Review: I wore the Google Pixel Watch 5 for a week — and it’s the new king of on-wrist safety

When Google unveiled Loss of Pulse Detection in 2024’s Pixel Watch 3 — a feature that’s still unique to the Pixel Watch lineup — I began to suspect that the brand might be pulling ahead of the competition when it comes to on-wrist health and safety tools. The new 2026 Pixel Watch 5 further supports that.

I’ve been wearing the Pixel Watch 5 for over a week, and while it’s easily the best Google smartwatch ever, it’s also a fairly minor upgrade over its predecessor. That said, a handful of new features shine, most notably Breathing Emergency Detection, Blood Pressure Trends, and Insulin Resistance Trends.

The Pixel Watch 5 is also a little faster and smarter than the Pixel Watch 4, in terms of processor power and AI prowess. With that in mind, here’s everything you need to know about Google’s latest and greatest wearable, the Pixel Watch 5.

Google Pixel Watch 5: Upgrade cheat sheet

• Price: The Pixel Watch 5 sees a price increase across the lineup versus the Pixel Watch 4; the 41mm starts at an increase of $50, and the 45mm starts at $30 more
• Sizes and colors: 41mm and 45mm; same as Pixel Watch 4 and Pixel Watch 3; new colors include Obsidian, Fog, Olive, and Canyon; Olive features a Satin Pyrite casing
• Design: Same design and dimensions as Pixel Watch 4
• Limited edition model: Similar to the Fitbit Air, the new Pixel Watch 5 is available in a Stephen Curry limited edition model with an upgraded strap for better breathability and moisture-wicking capabilities; the cost is $579 USD
• Screen: Same 3,000-nit max-brightness AMOLED touchscreen as Pixel Watch 4; comparable to the Samsung Galaxy Watch 9
• Health features: New Blood Pressure Trends + Insulin Resistance Trends with monthly reports on each (also coming to Fitbit Air and Pixel Watch 4); more accurate sleep stage tracking; new sleep Breathing Quality Trends metric that tracks min-to-min SpO2
• Safety features: New Breathing Emergency Detection feature that works similarly to Loss of Pulse Detection; only available in the EU and other select markets at launch
• Fitness features: Improved route mapping for workouts in “tough” environments (like cities and forests); new strength training workout builder feature coming in September
• Processor: Pixel Watch 5 should be 20% faster than the Pixel Watch 4 thanks to a 12% more powerful processor and 50% more RAM
• Battery life: Same 30 to 40-hour battery life rating as Pixel Watch 4

Google Pixel Watch 5: Versus competition

Google Pixel Watch 5 value: 3/5

• The Pixel Watch 5 is pricier than both its predecessor and the latest Samsung Galaxy Watch 9, its closest competitor
• Google is selling a limited-edition Stephen Curry Pixel Watch 5 model (45mm) with an upgraded strap for $579 (U.S. only)
• The Pixel Watch 5 will start shipping at the end of August and should be available in-store and online by early September

The Pixel Watch 5, like the new Samsung Galaxy Watch 9, sees a price increase across the lineup. The 41mm Pixel Watch 5 starts at $399 / AU$649 for the W-Fi model, an increase of $50 over the 41mm Pixel Watch 4. The 45mm Pixel Watch 5 is $429 / AU$699, a $30 increase over last year’s equivalent.

The 41mm LTE model, meanwhile, is $499 / AU$829, and the 45mm LTE model is $529 / AU$879.

Google is also selling a limited-edition 45mm Stephen Curry model Pixel Watch 5 with a sportier strap for $579. Like the Steph Curry Fitbit Air release, the strap features a more breathable, sweat-wicking design than the standard-issued one.

• 41mm (Bluetooth/Wi-Fi): $399 / AU$649
• 45mm (Bluetooth/Wi-Fi): $429 / AU$699
• 41mm (LTE): $499 / AU$829
• 45mm (LTE: $529 / AU$879
• 45mm Stephen Curry (LTE): $579

Pixel Watch 5 Design: 4/5

• Same exact design as the Pixel Watch 4, in your choice of 41mm or 45mm
• Same bright AMOLED touchscreen as its predecessor; on par with the Galaxy Watch 9's display
• 50 meters of water resistance is also a match with the competition

The Pixel Watch 5 has the same circular design and control placement as the Pixel Watch 4, featuring both a rotating/pressable digital crown and a standard button on the side of the case.

It also sports the same domed, 3,000-nit max brightness AMOLED touchscreen. The panel is still 1.2 inches for the smaller model and 1.4 inches for the larger one. I had no trouble reading the screen on the larger model I tested, even in direct sunlight. That said, the 60 fps screen refresh rate can sometimes make graphics and animations look a little choppy.

The weight and dimensions also remain roughly the same. Like the Pixel Watch 4, the Pixel Watch 5 has charging contacts on the side of the case and uses the same charger. It also features the same strap-connecting system as prior models.

Pixel Watch 5 fitness tracking: 3.5/5

• Slightly better GPS location tracking than the Pixel Watch 4
• Overall, accurate/reliable fitness tracking with detailed post-workout reports
• Lots of supported workout types, but some popular activities, like e-biking, are missing
• Workout recovery insights are somewhat lacking compared to the competition, namely Garmin

The Pixel Watch 5 sports Google’s “most accurate GPS on a Pixel Watch,” and post-workout route mapping should be twice as accurate as before, especially in locations with obstructed skies, like cities and forests.

The Pixel Watch 5 still uses L1 and L5 satellite data to track, similar to the Pixel Watch 4, except now, when you finish a workout, that data gets sent to a server for analysis and adjustment. Basically, Google creates a 3D model of your efforts that compensates for factors like building reflections, tree cover, and atmospheric anomalies, including heat haze and other aberrations.

Google says that the GPS route tracking for outdoor workouts in the Pixel Watch 5 outperforms even the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Garmin Fenix 8 Pro, two much pricier models, but does it really?

I walked seven miles total around Seattle, Washington — beneath old-growth canopies of Cedar and Fir and shiny rows of cookie-cutter corporate towers — with the new Pixel Watch 5 on one wrist and the Apple Watch Ultra 3 on the other to find out.

Using Strava as my control, the Pixel Watch 5 proved slightly more accurate than the Apple Watch Ultra 3 at tracking my total distance for each of the two legs of the walk. Meanwhile, in elevation tracking, the Apple Watch and Pixel Watch each chalked up a win.

Back when I tested the Pixel Watch 4 vs Apple Watch Ultra 3, the Google wearable held its own against the competition in most regards, but failed to report accurate climb data. The newer Pixel Watch 5, meanwhile, seems to do a much better job at logging upward efforts, which is a win for folks who enjoy being active in the mountains, like me.

Users with a Google Health Premium plan have access to the “Coach,” a personalized AI health and fitness chatbot that suggests workouts and provides training advice based on your goals. It’s a great feature, in theory; however, I’ve found the Coach a little too hung up on the fine details of the initial “induction” conversation I had with it last fall.

Back then, I mentioned getting my legs in shape for the upcoming snowboard season, and now I can’t go a day without the Coach bringing that up…. Hey buddy, newsflash: it’s still the middle of the summer!

When it comes to fitness tracking modes, I’d love to see Google expand the list of activities on offer. For example, last week, I went for an 11-mile ebike ride while running errands and figured I’d track it with the Pixel Watch 5. Unfortunately, there’s no ebike mode, just outdoor cycling and mountain biking.

One final area of the new Google Health (formerly Fitbit) app I’d like to see expanded is the workout recovery advice. Sure, the Pixel Watch 5 tracks a variety of “recovery signals,” like your resting heart rate and heart rate variability (HRV).

The Coach also recommends easier/lighter workouts if you’ve recently been pushing yourself harder than normal. However, workout recovery time suggestions — like those offered on the best Garmins — might ultimately be more useful for everyday users.

Pixel Watch 5 sleep and health tracking: 4/5

• Digestible and meaningful morning sleep reports to inform your day
• New respiratory health monitoring tools track your blood oxygen levels while you sleep
• Unlike the latest Samsung watches, the Pixel Watch 5 still lacks FDA-cleared sleep apnea detection

Like the competition, the Pixel Watch 5 provides a daily sleep report that includes a sleep score (from one to 100) and a sleep quality rating, along with a breakdown of your sleep stages, your total sleep duration, and more. The sleep quality score is based on factors like restlessness and interruptions, time spent asleep, and the percentage of your sleep that Google classifies as “sound."

Users are also greeted with a daily “Readiness Score” that takes into account both sleep quality and recent physical activity.

Google says that the Pixel Watch 5 should be 15% more accurate than its predecessor at identifying and tracking sleep stages. However, without a sleep lab and a team to monitor my rest, it’s pretty difficult to test whether or not this is true.

That said, I found the sleep insights from my week of testing to be useful. Moreover, I’ve been wearing the new Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 to bed too, and by and large, the reports from each wearable match up sufficiently.

A new “Bedtime” watch face mode effectively keeps the display from randomly blinding you at night, which I appreciate. And like the Fitbit Air, the Pixel Watch 5 now supports a Smart Alarm function that promises to wake you less groggy. Users enter a wake-up window, and the device starts vibrating at the optimal time within that window, based on where you are in your sleep cycles.

Does it work? It’s hard to say. My brain is apparently so programmed to get up at certain times on weekdays that I don't really need an alarm. That said, the beauty of wrist vibrations versus an audible alarm is that I don’t risk waking my sleeping partner or pup when the former goes off.

Sleep Breathing Quality Trends metrics are also new on the Pixel Watch 5. This feature works by continuously tracking your blood oxygen level (SpO2) and looking for any variations.

Part of Google’s newly minted “Health Guardian” suite of proactive health tools, Sleep Breathing Quality doesn’t just provide nightly insights; it builds trend reports so you can keep tabs on your respiratory health in the short and long term.

Pixel Watch 5 safety tools: 5/5

• Google's on-wrist suite of safety tools beats the competition, including unique features like Loss of Pulse Detection and Blood Pressure Trends
• Breathing Emergency Detection is still awaiting FDA approval and is not yet available in the U.S.
• Google says that the Pixel Watch 4 will support Blood Pressure Trends, Insulin Resistance Trends, and Breathing Emergency Detection

The most impressive updates to the Pixel Watch 5 come in the form of expanded proactive preventive health tools and real-time life-saving tools, including Breathing Emergency Detection, which works similarly to 2024's Loss of Pulse Detection.

Using the onboard heart rate sensor, SpO2 tracking, accelerometer, and barometric altimeter, the Pixel Watch 5 is programmed to look out for signs of a breathing emergency and, if triggered, automatically send for help via 911 dispatch and/or messages to friends/loved ones.

Breathing Emergency Detection joins Loss of Pulse Detection, Fall/Crash Detection, Blood Pressure Trends, and Insulin Resistance Trends under Google’s new “Health Guardian" suite of safety features, as noted above.

Pramod Rudrapatna, a Google wearables product manager who worked on the project, refers to these tools collectively as “an airbag for the wrist.” And frankly, in 2026, Google leads the pack in terms of on-wrist safety, besting Apple, Samsung, and Garmin.

Unfortunately, for now, Breathing Emergency Detection is awaiting U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval, so, state-side users can't access it just yet. This is a similar scenario to two years ago when Google debuted the Pixel Watch 3 with Loss of Pulse Detection, but U.S. users had to wait six-plus months for access.

Blood Pressure and Insulin Resistance Trend reports are available for U.S. customers. However, you’ll need to wear your Pixel Watch 5 for a solid stretch to produce truly useful trend data. Trend reports are generated monthly, and users need to rock the device for at least five continuous nights during that period to generate a report.

It’s worth noting that the Blood Pressure Trends feature doesn’t provide an actual blood pressure reading, but instead tracks how your blood pressure changes over time using a combination of metrics. To ensure the accuracy of this tool, Google built the analysis algorithm using 60 billion hours of 24/7 heart rate monitoring data from half a million individuals.

Likewise, the Insulin Resistance Trends feature is not the same as a continuous blood glucose monitor. It similarly predicts changes by tracking factors like your average sleep time, heart rate, workout routines, and more.

Users must wear the Pixel Watch 5 for seven or more nights and days per month to generate enough data for analysis. This all gets fed into an algorithm that Google separately tested using a large sample group to ensure accuracy.

This is to say, it’s going to take more than a week for me to fully test these two new potentially valuable health monitoring tools. With that in mind, please stay tuned for a future article on the subject, as I plan to continue wearing the Pixel Watch 5 for many months to come and report back.

Finally, Google has confirmed with Tom’s Guide that Insulin Resistance Trends and Blood Pressure Trends will be coming to both the Fitbit Air and the Google Pixel Watch 4. We’ve also confirmed that the Pixel Watch 4 is slated to support Breathing Emergency Detection down the road. No word on the Pixel Watch 3, though.

Pixel Watch 5 AI features: 3/5

• Google's Gemini AI assistant for Pixel Watch 5 remains best-in-class, yet it still occasionally struggles with fairly rudimentary inquiries
• The AI watch face generator is fun but limited/generic in its results

I’ve praised Google’s Gemini AI assistant as the best of its kind on a smartwatch, but while testing the Pixel Watch 5, I found myself bumping up against its limitations more frequently than expected.

For example, when I asked, “How might El Niño impact weather in the U.S. Pacific Northwest?” Gemini had no issue dropping heady knowledge. However, when pressed for ski mountain recommendations based on the provided El Niño info, the AI assistant came up short.

I stumped Gemini again later that night when I asked for a list of new restaurants within a 20-minute walk of my location.

Finally, I’m a big fan of swapping between my favorite watch faces on a whim using the Pixel Watch 5. The process is pretty simple: press and hold the current face to launch the library and make your selection, but could AI make it even easier? Sadly, no. Gemini can’t change watch faces via voice or even open your watch face library, an odd limitation IMHO.

One new Gemini feature (that no one really asked for) is the ability to create custom watch faces via a simple text or audio prompt. The Create Watch Face app runs right on the device, though an internet connection is required.

Somewhat limited in its capabilities, the results range from fairly uninspiring to straight-up bizarre. That said, I did use it to create a few fun watch faces, including a side-splitting (to me) deli meat-inspired one. Meanwhile, my prompt for "Teddy bears and laser beams" was less successful.

More usefully, Gemini is now trained to surface relevant real-time information and display it at a glance on its own. For example, you might receive a notification on your Pixel Watch 5 if your flight is suddenly delayed or there’s a last-minute road closure that might impact your driving route.

Better yet, users can expand these bits of relevant information or dismiss them using one-handed gesture controls for added convenience.

Pixel Watch 5 battery life: 4/5

• Battery life surpasses listed rating but falls short of Pixel Watch 4
• Still, best-in-class battery life for a full-featured smartwatch, especially the 45mm model
• One hour = a full recharge

The Pixel Watch 5 sees a very small increase in battery capacity across both sizes, but the official ratings remain the same as last year’s model. The 41mm is rated at 30 hours per charge, and the 45mm at 40 hours per charge.

I tested the 45mm Pixel Watch 5 and averaged 48 hours of use per charge, better than its official rating, but a little behind the tested battery performance of the 45mm Pixel Watch 4, which consistently lasted up to 60 hours.

Recharge time is impressively speedy. It took just under one hour to bring the Pixel Watch 5 from 5% battery back to 100%, with the power draw averaging between 4 and 6 watts.

Google Pixel Watch 5 Verdict

The Google Pixel Watch 5 represents a relatively minor update over the Pixel Watch 4. Still, the impressive list of new health tools hints at where Google wearable tech is headed. Moreover, it proves that the big G is truly besting the competition when it comes to on-wrist features that could save your life.

For Pixel Watch 4 owners, there’s no real reason to upgrade to the Pixel Watch 5. It looks the same, has similar battery performance, but costs more. Sure, you may need to wait a little while for Breathing Emergency Detection to become available via firmware, but that’s no deal-breaker, especially for U.S. consumers, who are still waiting for FDA approval for the feature.

For those considering the Pixel Watch 5 against some of the other best smartwatches out there, I’ll say this: For hardcore fitness folks, I prefer the sheer depth of Garmin’s training insights to Google's, even if the Pixel Watch has way more smart features.

Versus the latest Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 — which I’m reviewing now — it’s really a toss-up. Both watches are top-of-class, and the better option for you may truly come down to your design preference.

Ultimately, the Pixel Watch 4 was a fantastic smartwatch with a time-tested design. Instead of fixing what wasn't broken, Google made small but meaningful tweaks, resulting in a slightly faster, smarter, and more reliable health and fitness tracker.

This all adds up to the Pixel Watch 5 not just being one of the best full-featured smartwatches of 2026, but also the smartwatch to beat when it comes to on-wrist safety.

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