Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.
ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Google’s Pixel Watch 4 is built to be repairable, swapping adhesive for screws.
- The design changes have not compromised the device’s waterproofing.
- iFixit gives the smartwatch a repairability score of 9 out of 10.
Smartwatches are, by and large, very hard to repair. They’re usually small and full of adhesive. They live their life, and then they’re chucked away — hopefully into the electronics recycling pile, but too many end up in the back of a drawer or a landfill.
And while a lot of companies like to flex their green credentials, it’s hard to put that into real-world repairability.
Also: Want an entire tech repair shop of tools in a single messenger bag?
But Google has done just that with the new Pixel Watch 4. According to the teardown specialists at iFixit, it is the “most repairable smartwatch on the market.”
How has Google pulled this off? But ditching the adhesive and using screws. Yes, screws.
Replacing the battery requires three Torx Plus bits, a spudger, a pair of tweezers (everything you need comes in The Ultimate iFixit Toolkit), and a few minutes. All the screws are visible, not buried under stickers of easily damaged trim.
<!–>
And the lack of adhesive doesn’t in any way compromise water-resistance – the Pixel Watch 4 is rated IP68 for water and dust resistance – because Google has kitted out each of the external screws with its own little O-ring.
The teardown is one of the easiest, least brutal smartwatch teardowns I’ve seen.
One of the easiest, cleanest teardowns I’ve seen.
iFixit/ZDNET
“Everything inside this watch points toward a repair-first design philosophy,” writes iFixit’s Elizabeth Chamberlain, and I have to agree. The ease with which this smartwatch can be torn down for repair gives me hope that eventually all our personal devices, from smartphones to earbuds, will be much easier to repair.
Looking for the next best product? Get expert reviews and editor favorites with ZDNET Recommends.
iFixit gave the Google Pixel Watch 4 a repairability score of 9 out of 10, an incredibly high score for a smartwatch, blowing the Apple Watch Ultra 3<!–> out of the water.
At the very least, I’d like to see batteries that are easy to replace routinely, because that would save a lot of electronics from Silicon Heaven.
–>
