It has a projector that shoots out a broad array of infrared dots, and cameras that see those dots. On a technical level, the new face unlock feature works very much like the iPhone’s Face ID does. Weirdly and annoyingly, Google doesn’t include either headphones or an adapter in the box anywhere except France and Australia. The Pixel 4 does not have a headphone jack, of course, but it does at least have a USB-C port that doesn’t require headphone makers to pay a licensing fee to access. The power button has a nice pop of color on it. The corner radiuses on the screen are larger and actually come closer to matching the radiuses on the phone itself (they even subtly cut off 21:9 video, just like on the iPhone 11 Pro). There are some nice small details, though. You’ll notice it and then you will stop noticing it and then it will be fine. ![]() I don’t mind the look, but it does mean the front of the phone is asymmetrical: the top, bottom, and sides all have different bezel widths. ![]() That’s ostensibly so it can fit both its face unlock and radar sensors up top, but I do wonder if Google just wanted to make life easier on itself this time around. The orange has coral tones to it, depending on the light, and it’s also limited-edition for some reason.Īfter releasing a phone with a hilariously huge notch last year, Google is going back to a notchless, big top bezel design. Google is leaning into the contrasts of its material and colors instead of trying to meld them into something that feels like a single whole.Īll three colors have Gorilla Glass 5 on the back, but the white and orange models have matte finishes, and I much prefer them to the glossy finish on the black model. It’s also available on all four major US carriers for the first time.Įven though the Pixel 4 shares the iPhone 11’s square camera bump, the overall design and aesthetic is unique and feels of a piece with the Pixel’s lineage. But the Pixel 4 has at least five major new hardware-based features: face unlock, Motion Sense, the new Google Assistant, the new 90Hz display, and a second telephoto camera lens. Most new phones try to layer on one or two new features year over year. With the Pixel 4, the cost isn’t about the hardware - it’s about Google’s software, camera, and those new features. ![]() I am sympathetic to arguments that the specs don’t quite justify those prices, but only to a point. I suspect many users will pay the $100 for the XL version with the bigger screen, the $100 more for 128GB of storage, or both. The Pixel 4 starts at $799 for the smaller 5.7-inch screen version with 64GB of storage. But overall the Pixel 4 hits enough of the marks to pass, and it’s a few new features from Google that push the experience ahead of the pack. There are a few places where Google could have done better, especially with battery life. There is a nuanced difference between saying “specs don’t tell you the whole story” and “specs don’t matter,” because they absolutely do - if only because the wrong ones can ruin the whole thing. ![]() The Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL are the best argument that specs don’t tell you everything you need to know about a phone - because the experience of using a Pixel 4 is better than any other Android phone.
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