Is new Pixel the Android phone you’re looking 4? We take a look at Google’s latest offering
WHEN testing a new phone for the first time, the temptation is to measure it against the iPhone, and that’s what you’ll see most reviewers do with the Pixel 4.
But that misses the point – if you’re using an iPhone you’re more than likely going to buy an iPhone next time, too.
The real potential users of the Pixel 4 are those that are already on Android, so the real question should be – is the Pixel 4 the best Android phone you can buy?
The answer to that is yes, for two reasons.
Firstly, it has the best camera of any Android phone, or rather, it has the best camera software of any phone. Secondly, it offers an Android experience that is unique – this is Android as its maker intended it to be.
Maybe a bit of that is down to the fact that Google can fine-tune its software to its hardware with the Pixel phones because it makes both of them. That’s certainly true with the camera. But there’s also a wonderful lack of manufacturer and carrier bloatware on the phone – it’s just Android.
There are several other things that make this a great phone to use every day. It all adds up to a wonderful device that should be your next Android phone.
FACE UNLOCK
NEW to the Pixel 4 is face-scanning for secure unlock. This is very fast – so fast that you often don’t see the lock-screen, which might be irritating if you want to see notifications that appear there.
Face unlock, by default, doesn’t just unlock the phone, but launches straight into your home screen.
Thankfully, you can turn this off and require a swipe-up to go home.
Face unlock also, for the sake of speed, does not require your attention to work
– it’ll work with your eyes closed.
While you’re asleep. Something to be aware of, although Google says it will change this in a future update.
CAMERA
THE Pixel cameras were already great, and have improved thanks to the addition of a second lens – a telephoto.
This goes against the grain as everybody else is adding ultra-wide lenses, but it does mean better portrait mode images.
All the other great stuff – like the outstanding Night Sight mode, for taking snaps in low light, are still there.
For consistency, the Pixel 4’s camera and software are very hard to beat, and certainly push the iPhone 11 for the crown of best smartphone camera, unless you want to use it primarily for video, which is still a bit of a let down. For stills, though, it’s top of the class.
DESIGN
WE had the Pixel 4 XL on test, and it looks great. It’s more or less identical in features to the regular Pixel 4, aside from battery size and the screen size (5.7in on the regular 4, and 6.3in on the XL).
There are similarities with other smartphones, but the look is distinctly Google, right down to the bright contrast colour pops on the side button. The overall build quality is the best of any Pixel phone I’ve seen.
The most obvious design decision is the front-facing camera housing – not a notch, but a strip across the top of the screen – which means the screen is perfectly rectangular with no interruptions, and the bezel at the top is wider than anywhere else, which takes a bit of getting used to.
MOTION SENSE
THIS is one of those new features unique to the Pixel – the phone has radar and knows if you are nearby.
It can also detect swipes of the hand over the screen, so you can skip tracks when playing music or podcasts without touching the phone. It’s a neat trick, but did not work consistently for me.
The radar can also tell when you walk away from your phone and will respond by turning off the display completely.
Motion Sense also readies the face-unlock camera as you reach for your phone, which is part of the reason it’s able to perform so quickly.
OTHER STUFF
THE Pixel 4’s screen is a big update on the previous generation, and has a refresh rate of 90hz – that means smoother scrolling.
The other upgrade is that the whole of Google’s English language machine learning has been loaded into the phone’s neural core, so the Google Assistant doesn’t have to check in with the internet to understand what you are saying.
It’s much faster than before, and also allows the uncanny magic of transcribing your voice in real time, which works like a charm.
Battery life is good on the XL – it should last all day.
Google Pixel 4 is available from Vodafone from £52 per month (£9 upfront cost) on an Unlimited Lite plan (unlimited data up to 2Mbps, unlimited texts and unlimited minutes. Find out more at vodafone.co.uk
You can also buy the Pixel 4 direct from Google, unlocked from £669. The Pixel 4 XL starts at £829. Visit store.google.com for details.