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The Google Pixel 4a is the company"s latest entry-level smartphone with a very reasonable £349 RRP - that"s £50 less than the Pixel 3a launch price one year before. Yes, refreshingly Google has been more aggressive in its pricing this time around.

The good news for those with around £400 to spend is that this mid-tier price point is an increasingly competitive segment of the smartphone market, with phones like the iPhone SE 2020 and OnePLus Nord being obvious competition to the Pixel 4a.

Yes, all of these phones are getting better and blurring the lines with the flagship models that are usually twice the price. Cutbacks in this example include the plastic body without water-resistance and its general power under the hood. But if the camera is your main concern, there is less to choose between this and the more expensive Pixel 4 in most scenarios.

Soon after the Pixel 4a Google announced the Pixel 5 (£599) and the Pixel 4a 5G (£499), which as the latter"s name suggests will be 5G compatible but also has a few extra tricks up its sleeve. The choice between Pixel 4a/ Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5 is becoming complex.

At its image-making heart, the Google Pixel 4a is simple, mainly automated and takes care of the image processing to get you the best images possible with the least amount of fuss. And to that extent, it"s a great experience.

Unlike other Pixel phones, the Pixel 4a is only available in one colour, "Just Black", so if you would like to personalise the exterior a case or skin is necessary. The Google Pixel 4a hit UK stores at the beginning of October 2020.

First up, the display. It"s a 19.5:9 aspect ratio screen measuring 5.8in on the diagonal, with a 2340x1080 pixel resolution and 100,000:1 contrast ratio. Google says the screen has a 24-bit depth for 16-million-colours and is covered with Corning Gorilla Glass 3, so it should withstand some knocks.

It"s not the fancier Corning Gorilla Glass 6 like in the Pixel 5, nor is this a water-resistant phone, plus the body is a polycarbonate unibody - that"s fancy wording for plastic. If you demand better materials and water resistance from a Pixel phone, you"ll need to splash out on that flagship model.

We have used the Google Pixel 4a in the sun and rain. Yet knowing it"s not water-resistant does impact your degree of caution - we"ve been on the tentative side, aiming to protect the Pixel 4a wherever possible. Still, being out in a fine drizzle has been fine.

For sure, there are better screens out there spec-wise, but it"s a lovely display none-the-less. Brightness levels adapt to the ambient light, so you"ll get a brighter display when out in the sun. Even in those conditions, you get a reasonably clear view.

The size of the Google Pixel 4a strikes a healthy balance. It"s large enough to be viewed easily, but not so big as to render a device ungainly to hold or put away in a pocket. The device is actually smaller than its predecessor while boasting a larger screen with less edging.

You"re probably not going to be watching too many movies on the Pixel 4a or doing much gaming. However, for image-making, the moderate size enables single-handed operation. You"ll just need both hands when switching between portrait and landscape format in order to position your hand properly for the shutter release, which is either on screen or the volume up key.

That "Just Black" exterior has an understated matt finish. It is slippy and we would strongly recommend a protective case, not least of which for a more secure grip. There are already plenty of good cases available for the 4a across a variety of budgets including the lower end - surely a main concern for those buying this smartphone.

A fingerprint scanner features on the Google Pixel 4a"s rear - we like how it also has the matt black finish and it"s positioned sensibly for an index finger unlock.

Battery life is on the slightly modest side for a £350 phone - there are better alternatives. Still, the Pixel 4a has a solid 3,140mAh capacity battery that is better than the Pixel 3a, plus the iPhone SE 2020 for that matter.

As for power under the hood, Google has never tried to out-muscle the competition. Here you have the Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G processor and 6GB of RAM, whereas you"ll get more like 8GB of RAM and a more powerful processor elsewhere at this price point. However, this is an improvement from the Pixel 3a and the Pixel 4a is anything but slow.

You"re unlikely to encounter any performance issues with the Google Pixel 4a for general use and image-making. The only minor lag we experienced was the image processing immediately after capture. For example, if an effect is being applied such as a blur in Portrait mode, it will take a couple of seconds to see it in playback.

As with any Pixel phone, the Pixel 4a is guaranteed with three years of operating system and security updates. Currently on Android 11, you"re guaranteed up to Android 13 which essentially future proofs the camera years beyond those three too.

Storage is built-in only, with no option for inserting an additional memory card. As standard, the Pixel 4a provides a decent 128GB of storage - that"s double the previous generation model. However, about 20GB is already used up from the offset.

It"s straightforward to link up the Pixel 4a to a Google Photos account and use Google"s online storage to back up photos and videos, and to offload full size images from the phone to free up space as and when that is needed.

When it comes to a smartphone"s camera, there"s much clambering to the spec-sheet-summit. Even at this Pixel 4a price point you can get a triple-lens/ high resolution rear camera with depth sensor.

Not with Google. The company stays true to its different approach, with a "simple" single 12.2MP dual-pixel rear camera with f/1.7 lens, offering a 84° field of view. A side note - design is curious with the single lens being housed in a raised camera block that looks like it could contain three lenses.

The 8MP front-facing "selfie" camera with fixed focus f/2.0 lens and 84° field of view is built within the screen display. Again the camera spec is modest and videos are restricted to Full HD at 30fps.

Does not being strong on paper mean that the Pixel 4a images pale in comparison? Far from it. The magic happens in Google"s intelligent software processing. There"s less to navigate in the camera app, less controls to take manual control of. This is a simple camera but with very effective results. You pick the desired shooting mode and the camera takes care of the rest.

By default you have a choice between the regular camera, the portrait camera, Night Sight, Video and the "More option where you find Panorama, Photo Sphere, Slow Motion, Time Lapse and Google"s "Lens".

With dual-pixel phase detection autofocus, the rear camera can focus sharply in almost any scenario. Add the fast f/1.7 aperture lens with image stabilisation and pictures in low contrast light are usually sharply focused and blur-free.

Overall, the Google Pixel 4a is a breeze to use across a wide range of scenarios. There are enough shooting modes to sink your teeth into and by and large Google"s Intelligent Software processing gives you great end results with minimal fuss.

Shift either slider and the effect on the image is seen on screen immediately. Live HDR is particularly useful in scenes of high contrast where the camera might not know what exposure effect you want.

In this case, the main benefit to shoot in RAW format is to apply your own exposure edits when the JPEG processing gets it wrong. Overall, there is little benefit shooting in RAW format with the Google Pixel 4a.

Overall the Google Pixel 4a"s lens has a firm control over flare and ghosting. We"ve seen a little ghosting in very particular circumstances, but in general we have happily shot towards the sun without being concerned about unwanted lens flare.

We think Google has been smart here - rather than processing images to be completely "ready to go" from the start, they form a great starting place from which to apply those bright colour edits afterwards for sharing. It"s harder to recapture natural and faithful colours from an overly saturated JPEG rather than generating extra saturation.

The effectiveness of Live HDR+ cannot be overstated. Like any phone, the dynamic range of the Google Pixel 4a is limited, meaning that without intervention tonal detail in highlight and shadow areas will be lost.

Yet with a fast f/1.7 lens and effective image stabilisation, the Pixel 4a is usually set below ISO 500 and there is not really any noise to speak of, meaning detail is sharp.

If you are able to use the Night Sight mode, then detail in low light appears crisper. Provided you don"t having moving subjects in your low light picture (and therefore unwanted blur from a long exposure), it"s still possible to enjoy the benefit of Google"s effective image processing for great low light images.

The Google Pixel 4a"s camera may not offer the best specification around, but it quietly and effectively makes lovely pictures. We"ve rarely binned photos on account of the camera"s shortcomings.

In Portrait mode a blur is applied to the background using Google"s AI to help your subject stand out. By default the image is saved twice - with and without blur applied. This enables us to compare the two versions and see how effective image processing is at applying blur.

Once viewed on a larger desktop screen at 100% - in our case a 25in monitor - it is possible to locate clumps of detail around your subject without blur applied. Those bothering to view images in such a way are more likely to have the capacity to apply blur themselves to those missed areas.

The Google Pixel 4a has a single lens with an equivalent focal length of 24mm approximately - that"s a 84° field of view. The digital zoom extends that focal length by up to 7x.

As with any small-sensor smartphone, the Google Pixel 4a has decent macro capabilities although it does not have a specific macro setting. The image below was captured with the phone"s minimum focus distance - any closer in this scenario and the camera wasn"t able to focus.

Without manual exposure control you can"t select shutter speed or ISO. However, the Pixel 4a is a very capable low-light shooter, with its champion Night Sight mode.

This is a selection of sample images from the Google Pixel 4a camera, which were all taken using the 12 megapixel JPEG setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.

The Google Pixel 4a enables users to capture RAW and JPEG format files. We"ve provided some Google RAW (DNG) samples for you to download (thumbnail images shown below are not 100% representative).

This is a sample 1.4x slow-motion movie at the quality setting of 1920x1080 pixels at 30 frames per second. Please note that this 40 second movie is 51Mb in size.

This is a sample 1.8x slow-motion movie at the quality setting of 1280x720 pixels at 30 frames per second. Please note that this 61 second movie is 40.2Mb in size.

This is a sample timelapse movie at the quality setting of 3840x2160 pixels at 30 frames per second. Please note that this 36 second movie is 209Mb in size.

Look outside the Pixel range and the numbers are less impressive. You can get more power and features from rivals such as the OnePlus Nord. However, its processor is fast enough for what the camera is capable of.

Considering the whole picture, the Google Pixel 4a doesn"t do quite enough to be best-in-class, but if you are after an easy-to-use phone sub £400 that will get you great looking pictures, you won"t be disappointed.

Do you want the same excellent camera from the flagship Pixel 3 but at a much lower price? Of course you do! Then look no further than the brand new Pixel 3a, which features exactly the same camera module as its big brother, including the innovative Night Sight and Portrait modes, but at almost half the price. Read our Google Pixel 3a review to find out if this is all the smartphone camera that you actually need...

The Pixel 4 is Google"s new flagship smartphone, available in standard and XL sizes. New for this generation is a second 16-megapixel 2x telephoto lens with an f/2.4 aperture, along with improved portrait and night modes. Is this the best Pixel phone for keen photographers, and can it compete with its main rivals? Find out now by reading our Pixel 4 review, with full-size sample images and videos...

Want a great smartphone with a triple-camera setup that doesn"t cost the earth? Then you may be interested in the Honor 20, a new mid-range 48 megapixel device with a 6.26” full HD screen, 6GB of RAM and 128GB of inbuilt storage. Read our Honor 20 review to find out what this new smartphone has to offer keen photographers...

The Honor View 20 is a mid-range smartphone with flagship specs and performance, with a 48 megapixel sensor, a “hole punch” to house the front-facing camera, and dedicated Night, Portrait and Pro shooting modes aimed at photographers. Is this all the smartphone that you really need? Find out now by reading our in-depth Honor View 20 review, complete with full-size sample images and videos.

The OnePlus 8 Pro is the latest flagship smartphone for 2020 from OnePlus. It features a 48-megapixel quad-camera setup with an upgraded ultra-wide camera, 4K/60p video recording, Pro shooting mode and the ability to shoot in Raw. Find out if this is the best smartphone for photographers by reading our in-depth OnePlus 8 Pro review with full-size sample photos and videos.

The Sony Xperia XZ3 is a flagship smartphone with a 19 megapixel camera, 4K HDR Movie recording, 960fps Super slow motion in Full HD, and AI predictive capture.Are there enough features and performance to tempt keen photographers? Find out now by reading our in-depth Sony Xperia XZ3 review, complete with full-size sample images and videos...

The compact size, clean interface and great point-and-shoot camera of the Pixel 4a will appeal to those looking for an affordable, reasonably sized handset with enough grunt to handle the basics, plus the ability to capture some excellent pictures.

As a mid-range phone we can hardly fault what the Pixel 4a offers. It"s very capable and delivers a great camera experience. Some people might find it a little too small, but for those looking for a compact phone we can"t really see why you"d need to look any further.

The Pixel 4a is a return to form for Google’s smartphone efforts: a lower-cost, mid-range phone that is high quality, long-lasting and fairly small, with a great camera.

The Pixel 4A 5G does have a leg up over its smaller sibling. That ultrawide camera gives you the ability to take in more of a scene for extra variety in your photos. It also works great at night if you use Night Sight too. And, for the first time, Night Sight works in Portrait mode. Want to snap great bokeh-filled shots at night? Now you can do that! These portrait night shots rival those from the new iPhone 12 Pro.

The 4A 5G also can take better videos, with several new modes to spruce up your footage. I really like Cinematic Pan, which removes audio but slows down your footage and makes panning look super smooth. It"s a great effect. I talk about these new video modes in greater detail in my Pixel 5 review if you want to learn more (again, the Pixel 5 has the same camera system as the 4A 5G). These improvements may make their way to the smaller Pixel 4A via a software update down the road.

You"ll also find many of the same camera features from the Pixel 4 on both 4As, like Astrophotography mode and Live HDR+. You can put either phone on a tripod, point them at the sky, and get surprisingly great photos of the stars above. Photo quality will naturally depend on the amount of light pollution in your area, but I managed to capture some stars in the New York City night sky. (I didn"t see any UFOs, though.) Live HDR+, on the other hand, shows what your photo will look like in real time before you snap it, so you don"t have to wait for the image processing to finish. Dual-exposure controls are here too, allowing you to dial in the precise level of exposure and shadows to your liking.

Google"s Android experience adds another rung to the excellence of these phones—the ever-accessible Google Assistant is still the best voice assistant, and there are so many small smart features like Now Playing, which automatically tells me what song is playing in my surroundings on the lock screen. The 4A 5G also has Hold for Me, which has Assistant take over when you"ve been put on hold so you don"t need to listen to terrible hold music, and it lets you know when the person on the other end starts talking. (This will eventually come to the Pixel 4A too.)

Still, there are some areas where these phones could improve. First, they"re missing any kind of IP-rated water resistance, so you should be wary near pools. There"s also no MicroSD slot so you"ll have to pay more for Google cloud storage if you run out of space. That said, 128 gigabytes is what you"ll find on most phones in this price bracket.

A year ago, our editor Cam declared “I love you, little plastic phone” to the Pixel 3a. It took all the good parts of Google’s Pixel flagships, filtered out the bad (the awful screen notch, battery life, and price), chopped off whatever wasn’t necessary, and became a budget sensation. The Pixel 4a is that, for the Pixel 4 … only more so.

It’s almost shocking how good of a phone the Pixel 4a is for $350, and doubly shocking how it improves on some key points of Google’s erstwhile “main” Pixel line. To make a long review short: if you’re thinking of buying any Android phone in this price range (and maybe even a few way above it!), it should be this one.

The Pixel 4a rocks all day long. Google’s going to sell as many of these as it can make, and I hope they’re paying attention to that: incorporating a few of these design decisions can only help the more expensive Pixel line.

If you looked at the Pixel 3a, then looked at the Pixel 4, and imagined the two of them melted into one phone in a DragonBall Z fusion, then you’d get the Pixel 4a. The only major stylistic departure is that it uses a “hole punch” front-facing camera notch, in place of the more expensive (and more aesthetically pleasing) face-detection sensors. That makes the phone look a lot like the Galaxy S20 or OnePlus Nord, at least from the front.

The Pixel 4a is also the first, and so far only, Pixel to come in just one size: a 5.8-inch screen, halfway between the Pixel 3a and 3a XL. (Google has confirmed an upcoming 5G-packing variant of this phone, which may be bigger.) As someone who prefers bigger phones, and who’s used the 3a XL for the better part of a year, I was a bit bummed by this. But I have to say that after using it for a while, the screen feels barely any smaller than what I’m used to. Of course, that won’t hold true if you’re accustomed to something like a massive Galaxy Note.

And cutting out those top and bottom bezels allows the phone to be surprisingly tiny in a physical sense. Despite the bigger screen, it’s actually slightly shorter and slimmer than the Pixel 3a and Pixel 4. In terms of pure economy of design, I think it’s the best Pixel phone yet. Note the off-green power button, a splash of color that’s been a staple of the line.

Of course, being a mid-range or budget phone (depends on who you ask, and, well, their budget), there are a few metaphorical corners cut. Let’s list the hardware differences compared to the smaller and doubly expensive Pixel 4, in terms of pros and cons:

For myself, I’d say that the lower price versus either of the Pixel 4 models is worth it by a long shot. I’d love to see wireless charging and water resistance on a phone in this price range—and it’s possible, as Apple demonstrates with the iPhone SE. But that doesn’t make this phone any less of a deal, especially if you want Google’s great software and support.

The most dramatic improvement versus my Pixel 3a XL is in the memory. Boosting it from 4GB to 6GB means apps almost never need to reload after switching, at least with my usage pattern. I’ll sometimes spot Pokemon GO—a massive memory hog—still running in the background 12 hours after my first session of the day. I’m glad to see the real Gorilla Glass on this new version, too: The 3a series used Asahi “Dragontail” glass, and it’s showing some fine scratches that I haven’t seen when using Corning’s stuff.

Between that and the massive drop in phone size for a comparatively tiny drop in screen size, I’m also very pleased with how it “fits” in the hand and the pocket. It doesn’t feel quite as nice—the plastic is a little rougher, and the buttons are “sharper” against my fingers. The depression for the fingerprint reader is a little harder to find with my finger, though that problem is solved with a case.

But overall, it’s a considerable step up. That extends to even small details, like the louder stereo speakers. The fact that it’s $50 cheaper than the 3a XL is a nice bonus, too. The only thing I unequivocally don’t like is that in full screen apps, it cuts off the top of the screen (to the point of the camera) instead of allowing it to be truly “full.” I’m hoping someone can tweak that aspect of Android post-launch.

I was concerned when I read that the Pixel 4a uses only a 3140mAh battery with a 5.8-inch screen. I shouldn’t have been. While it isn’t quite the battery champion that the 3a series was, it has more than enough juice to get through a day of my use, sometimes two. Take that for what it’s worth—I’m on Wi-Fi basically all the time. But I think users will be very pleased, especially compared to the notoriously short-lived Pixel 4.

If you’re scoffing at the rear-mounted fingerprint reader, don’t. It’s faster than any of the newfangled under-screen readers I’ve tried (and much faster than the ones on similarly priced phones like the Galaxy A51). And in the age of public masks for the sake of your health and the health of others, it’s not so much a trade-off for face unlock as a welcome reprieve.

Call quality was steady and reliable, though thanks to the pandemic, I never really traveled outside of the Fort Worth metro area. I didn’t have any issues with LTE reception while using Google Fi with the supported e-SIM system.

The Pixel line shines on its camera. And unlike Samsung and other competitors who have pushed the sensors with dozens of megapixels and increasingly complicated lenses, Google does it all in software post-processing. That means that even without the extra rear sensor, the Pixel 4a’s camera is one of the best on the market, at any price.

The 4a can’t quite beat the dual sensor setup of the more expensive Pixel 4: Its single sensor appears to be the same 12.2MP shooter seen on the Pixel 3 and 3a. Ditto for the 8MP front-facing camera. But with Google’s imaging software, that still makes it among the best cameras on the market, and absolutely unbeatable at this price point.

Video recorded on the Pixel 4a isn’t amazing. It can technically do 4K at 30 FPS, or 720p at up to 240. But you’re still going to see the stuttering and occasional pixelation typical of a midrange phone. And like more or less every camera, relying on digital zoom for quality shots is a mistake. But in almost every typical situation, the Pixel 4a’s still shots set the standard for the category.

As a value proposition, the Pixel 4a is outstanding. Aside from its clean Android software (can’t beat that “fresh from the Google coding oven” smell), it doesn’t stand out in any flamboyant way. But its combination of mid-range hardware components and best-in-class camera should put it at the top of any list of its competition in this category.

The only phone that I’d say can beat the Pixel 4a is, perhaps predictably, the iPhone SE. Apple’s cheapest phone has a smaller screen with bigger bezels, and it uses a lower-resolution LCD screen, but that’s about the only thing it lacks in the comparison. Apple managed a full aluminum-glass body, a top-of-the-line A13 processor, wireless charging, and IP67 water resistance for just $50 more. It also has options for greater storage and more color variety, which the Pixel 4a lacks.

But if you’re considering a Pixel at all, odds are that you’ve already chosen Android as your smartphone platform. If that’s the case, and you want a phone that fits into a sub-$400 budget, you can buy it without hesitation.

The Pixel 4a would be a pretty good phone at $500. At $350, it’s phenomenal. Its better battery life and screen-to-body ratio might make it a winner versus either of the original Pixel 4 models at more than double the price. It’s a worthy successor to last year’s Pixel 3a series and an incredible competitor to any Android device in its category.

Those who need the extra bells and whistles that a flagship device provides won’t be satisfied with the Pixel 4a, as its selective sacrifices for a lower price do diminish a few of those creature comforts. If wireless charging, face unlock, or water resistance are so important to you that they’re worth several hundred dollars, this phone isn’t for you.

But for anyone whose budget is limited, or who’s just tired of seeing phone prices with four digits, it’s a breath of fresh air. It’s the second year in a row that the cheaper Pixel is the one to get.

The Pixel 7 offers the best version of Android, with guaranteed security updates through fall 2027—plus the best Android smartphone camera we’ve ever tested. It also has excellent build quality and costs half as much as Samsung’s Galaxy S22 Ultra.

Google’s Pixel smartphones have always offered the best Android software experience, but the Google Pixel 7 proves that Google is taking the hardware seriously, as well. It has a crisp 6.3-inch OLED screen and a solid wrap-around aluminum frame. The Pixel 7 also offers the best camera performance of any Android phone save for its sibling, the Pixel 7 Pro, and Google’s custom Tensor G2 processor holds its own against the high-end chips in other phones. In addition, the Pixel 7 is more likely to remain secure for years longer than most Android phones thanks to its five years of guaranteed monthly patches. And at $600, it costs hundreds less than other Android phones that won’t last as long or perform as well.

The Google Pixel 7 Pro is similar to the Pixel 7 but adds a larger OLED screen with a higher resolution and refresh rate, more expansive 5G support, and a 5x telephoto camera. These improvements bump the price up to $900, so the value isn’t quite as strong as with the Pixel 7. But the Pixel 7 Pro is a more capable phone with the same excellent software and five years of update support.

For quite a bit less, the Pixel 6a offers the same excellent version of Android as the Pixel 7 with updates through 2027, and it has the high-end Tensor processor that debuted in the Pixel 6. The camera is a step down from those in new flagship Pixels, but it’s still better than those in some phones costing hundreds more.

The Google Pixel 6a is priced $150 lower than the Pixel 7 but still has almost every feature you might expect from a high-end phone. The Pixel 6a runs on Google’s clean, fast version of Android 13, with five years of guaranteed security updates. It also offers camera performance that surpasses what you can get from phones that may cost twice as much, though it’s not as good in that regard as the Pixel 7. On top of that, the Pixel 6a’s screen lacks the high refresh rate of the Pixel 7 and Samsung Galaxy S22 displays, so it doesn’t scroll as smoothly and isn’t as bright.

A fast processor, a huge screen, class-leading camera hardware, and even a stylus make the Galaxy S22 Ultra the most full-featured Android phone available. But you should buy it only if it’s on sale.

The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is essentially a Galaxy Note by another name. It has the biggest, brightest screen of any smartphone you can buy, and the included S Pen can help you take notes, mark up documents, and create art in ways you can’t do on any other phone. It offers the best build quality of any Android phone, with a custom aluminum-alloy frame that wraps around the edges, and the matte glass repels fingerprints. The S22 Ultra also has the best camera hardware in a phone, including a 10x “periscope” zoom lens and manual controls for more experienced photographers. Its primary drawback is its high regular price of $1,200—for $300 less, the Pixel 7 Pro is better at most things. While the S22 Ultra has better camera hardware, the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro’s camera software helps them produce great photos without the need for fine-tuning. The S22 Ultra is ideal if you demand maximum versatility from your phone, but you should buy it only on sale—we recommend purchasing when it’s closer to $1,000, or if you have an older Samsung phone to trade in.

The first Google device to feature a dual-cam setup, the Pixel 4 implements both standard-wide and tele-lens cameras (but no ultra-wide) on the rear, with a single-lens camera on the front, essentially switching around the camera configuration from the Pixel 3. The primary camera is built around a 1/2.55-inch sensor with 12.2 MP resolution and 1.4µm pixels, coupled to a 27 mm-equivalent f/1.7 lens with optical image stabilization. Its second shooter features a 50 mm-equivalent tele-lens, providing around a x2 optical magnification for zoom shots, with a 16 MP 1/3.6-inch sensor capturing the images. For video, Google’s latest flagship can shoot 4K (2160/30 fps), but not in the default mode we use for testing, where it records footage at 1080p.

Like its predecessor, the Pixel 4 continues to offer automatic frame-rate switching between 30 and 60fps in videos shots at 1080p, and there’s a gyro-based stabilization system for smoother capture. Sophisticated software processing and computational photography in previous Pixel cameras has helped Google smartphones rank well in our tests. Combining this advanced processing with a dual-lens camera on the Pixel 4 could be really interesting.

With an overall updated DXOMARK Camera score of 113, the Google Pixel 4 charts in the bottom half of devices we’ve tested under our version 4 protocol. It fairs slightly better for stills where its Photo score of 120 helps the Google device leapfrog a couple of competitors, and for the most part it achieves a solid set of photo category scores, with an outstanding result for Photo color. Its overall Zoom score of 55 is impacted by the devices dual-camera set up with standard-wide and tele-lens modules, so there’s no score for the Pixel 4 in our ultra-wide category and tele-lens scores aren’t as impressive as the best performers. It’s a similar story for Video, where its score of 99 drops it behind the best, but again it achieves a fairly consistent set of results, with the exception of its video texture score, which is low compared to the 4K devices we’ve tested.

In our latest analysis, the Google Pixel 4 remains a solid performer in the flagship smartphone photography space. The lack of an ultra-wide shooter puts it at an immediate disadvantage against triple- or quad-cam devices in our scoring system, but it delivers pleasant results for standard-wide and tele-lens shots, thanks in part to its advanced computational processing technologies. Using the standard-wide, dynamic range is good in both indoor and outdoor conditions, so details in shadow and highlight areas are generally well maintained. It’s not very successful in our challenging backlit portrait scenes, however, where we noticed some underexposure.

Color rendering is a key strength, with standard-wide and tele-lens shots displaying vivid and pleasant color, with accurate white balance. Skin tone rendering is particularly impressive, recording faithful and neutral tones in people pictures. The flash unit also works well for night portraits, which again display nice color and exposure on faces. The zoom camera performs best at close range, with more than acceptable results at medium range, too. The 50 mm-equivalent tele-lens (essentially 2x magnification) isn’t ideal for long-range zoom shots, however, which display a noticeable loss of detail compared to the top-ranked devices for zoom in our database. But the Pixel 4’s main weakness in our testing is its texture-to-noise ratio. Noise is visible in all lighting conditions and especially in HDR portraits. Fine details are also lost in low-light conditions.

Conversely, when shooting video, the Pixel 4 handles noise well in all lighting conditions when tested in 1080p mode, which achieves the best compromise among texture, noise, stabilization, and frame rate. Its more aggressive video noise reduction, combined with 1080p capture, results in lower detail and texture scores compared to many of the top-ranked 4K devices we’ve tested, but at least you can be assured of clean, noise-free movies files from the Pixel 4. Video target exposures are mostly accurate, although dynamic range in bright outdoor conditions is slightly more limited compared to stills.

Color rendering is again a strength for video image quality, with neutral white balance and vivid color generally captured in all tested conditions. Video autofocus is fast, repeatable and accurate, with good tracking capabilities. The Pixel 4’s stabilization system is fairly effective for correcting unwelcome motion effects too, but we did notice some frame shifts in outdoor conditions, and artifacts such as color quantization and ghosting are also occasional visible.

Preview on the Google Pixel 4 offers some nice strengths, but also a couple of weaknesses due to the absence of some key features. It performs well for exposure representation in high-contrast scenes, thanks to very good HDR processing. If anything, the Preview image is slightly underexposed, though, so faces are often a little darker and highlights slightly better preserved than we see in the final image.

Google Pixel 4, preview image: good HDR processing is applied but faces are slight underexposed and highlights are better preserved compared to the final capture.

We took off points due to the lack of any bokeh simulation in the Pixel 4’s preview. While effective bokeh is often applied when shooting in portrait mode, the fact no visual indication of the effect is available in preview is a disadvantage compared to many other devices.

Features for zoom are limited in the default camera app, too. With no ultra-wide camera, the zoom range is restricted to 1x-8x magnification, and you can only pinch zoom, as there are no dedicated zoom buttons. Performance could be improved, too, with some noticeable jumps in the field of view and white balance instabilities when the device switches between its primary and tele cameras. Both focus and exposure remain fairly stable, however. So although there’s room for improvement, zoom smoothness isn’t terrible on the Pixel 4.

The first Google device to feature a dual-cam setup, the Pixel 4 implements both standard-wide and tele-lens cameras (but no ultra-wide) on the rear, with a single-lens camera on the front, essentially switching around the camera configuration from the Pixel 3.

The primary camera is built around a 1/2.55-inch sensor with 12.2Mp resolution and 1.4µm pixels, coupled to a 27mm-equivalent f/1.7 lens with optical image stabilization. Its second shooter features a 50mm-equivalent tele-lens, providing around a x2 optical magnification for zoom shots, with a 16Mp 1/3.6-inch sensor capturing the images.

For video, Google’s latest flagship can shoot 4K (2160/30fps), but not in the default mode we use for testing, where it records footage at 1080p. Like its predecessor, the Pixel 4 continues to offer automatic frame-rate switching between 30 and 60fps in videos shots at 1080p, and there’s a gyro-based stabilization system for smoother capture.

Sophisticated software processing and computational photography in previous Pixel cameras has helped Google smartphones rank well in our tests. Combining this advanced processing with a dual-lens camera on the Pixel 4 could be really interesting. Read on to find out how the Pixel 4 performed in our DXOMARK Camera tests.

With an overall DXOMARK Camera score of 112, the Pixel 4 ranks comfortably among the top ten devices in our database of smartphone image quality. Achieving a Photo sub-score of 117 points, Google’s latest device offers a nice step forward for stills over its predecessor, with noticeable improvements in most areas and a notable jump in the quality of zoom shots.

The Pixel 4 remains slightly behind such recent top performers as the Huawei Mate 30 Pro (121 points), largely due to the lack of both an ultra-wide camera and a time-of-flight (ToF) sensor. These omissions put the Google’s device at an immediate disadvantage compared to the triple- and quad-cam devices in our wide-angle and bokeh testing, and that affects its overall ranking.

Nevertheless, outstanding performance for video, combined with solid results for stills, ensures that the Pixel 4 remains a very attractive device for smartphone imaging enthusiasts. For photos, exposures are generally accurate, with good shadow detail in contrast scenes; and color is among the best we’ve seen. Accurate skin tone rendering is a particular strength for color, with generally well-controlled highlights on fair skin tones, nice levels of saturation, and pleasant white balance.

Zoom is the Pixel 4’s key strength, maintaining very good exposure, color, and detail in all our tests. It’s particularly impressive at close range, ensuring high levels of detail with well-controlled artifacts even in low-light scenarios, along with the same nice skin tone rendering on portraits. At medium and long range in bright light, it doesn’t preserve fine detail quite as well as the Huawei P30 Pro, but again, the Pixel 4 was often better at these focal ranges for indoor and low-light shots.

The Pixel 4’s bokeh simulation is pretty nice, too, thanks to pleasant exposure, color, and good overall image quality. It’s slightly let down by weaker depth estimation, however, with failures often visible at close inspection compared to top performers with a dedicated depth-sensing camera.

Google’s Night Sight mode is welcome for low-light photography, as it generally captures pleasant exposures with nice color and good detail. In our new series of night photography tests, auto-flash also triggers accurately based on the scene, and the flash automatically deactivates for low-light cityscapes, which show good exposure and strong color saturation. White balance tends to turn slightly pink, and details are low and have more noise than we’ve observed from the best devices in these shots, but the results are solid overall.

The Pixel 4 is also a top performer for video, ranking at the top of our database alongside the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ 5G with a Video score of 101 points. All other recent top-ranked video devices have captured 4K (2160p) footage by default, however, making the Pixel 4 the first 1080p HD device to hit the top of our video rankings since the introduction of 4K recording at default settings. Excellent results for video noise, well-managed in all conditions, as well as video color with pleasant white balance and vivid rendering, are its key strengths. Video autofocus is also fast and accurate, and its gyro-EIS stabilization system is fairly effective, aside from some residual motion in walking videos. Automatic frame switching between 30/60fps in 1080p mode is also pretty handy for smoother video capture to keep pace with lighting or movement changes within a scene without having to manually adjust settings.

The Google Pixel 4 achieves a Photo score of 117 points, which is calculated from sub-scores in tests that examine different aspects of a device’s performance for still images under different lighting conditions. In this section, we take a closer look at how these sub-scores were determined and compare image quality against some key competitors.

The Google Pixel 4 achieves an excellent score for Exposure, thanks to accurate target exposure in bright light and in indoor scenes. Images are slightly underexposed in low-light conditions tested in the lab, but shots are generally usable down to 5 lux, with acceptable brightness and good contrast. One noticeable improvement over the Pixel 3 is the handling of darker regions in many scenes. You can see in this reasonably bright indoor example below that the Pixel 4 offers much better brightness and detail for the darker skin tones and on the long-sleeved t-shirt of the model on the left. The Pixel 4 is also better for dynamic range compared to the Samsung Note 10+ 5G: in the scene below, it shows noticeably less highlight clipping of fair skin tones.

In very high-contrast scenes, the Pixel 4 continues with good detail in the shadow regions. Dynamic range is more limited in the highlights in very challenging scenes, however, with bright areas noticeably clipped. You can see in the samples below that while the Pixel 4 achieves similar exposure to that of the P30 Pro, the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G’s dynamic range is visibly wider, recording more color in the sky and preserving highlights outside the window better.

The Pixel 4 also nips at the heels of our top-ranked devices for color, with generally good saturation, accurate white balance, and nice skin tone rendering in all conditions. In outdoor shots, colors are bright and vibrant while looking natural and pleasant at the same time.

In this comparison, saturation is better on the Pixel 4 compared to the Huawei Mate 30 Pro; and while the Samsung Note 10+ 5G is the punchiest of the three, the Pixel arguably offers more faithful color rendering, particularly of the reds.

In bright sunny conditions, the Pixel 4’s white balance does tilt towards the warm side generally, but the effect is pleasant, and it avoids strong color casts. In the same example above, the Mate 30 Pro displays a slight magenta cast, and although the Note 10+ 5G shot is similar to the Pixel 4’s, its white balance is just a little too warm.

The Pixel 4’s excellent color and skin tone rendering is also visible in the shot below, with better saturation compared to the Mate 30 Pro, and more faithful color compared to the slight yellow cast visible in the shot from the Note 10+ 5G.

The Pixel 4 autofocus performed well in our lab tests and out in the field, with no focus failures shooting natural test scenes. You can see in our lab analysis comparison below that the Pixel 4 consistently delivered sharp shots over 30 consecutive frames under indoor lighting.

There’s a greater variation in focusing speeds compared to the Mate 30 Pro and the S10 5G, which are a bit more consistent, but the Google device is generally quicker to snap into sharp focus compared to the S10 5G. Some over-sharpening is evident compared to the P30 Pro, with the Pixel 4 pushing acutance over 100%, but sharpening is less aggressive than the S10 5G’s in the same tests.

The Pixel 4 drops off the pace somewhat compared to the best performers for texture and noise. In bright light, as well as indoors generally, it renders texture nicely and preserves details fairly well. A minor loss of fine detail and softer edge definition is sometimes evident at close inspection compared to such top devices as the P30 Pro, however.

Where differences in detail become more noticeable is in very low light. While the Pixel 4’s acutance levels are broadly consistent with those of the Mate 30 Pro and the S10 5G in most lab conditions, detail drops off much quicker in light conditions below 20 lux in handheld shots. That said, at over 60% acutance, detail remains very acceptable at 5 lux, so it’s really only in the near-dark condition of just 1 lux that detail drop-off is problematic. It’s worth noting, too, that the Pixel 4’s exposure time was fairly long under these conditions, so supporting the phone should help reduce camera shake and improve detail in extreme low light.

The Pixel 4 controls noise is fairly well in outdoor and indoor images, and although luminance noise is sometimes visible in flat areas of color, it’s not overly offensive. A stronger buildup of noise is evident in the dark areas of high dynamic range scenes, though. You can see in our indoor backlit portrait that the Pixel 4 has done a good job of lighting up the face and wall, but at the expense of more noise compared to the P30 Pro and the S10 5G.

We applied penalties to the Pixel 4’s score for a number of obvious artifacts, the most problematic of which are heavy ringing, which is commonly visible along high-contrast edges, and a loss of acutance towards the edges of the frame, which is very noticeable when viewing images at large scale. Colored maze and moiré patterns are also evident under close inspection of high-frequency areas. We also observed some flare effects as well as colored fringing in backlit images, but these issues are less common and not as problematic generally.

The Google Pixel 4 shows a big improvement for zoom over the Pixel 3, thanks to the addition of the second tele-lens working in combination with Google’s super-resolution algorithm that combines multiple frames for sharp results. The Pixel 4 is now comfortably among the best zoom performers at close and medium range, with good edge definition in outdoor and indoor shots, and naturally-rendered details in portrait shots. It maintains good exposure with similar levels of dynamic range in zoom shots as well, and although white balance in outdoor shots remains slightly warm, overall color rendering is good.

In the example below, the Pixel 4’s advantage for detail over its predecessor at medium range is clear, and although top performers like the Mate 30 Pro just edge it in very intricate areas, there’s not much in it.

A slight loss of very fine detail is evident using long-range zoom, which dropped it just behind the top zoom devices in this category. That said, the Pixel 4 continues to perform admirably at long range, with results very close to the top performers in many examples.

In fact, using long-range zoom indoors, the Pixel 4 not only outperformed the S10 5G, but also the Huawei P30 Pro (equipped with a 5x tele-lens) for fine detail preservation.

The Pixel 4 achieves a good but not great score for bokeh, so has an opportunity for improvement in future iterations. Overall image quality is pretty good, and in many examples, exposure, color rendering, and skin tones are more pleasant in the Pixel 4’s bokeh shots compared to some of its key competitors’.

The main drawback is depth estimation, however, with the lack of a dedicated depth-sensing or ToF sensor putting the Pixel 4 at a disadvantage. Depth estimation failures are often visible, including blurring of intricate areas on the subject, as well as blur gradient errors in the background, where sharp artifacts often occur.

In the example below, the strong depth-of-field effect applied by the Pixel 4 looks striking, but its depth estimation isn’t anywhere near as good as that of the Note 10+ 5G at close inspection. Where the Pixel 4 blurs the subject’s earring and displays edge artifacts around the ears, the Samsung is capable accurately masking in these complex areas and applying a more realistic effect as focus drops away behind the face.

At 56 points, the Pixel 4 isn’t quite a top performer under our new Night protocol testing either, but it produces solid results; moreover, Google’s Night Sight mode is capable of producing noticeably better results than standard mode in difficult conditions. In this dedicated mode, exposure is usually very good, even in very low light, with accurate white balance and very good color rendering. Details both on the subject and in the background are generally well-maintained, aside from some ghosting evident on moving subjects.

With an overall Video score 101 points, the Google Pixel 4 is the joint leader in our video ranking, sharing the top spot with the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ 5G. The overall Video score is derived from performance and results across a range of attributes in the same way as the Photo score: Exposure (87), Color (92), Autofocus (95), Texture (61), Noise (86), Artifacts (90), and Stabilization (94).

What’s particularly unusual about the Pixel 4’s excellent video score is that it achieved it when recording at 1080p Full-HD resolution as opposed to the 4K resolution that all other top-performing video devices use at default settings. Naturally, this means that the Pixel 4 scores a little lower for texture than most direct competitors, with a particular lack of fine detail in low light, but it makes up for it in almost all remaining test categories.

Noise control is one of the video mode’s key strengths. Noise is very well-controlled in all light conditions down to low light, with very low levels of visible spatial and temporal noise. The Pixel 4 also achieves a very good score for artifacts in video mode, which is partly due to much-reduced judder effect when panning, thanks to a higher frame rate when shooting in bright light.

The autofocus system works swiftly and reliably in video and is good at tracking subjects. Video stabilization is good, too, with some motion visible in the footage only when recording while walking. There are still some areas for improvement, but as things stand, the Google Pixel 4 is currently one of the very best devices for mobile video.

Previous Pixels have generally outperformed other single-cam devices in our database thanks to Google’s advanced software processing and super-resolution algorithms. With its key competitors continuing to add more lenses and sensors to their flagships, however, there was a danger Google would seriously drop off the pace.

The dual-cam Pixel 4 allays those fears, and the introduction of a second tele-lens makes it one of the best performers for zoom on the market that we’ve tested. It’s a solid performer in most other areas for stills, too, not to mention achieving joint top rank for video, with exceptional results for color, noise, and artifacts in moving images.

Adding an ultra-wide-angle third camera and dedicated ToF sensor for bokeh shots will be needed in future iterations, however, if the Pixel is going to meet the challenge for a spot at the very top of our rankings for stills.

We"re about two months away from the release of the Google Pixel 4a phones, and the rumor mill is starting to grind a bit faster. Renders of the phone were revealed months ago, and more images are starting to surface, with the latter possibly being our first look at a live image of the Pixel 4a.

The leaked images only confirm what we saw with the renders @OnLeaks shared back in December. The Pixel 4a is shown with a hole punch at the top left corner of its display. Bezels are present and, in typical Google fashion, not quite as slim as we"d expect from such a phone in 2020.

At the back of the device is a square camera module, just like the Pixel 4"s. The module house just one lens, though. Don"t expect an ultra-wide-angle or telephoto lens from the Pixel 4a. The Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL sport two lenses, and it would appear that Google is trying to keep the Pixel 4a firmly below the flagships.

Rear cameraSony Exmor IMX363 12.2MP (1.4μm) with f/1.7 lens, 28mm (wide), 1/2.55" + 16MP (1.0μm) with f/2.4 lens, 48mm (telephoto), Dual Pixel PDAF, optical and electronic image stabilization, 1.7x optical zoom, 8x zoom, Dual-LED flash, Live HDR+, panorama, 1080p at 30/60/120fps, 4K at 30fps

The Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL are a pair of Android smartphones designed, developed, and marketed by Google as part of the Google Pixel product line. They collectively serve as the successors to the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL.Made by Google event and released in the United States on October 24, 2019.Pixel 5.

In the United States, the Pixel 4 is the first Pixel phone to be offered for sale by all major wireless carriers at launch. Previous flagship Pixel models had launched as exclusives to Verizon and Google Fi; the midrange Pixel 3a was additionally available from Sprint and T-Mobile, but not AT&T, at its launch.unlocked U.S. versions through its website.

The Pixel 4 and 4 XL are constructed using an aluminum frame and Gorilla Glass 5. The devices are available in Just Black, Clearly White, and Oh So Orange colors, with the white and orange models having a matte, "soft touch" glass finish, and the black model having a glossy finish.plastic.

The USB-C connector at the bottom of the device is used for charging and audio output, though neither USB-C headphones nor a USB-C to 3.5mm jack adapter are included in the box.facial recognition (using a dot projector, infrared emitters and cameras along the top bezel of the device) is the only biometric authentication method offered by the Pixel 4.

Both models use the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 system-on-chip (consisting of eight Kryo 485 CPU cores, an Adreno 640 GPU and a Hexagon 690 DSP), with 6GB of LPDDR4X RAM. Models are available with 64 or 128GB of non-expandable internal storage.mAh cell and the Pixel 4 XL using a 3700mAh cell. Both are capable of fast-charging at up to 18W, and support Qi wireless charging. Like their predecessors, the phones have a water protection rating of IP68 under IEC standard 60529.Pixel Visual Core; it, too, uses the Edge TPU architecture.

The Pixel 4 features an OLED display manufactured by SamsungHDR support, that operates at a refresh rate of up to 90Hz; it dynamically adjusts depending on content to preserve battery life.aspect ratio, with the Pixel 4 using a 5.7-inch (140 mm) 1080p panel, and the 4 XL using a 6.3-inch (160 mm) 1440p panel. Unlike the Pixel 3 XL, the Pixel 4 XL"s display does not contain a cutout, or notch.

The Pixel 4 includes dual rear-facing cameras located within a raised square module. It houses a wide 28mm 77° f/1.7 lens with the same Sony Exmor IMX363 12.2-megapixel sensor as on the Pixel 3 and 3a, and a second telephoto 48mm f/2.4 lens with a 16-megapixel sensor.fps whereas most competitors support 60fps as well. In a tweet, Google stated that "We find that the majority of users stick with 1080p, so we focus our energy on improving our quality in this mode, versus enabling a 4k 60fps mode that could use up to half a gigabyte of storage every minute".Google Camera 7.1 with software enhancements, including Live HDR+ with dual exposure controls, improved Night Sight with Astrophotography mode and improved Portrait Mode with more realistic Bokeh.stack together 16 exposures, each with an exposure time of 15 seconds.

The Pixel 4 marks the introduction of Motion Sense, a radar-based gesture recognition system. It is based on the Project Soli technology developed by Google ATAP as an alternative to light-based systems such as infrared.

Due to its use of 60GHz frequency bands, Google was required to obtain specific regulatory approval for the radar system in all countries that the Pixel 4 is being sold. As such, the feature is geoblocked if the device is detected to be in an unsupported country. On launch, Google stated that support for the feature was currently limited to Australia, Canada, "most European countries", Singapore, Taiwan, and the United States, but that Japan was "coming soon". Google stated that it had no plans to sell the Pixel 4 in India, with the company officially stating a preference to continue marketing the Pixel 3a in the region; media outlets noted that civilian use of the 60GHz frequency is prohibited in India, unlike in the U.S. and some other countries, where it is considered unlicensed spectrum.

The Pixel 4 ships with Android 10 and Google Camera 7.1.Pixel Visual Core) and Knowles 8508A audio processor. In addition to its existing use for computational photography image processing, they are used by the new Recorder and Live Transcribe apps. Recorder is a voice recorder with live transcription, classification and searchable sounds.Google Assistant, which contains enhancements to allow for increased client-side recognition of commands that are local to the device (rather than querying Google servers).

After Google demonstrated astrophotography sample photos, a scene of San Francisco with the moon blown out and the woods underexposed was shown. Marc Levoy explained that the difference in light between the moon and woods was too significant, requiring 19 stops of dynamic range which no phone or DSLR camera was currently capable of performing. He reaffirmed Google"s commitment to improving the camera with software updates (a signature of the Pixel line) and said to stay tuned.

The Pixel 4 received an overall score of 112 from DXOMARK, a 10-point improvement over its predecessor. It had a photo score of 117, a video score of 101, and a selfie score of 92.

The Pixel 4 and 4 XL were praised by critics for their photography capabilities, the move to 6GB of RAM from 4GB, and the 90Hz refresh rate screen. They were criticized for their poor battery life (especially on the smaller Pixel 4), the low amount of non-expandable storage, the lack of an ultra-wide angle camera lens, the removal of the fingerprint sensor in favor of the secure Face Unlock, the lack of 4K 60fps video recording, the lack of headphones or an adapter in the box, the Motion Sense system"s poor detection, and the high price compared to other flagship smartphones.

The Pixel 4 did not require eye contact with the phone when using facial recognition to unlock the device, raising privacy concerns since the device could be unlocked even if the user"s eyes were closed.

The Pixel 4 automatically lowers the display"s refresh rate to 60Hz if the screen brightness is set below 75 percent. Google released a fix for this in the November 2019 update.

In certain lighting conditions, the Pixel 4"s white balance "fix" could result in photos with inaccurate color representation. Google released a fix in the November 2019 update.

The Google Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL are great phones in several respects, but they misfire far more often than they should at this price point. The major sticking points are battery life and the reliability of some new hardware features, making them hard to recommend despite an out of this world camera, great performance and software experience.

*Note: The battery score here is based on an average of the two devices" test scores. The Pixel 4 scores slightly worse, the Pixel 4 XL slightly better. At the time of publication, it was +/- 0.5 points.

This device is no longer widely available. The Google Pixel 4 XL is now unavailable to buy from most retailers. If you are looking for an alternative device, check out our list of the best Android phones you can buy and the best camera phones.

Every year, the Pixel has a problem. The first had terrible build quality, the second had display issues, and the third a poor battery experience. And every year, we collectively hold our breath and hope that this time Google will address the issues and produce a Pixel that truly lives up to its potential.

While the Pixel 4 is good and has plenty of promise, it still falls short of expectations. This is not to say it’s a bad phone, it’s actually really great in several areas. It’s just a bit disappointing, because while it brings some innovative technical marvels, a pedestrian necessity like battery life is still left unaddressed. And while Google typically gets a pass because it’s Google, the Pixel 4 is nowhere near as competitive as what other manufacturers offer. The simplest way to put it: the Pixel 4 feels like a phone designed for Google engineers rather than the average consumer. Let’s get into our Google Pixel 4 XL review.

About this Google Pixel 4 XL review: David Imel and I used the Pixel 4 XL and Pixel 4 starting October 15 for several weeks. Both devices were running Android 10 build number QD1A.190821.011.C4 and have the October 5 security patch. Throughout the Google Pixel 4 XL review period, David and I both used Google Fi in New York City.

It’s difficult to position the Pixel 4 in Android terms because Google itself seems intent on positioning it in Apple terms. Specs aren’t the priority here, convenience is. Customization is trumped by auto-everything. The price is not backed up by any traditional definition of value, and so on. The only phone I can honestly say the Pixel 4 is competing with is the iPhone 11 series. It certainly isn’t speaking the same language as other Android phone makers and so can’t really be understood in those terms.

For us, the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL are the “but” phone. They have amazing capabilities and some groundbreaking tech, but they’re a bit myopic. Yes, a radar-based gesture system is awesome, but what good is it if the batt