Google Pixel Watch 5 review: a polished upgrade with highly accurate GPS

The Google Pixel Watch 5 is a polished, feature-rich smartwatch, but its improvements are mostly evolutionary. Owners of Pixel Watch 3 or 4 have few reasons to upgrade, while it remains a strong choice for people buying their first Android watch.

The biggest changes include more accurate fitness-tracking GPS, Breathing Emergency Detection and Insulin Resistance Trends. These features generally work in the background. On-wrist Gemini is convenient with an internet connection, but it is not yet truly agentic and is not much more useful for daily watch controls than a basic voice assistant.

The watch keeps the curved teardrop design, vertical charging stand and repairable construction of earlier models. Its Actua 360 display reaches up to 3,000 nits, and the 60Hz refresh rate makes scrolling smooth. Wear OS 7 and the Pixel Watch’s Materia 3 Expressive design language also make everyday interaction pleasant.

The tested 45mm model costs $429.99 / £399.99 / AU$699. Google Health’s full feature set requires a subscription costing $9.99 / £7.99 / AU$14.99 per month. That dependence on a premium Gemini-based service weakens the watch as a fitness product, but its design, app library and accuracy improvements keep it among the best Android-native watches.