A Pixel Watch 4 Ultra Is Google’s Ticket To Relevancy
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In my daily life, smartwatches have become more common than traditional timepieces, even in the small rural Kansas communities where I live. This isn’t surprising given a few factors. Access to more tools keeps you connected with your phone for communication, health monitoring, and more. A smartwatch can be transformative for some people. Opening a range of personal growth possibilities. Regardless of how many great Android smartwatches there are, you could delay or miss potential goals if you get the wrong one.
Getting a watch that tackles as many needs as possible is vital to success. If a company doesn’t offer products to satisfy consumer needs, it’s a missed opportunity for the brand. That’s where Google now finds itself. We waited so long to get an official smartwatch from Google, and with the OEM getting much of it right with the Pixel Watch 3, it’s time to compete. To do that, Google must push forward with a Pixel Watch 4 Ultra.
Read our review
Fill the void
There shouldn’t be only one
Is there a need for a highly durable, high-performing smartwatch that is intensely focused on health and fitness? Yes, for some, there is. However, several devices from brands like Garmin, Suunto, and others satisfy that set of criteria. The catch with those devices is that none run Wear OS, and to some, that’s important for a few reasons.
While the Garmin Epix Pro is an impressive device, it can’t do some of the things Wear OS can. With Wear OS, you get more of a smartwatch in wearable form with rich notifications, access to the Google Play Store, and fitness features. Even though some options exist in the Wear OS catalog of durable smartwatches with great health monitoring, the high-end, ultra-precision fitness tracking that serious athletes need isn’t as widely available.
If you want a wearable with access to an app store with phone-like apps, durability, rich notifications, and highly accurate health and fitness monitoring, you have two choices: Apple Watch Ultra and Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra. There is only one for Android users, which is a problem for those interested in that device category.
Similar to smartphones, Android phones have become really good, so good that the concept of the category being stale is commonly discussed. We’ve reached a similar point with smartwatches, which is one reason for the birth of an “Ultra” category of wearables. It’s a way to test different form factors and features while not damaging the product you know works for the brand. At the same time, it offers a product to a section of users that legitimately need an Ultra-tier device.
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Samsung’s Galaxy Watch Ultra isn’t Ultra enough to be worth it
A tough case, bright screen, and slightly longer battery life don’t justify the price.
Follow the formula
Then improve it
I’m a big fan of the Pixel Watch 3. Google gave us a larger size option and optimized the software and hardware, save for some update hiccups. Still, Google seems to have figured out how to make a fantastic-looking smartwatch that competes with the rest of the top-tier Wear OS devices. What is missing from the catalog is a wearable that can answer the needs of the “Ultra crowd.”
The task of creating such a device shouldn’t be difficult for Google. Apple and Samsung have offerings that Google could study. Each device has pros and cons, from which Google can learn. However, to be serious about making an Ultra-class smartwatch, it must compete against the well-loved Garmin devices that elite athletes use. Improved fitness tracking hardware and leveraging the years of health monitoring Fitbit has garnered is also vital.
I’m most concerned about what Google might do to the design. The Pixel Watch design is iconic, but it isn’t durable. Keeping the essence of the Pixel Watch’s design and making it capable of withstanding the most extreme environments could be the most difficult part of creating a Pixel Watch 4 Ultra. Google can’t just slap a glorified case on a Pixel Watch with updated internals and call it a day. If it looks at what its counterparts have done with each Ultra, watch model, and how the designs of the core lineup evolved into something more without straying too far, Google can succeed.
The time is now
But it probably won’t be any time soon
The smartwatch market isn’t booming as it once was, and the number of competitors in the Wear OS space is dismal. We’re down to Samsung and Google, with Mobvoi occasionally kicking around with a new TicWatch Pro model. Though its devices like the TicWatch Atlas are well-reviewed, the company has been slow to update them. Bringing a Pixel Watch 4 Ultra to the market satisfies some users’ needs and injects competition and options into a space that needs it. While there’s no information on any upcoming Pixel Watch 4, we have a wishlist for it to go along with the hopes of an Ultra option.
Google Pixel Watch 3
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The Pixel Watch 3 is easily the best wearable by Google. It maintains previous models’ classic design and improves performance and software features. Not to mention, there are now two sizes to choose from.
