Google Pixel Watch 5 earns a rare 9/10 repairability score
Most smartwatches are effectively disposable — crack the screen or kill the battery and the repair bill often exceeds the cost of a replacement. Google's Pixel Watch 5 is a genuine exception: iFixit awarded it 9 out of 10 for repairability, matching the score its predecessor earned and putting it among the most fixable wearables on the market.
The design
The key difference is what Google didn't use: adhesive. Where most rivals glue everything shut — making disassembly a heat-gun operation that risks cracking the glass — the Pixel Watch 5 uses mechanical screws and an O-ring gasket to achieve its water seal. Two screws release the rear cover and sensor block, giving a technician straightforward access to the vibration motor, motherboard, and battery. Google even colour-coded the screws to indicate the correct reassembly sequence, a small touch that matters when you're piecing a watch back together.
The 45mm model carries a 465 mAh battery, up 2.2% from the 455 mAh cell in the Pixel Watch 4. Hardware runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 Gen 2 Accelerated chip paired with 3 GB of LPDDR4 RAM and 64 GB of eMMC storage. Display replacement is still the most involved repair — it requires removing a bracket and disconnecting a pressure connector — but iFixit notes Google could simplify this in a future revision.
The claim
A high score alone doesn't mean much without parts. Google publishes official repair manuals and sells spare components directly, which is what separates the Pixel Watch 5 from competitors that score well on teardown ease but leave owners with no way to source a replacement screen or battery. As Notebookcheck iFixit teardown notes, that combination of accessible design and available parts is rare in the smartwatch category.
The price
The Pixel Watch 5 starts at £369 in the UK (41mm Wi-Fi), per Tech Advisor pricing — a £20 increase over the Watch 4. It's available now at the Google Store, Amazon UK, EE, and Vodafone in both 41mm and 45mm configurations with Wi-Fi and LTE options. At that price it sits above the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7, though Google's repair infrastructure gives it a longer useful lifespan argument that Samsung can't currently match.
For right-to-repair advocates, the Pixel Watch 5 is a useful proof of concept: a premium smartwatch that maintains IP water resistance without sacrificing serviceability. Whether that argument moves mainstream buyers is another question — but if your watch breaks a year from now, you'll be glad the option exists.
