Embodiments relate generally to a wearable device implementing a touch-sensitive interface in a metal pod cover and/or bioimpedance sensing to determine physiological characteristics, such as heart rate. According to an embodiment, a method includes receiving an amplified signal including a portion of the physiological-related signal component including data representing a physiological characteristic, the amplified signal being derived from bioimpedance signal based on an impedance value of a tissue, and identifying a magnitude of a portion of the physiological-related signal component. Also, the method can compare the magnitude of the portion against another magnitude of a data model (e.g., in a time-domain) to form a matched value. Also, the method can determine a confidence indicator value representative of a degree of likelihood that the matched value is representative of the physiological characteristic, and determining a value of the physiological characteristic based on the matched value and the confidence indicator value.