I've been wearing the Google Pixel Watch 3 for a year now, and it's been a great, reliable smartwatch. It does what I expect of it. But deep down, it's just a regular smartwatch. My habits didn't change much; I'd check notifications, manually track my bike rides, or glance at the weather. It felt like having a second screen for my phone on my wrist, a convenient but passive experience.

When Google unveiled the Pixel Watch 4, I figured we'd get the usual improvements: better battery, brighter screen, more software tricks. And sure enough, the Pixel Watch 4 has all that, which is great. However, one new software feature caught me off guard. It's incredibly simple and intuitive, and it's changed my smartwatch experience completely. I am talking about the new Gemini raise-to-talk action, which is the real star of the Pixel Watch 4.

Before this watch, using Google Assistant/Gemini on any smartwatch, including older Pixel Watches, always took two steps. I had to either hold down the side button or say "Hey Google" before asking something. While both ways work, they add a little bit of friction. Pushing a button isn't hands-free, and talking to your watch out loud can feel odd, particularly if it doesn't understand you the first time.

The Pixel Watch 4 gets rid of this completely. Now, you don't need to push any buttons or say any special words. When I lift my arm like I'm checking the time, a small light appears at the bottom of the screen, showing that Gemini is ready and listening. Then, I just start talking. It turns a two-step process into one smooth motion. I'll give you some real-life examples.

For instance, before, when I wanted to know the weather, I'd lift my wrist, swipe to the weather, tap it, and look through the forecast. It took several steps and needed my full attention. Now, I just lift my wrist, see the Gemini light, and ask, "What's the weather this week?" I can lower my arm right away and listen to the answer as I do other things. The new and improved speaker makes this experience even better!

Real Life Improvements

Another example is when I'm cooking and listening to music on my Nest speakers. Before, I'd have to say "Hey Google" loudly so the speaker could hear me, and it would lower the music to listen. Now, I just lift my wrist and say, "Set a timer for 15 minutes." No need to stop my music or shout. It's made things so much more convenient.

Also, tracking my bike rides has become easier. I could say "Hey Google, start tracking a bike ride," but that's not convenient when I've already started riding. With the raise-to-talk feature, it's much faster: I just lift my wrist, say "Start tracking a bike ride," and get back to riding. Of course, the Pixel Watch 4 can now automatically track bike rides, so I don't even need to do this anymore unless I want GPS tracking. That's how seamless the experience is.

Because this feature is so smooth, I find myself using the assistant much more often, which is changing how I use my smartwatch. After using this feature for a couple of weeks, I can't imagine going back to a smartwatch without it. In fact, I used the Pixel Watch 3 to record some video and instinctively raised my wrist to ask a question, only to be met with silence. It's like going from a regular car key to keyless entry; the old way suddenly feels awkward.

This one feature makes the Pixel Watch 4 stand out. Of course, the other improvements are great too: better battery life, faster charging, and a brighter screen. But the raise-to-talk Gemini feature is the real reason to upgrade. It finally makes the smartwatch feel like a truly helpful assistant that blends into your life.

Hopefully, this feature will come to older Pixel Watches. It doesn't seem to need any new hardware, so Google could bring it to the Pixel Watch 3, or even the Pixel Watch 2. We'll have to wait and see.

If you're thinking about getting the Pixel Watch 4, or smartwatches in general, I'd say give it a try. It might just change your mind about smartwatches, like it did for me. After using the raise-to-talk feature on the Pixel Watch 4, it's hard to go back to anything else. It has truly transformed how I interact with my smartwatch.