Google is getting ready to unveil its latest Pixel line-up tomorrow, August 12. The Pixel 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro XL, and 11 Pro Fold are expected to make an appearance, as well as the new Pixel Watch 5 and some extra accessories, too.
As someone who’s worn every Pixel Watch every day since the first model was released in 2021, I have a lot of love and a lot of opinions about Google’s smartwatch. Clearly, though, I like it enough to come back to it every day.
Many of my original issues have been squashed over several generations, updates, and hardware upgrades, but there’s still one issue with the Pixel Watch that Google hasn’t addressed yet, and I’m afraid it won’t fix it with the Watch 5 either.
A smartwatch needs to be more durable than this
Google hasn’t upgraded its watch glass since 2021
All four smartwatch generations from Google have had the same type of glass protection on top of the display: Corning Gorilla Glass 5. The quality and durability of that glass hasn’t improved once since 2021 — that’s astonishing, given everything else that got upgraded.
Even the Google Pixel Watch 4 upgraded the display under the glass to a domed panel, but still left the same Corning Gorilla Glass 5 with a Mohs durability of 6 on top of it. That barely cut it in 2021, but it definitely doesn’t in 2025 and 2026.
The latest rumors say that the Pixel Watch 5 will also carry the same Corning Gorilla Glass 5, and I’m honestly a little furious about it, especially when I look at the competition and see that they’re doing better.
Both Apple and Samsung have upgraded their smartwatches to Sapphire glass, which is much more durable and has a Mohs score of 8-9. Their glass is less likely to scratch and much more likely to resist side impacts. The Pixel Watch is stuck behind.
My Pixel Watch 4 is an example of scratches gone bad
I’ve tried to pay attention, I swear
I know I’m a bit clumsy and I tend to hit my arm on door frames or things while walking, but all of my technology has survived over the last 20 years (minus a Pixel 4 XL that fell on uneven sidewalk and cracked its glass once despite being in a TPU case).
I’ve babied all four of my Pixel watches. The first, second, and third were kind of fine after a year. They had surface scratches, but nothing egregious. That’s not the case with my Google Pixel Watch 4 at all.
There’s a huge scratch pattern on the top left (around the 11-hour marker in the photo above) as well as two thin, long, and deep scratches. One of them is toward the top (over the date in the image above) and the other is around the 4- or 5-hour marker.
When the display is on and I’m looking at it head-on, I don’t notice them, but when it’s slightly at an angle or the display is not on, I can easily see all the scratches. And they’re terrible. I have to Photoshop them out of any photo (I didn’t here) so they don’t distract readers.
Plus, I can feel their rough texture or scratched glass effect disturbance when I’m swiping something on my watch. Not the nicest feeling, either.
What baffles me is I don’t even remember when these occurred. There was no huge drop, crash, or anything. They slowly popped up over time, just to annoy me.
It’s possible to keep a Pixel Watch in good condition
But do we have to?
When I noticed these scratches on my Google Pixel Watch 4, I went to check my Watch 3. I wore it for a year, then passed it on to my husband, so it’s been used much longer.
As I remember, there were no terrible scratches on the Pixel Watch 3. Sure, there are some surface-level scratches, but nothing as egregious as my Watch 4. Definitely nothing as deep, as pronounced, or as terrible as the large scratches on my Watch 4.
We’ve both worn this watch on hikes, to the beach, and to some rough environments. It made it through. I’m not sure why my Watch 4 didn’t.
But that’s the issue. We shouldn’t have to babysit a watch. It sits on our wrist all day long, it’s bound to inadvertently hit obstacles or rough objects. Google should’ve made it more resistant and durable by design.
Repairability is cool, but give me durability too
Some of the Pixel Watch 5 leaks have been very disappointing. No processor upgrade, no external changes, no reason to upgrade? Google will surely launch a bunch of new features with it, but those will likely make it to the Watch 4 soon with a Pixel Drop.
There are several Pixel Watch features I’d want, and better durability is top of the list. I love that Google is the first company making an actually easily repairable smartwatch now — that’s incredibly cool — but let’s try not break it as a start? How about that?
Sapphire glass, or something more durable than Corning Glass 5, should’ve made it to the Pixel Watch several generations ago. It’s sad that it hasn’t because my gorgeous-looking domed glass display just looks ugly with all those scratches.
