I've always had very mixed feelings about smartwatches, but finally caved and picked up the Google Pixel Watch 3 last year. While my feelings haven't completely turned around, I have managed to fill a few niches with the wearable — but there's one thing I'd like to change.
If you remember the original Pixel Watch, which was released back in 2021, you'll be aware that it came with a wireless charging-like system similar to the Apple Watch 10 and Galaxy Watch 7. By the time the Pixel Watch 2 came around, though, that feature was gone.
And having used the replacement charging system and logged the problems it seems to have, I wish the Pixel Watch 4 would bring back something similar to the old arrangement — even though I know it's not going to happen should the Pixel 4 show up as expected later this year alongside the Pixel 10 smartphone series.
Pixel Watch 3's charging is sloppy
Rather than having a wireless charging system, both the Pixel Watch 2 and Watch 3 draw their power from a 4-pin connector. It's the same charging system as recent Fitbit watches, like the Fitbit Sense 2 and Versa 4 — to the point where the chargers are (just about) compatible with each other.
But while Fitbit watches are now functionally dead, the charging connection is still very much alive. The problem is, it doesn't work nearly as well on my Pixel Watch 3 as it did on my Fitbit Versa 4. I never actually had an issue with getting power into that watch, but the Pixel Watch 3 doesn't seem to want to play by the same rules.
I've lost count of the number of times I've put my watch down to charge, and it just sat there not taking in power. I've done everything from making sure the pins are perfectly aligned, that the connectors are all clean, and there will still be times when the watch essentially goes, "hmm, nah."
I never had that issue with the Versa 4, and that wearable was considerably cheaper — not to mention less advanced. Aside from the fact the charging pins liked scratching the back of the watch, it always recharged when I needed it to.
I don't know why that's the case, but it's incredibly frustrating — and I'd love to be able to slap my watch onto a charging puck haphazardly with the confidence that it won't just sit there doing nothing.
Plus, it would be nice to use my the reverse wireless charging on my Pixel 9 Pro to juice up my watch.
Why did Google remove wireless watch charging?
When you look at the reasons why Google scrapped wireless charging for Pixel Watch 2 and 3, the reasons make sense. The main benefits are that pin charging offers faster charging speeds, which is helpful when you need to recharge your watch every day. This charging system also produces significantly less heat.
In fact the heat problem was so bad that Google had to put out an update to nerf the charging speed to keep the temperature down to the point where a 100% recharge took almost 2 hours to finish — which is not good.
I had wondered whether thickness was another factor, since it always seems to be with smartphones, but that doesn't seem to be the case. The Pixel Watch and its successors are all 12.3mm thick; in fact, they all look pretty similar, though admittedly, the original Pixel Watch is a lot rounder at the bottom compared to its younger siblings.
That said, removing the charging coils from the wearable could have made space for other things. The Pixel Watch 2 has sensors for EDA, skin temperature, irregular heart beat rhythm and an improved multi-point heart rate sensor. Not to mention, it offers a larger battery than its predecessor.
It was never officially confirmed that these features required the charging coil space, but I'd bet money Google definitely put the extra real estate to good use once the charging pins were decided on.
I still want wireless charging back
As problematic as the Pixel Watch's wireless charging was, I'd still like to see some kind of puck-charging system come back on Pixel Watch 4 — or on some future model if it's too late to do anything about this year's offering. Google will need to work out the kinks, and improve wireless charging speeds without turning the wearable into a miniature burn risk in the process.
Or, you know, at least make the 4-pin charging more consistent than it currently is. It really should not be hit-and-miss the way it has been for me, because like any charger, it should just be able to work. Hopefully, that isn't just a pipe dream.
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