Google’s Pixel Watch 5 is promising — but it isn’t finished
The Pixel Watch 5 features minimal hardware improvements, relying instead on upcoming health-tracking software updates. Many of these key features are currently unavailable or pending regulatory approval, making the device difficult to recommend at its current price point.
Why it matters
It highlights the challenges of launching hardware that relies on unfinished software and the impact of regulatory delays on consumer tech.
The Google Pixel Watch 5 has, in many ways, been the hardest Pixel Watch to accurately review. Barely anything has changed in terms of hardware. The sizes are the same, the chips and battery got an itty-bitty boost, and there’s a new pyrite satin case finish. Instead, the big updates are all software-related: This year’s watch gets ambitious new health features that expand on the overhauled Google Health app and its AI coach introduced with the Fitbit Air earlier this year.
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