally had; it was my favourite 'screenshot share' hack.
Watch
Performance
So this is the device that when I say it's my daily carry, it truly is, it is rarely RARELY off my wrist, only when I set it up for charging when I go for a shower or when it needs to.
I have been using the main band from Google and I'm finding, like most watches after a while, that I tend to fiddle throughout the day between one width setting and another. I don't think my wrist changes that much through the day, so I think it's a matter of how I find the watch sitting on my wrist. I see many videos of where it 'should' rest, and it seems like seems to be either too lose (sitting too far down), or too tight (sitting too far up).
I'll notice that depending on the day, depending on my wardrobe choice, that Ill have an indented crown into the back of my hand. That being said, I'm not noticing any issues of mishits or whatnot. Tho', early on I would wake up sometimes and find that some notifications had been silenced or others wouldn't work at all, and it seems I had turned them off somehow. About that time I started to properly use the Sleep Mode - where nothing will show up or let itself be pressed.
So the fit is... Okay, it's not bad, I just feel like I'm fidgeting with its position throughout the day. But, I find that with many watches tho, maybe I just need to find the right strap for it.
Now, I have noticed that despite all my hard work, I do find this thing gets some abuse. It gets pushed up against walls, or squished in door frames... That being said, I almost don't notice any issues with the screen at all. Sure there's some minor imperfections here or there, but compared to previous models where in less time, with more babying, it looks like it'd survived a war. So, the 4 is pretty tough.
Battery is phenomenal, especially compared to earlier watch models. Most days on the others I'd be concerned about it getting through A day and ended up getting extra charging cradles for it. This guy seems like it could go for about 2 days if I needed it to. Better yet, the charging is fast. I can use the watch all day, go to bed with it, and it'll be about 50-60% still in the morning. Plop it on its charger and it'll be done in under the time it takes for me to hop into the shower.
I bemoaned 'yet another charger' when this guy came out, but if that has allowed it to have quicker charging, I'm all for it. Nothing like a great top up in a few moments (pay attention phones!!).
In terms of performance, there really hasn't been a 'thing' that I've noticed where it sputters or staggers in its ability. It chugs along nicely and hasn't had a moment where I had to pause for it to react. Some of the apps I find annoying, but that's just an ecosystem not building itself for watch interaction still, so I can't blame the watch. One example is Fitbit, now Google Health, Google's own product (now) and the weird way that it interacts and connects to Fit. I've slowly been won over by Fitbit/Health - just painful how you always have to 'start' an activity if you want the map, and even then sometimes it's a meh (Fit never had any issues). And c'mon, when can I get water logging on the Watch? Why can't I go in and log a bottle of water, like on the phone, just easier....gah
Features
Okay, I was probably talking about features just above, but so far the Pixel Watch features are nothing new to me. They've been around and there hasn't been a massive change or difference in its use.
I do like the AI welcomes in the morning, but I think that's more Google Health than it is the watch; but the 2 are so baked into each other, it'd probably be hard to separate.
The biggest thing I do with the watch is respond to notifications easily (and it does that so well) and pay for things (much to my kid's chagrin - says it makes me look like a douche).
So for a new model? I don't want anything new, it's near perfect as it is. I wish for a more portable charging base - that'd be nice.
And I am looking forward to the new Create me a Widget feature that's coming, where you can mix and match some of your features into a single widget/tile.
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Okay, so what are you thinking about a phone after a few months? Do you start looking for the next, or are you content?
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