Google Pixel 4 XL review - Untapped potential (Update - Now on sale!) - Android
Android Authority‘s Pixel 4
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Update: October 24, 2019: The Google Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL are now on sale! You can buy them from the Google Store, B&H, or a variety of other retailers and carriers. Check out our pricing hub for details, or click the link below to grab an unlocked model from the Google Store.
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.
This is not that year.
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.
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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 battery life sucks? Yes, astrophotography mode is a remarkable achievement, but it needs a wide-angle lens to shine (especially at this price). Yes, a face unlock system is good, but if your apps don’t support it because Google didn’t flex like Apple did, is it really better than a fingerprint? You get the idea: the Pixel 4 is great, but…
The Pixel 4 design is pretty divisive, with some people loving it and others hating it. This is especially true of the square camera bump on the back. I don’t hate it, but I’m also not much of a fan. I do, however, like the general styling and design here. There are three launch colors: a glossy black, a limited edition “Oh So Orange,” and a black and white stormtrooper version.
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The black version is the only one with a glossy back, while the other two are matte. I think the matte finish is the better approach here. Not only does it attract fewer fingerprints, it’s also a nicer feeling texture. It’s reminiscent of a soft-touch polycarbonate but is actually frosted glass.
The Pixel 4 design is pretty divisive, with some people loving it and others hating it.
Regardless of which color you get, there’s a matte black aluminum frame, which I can only assume is a response to the notoriously slippery edges of the Pixel 3. This is a welcome change to the bare aluminum frames you’ll see on most other phones. It’s better for grip, shows fewer dings and scratches, and adds a little additional flair to your phone.
I understand the distaste for the large forehead at the top of the screen, but I prefer that over a notch any day. Your opinion on this front may of course vary.
There’s no fingerprint reader on the back, nor under the display. There’s no fingerprint reader whatsoever.
All told, the Pixel 4 design is bold and confident, whether you like it or not.
Google opted for a 90Hz variable refresh rate display on the Pixel 4. The adaptive refresh rate is good, and felt responsive and fluid through our Google Pixel 4 XL review period. The display drops to 60Hz when it is not required or not supported (e.g. in some games), so you don’t take quite the same battery hit as you might on a display that’s permanently running at 90Hz. Still, if you’re concerned about Pixel 4 battery life, and you should be, then turning it off is always an option.
We noticed our Pixel 4 had a slight green tint to it. The Pixel 4 XL was better, but still a bit too blue. We compared them to previous Pixel generations and noticed a pretty high degree of variance in default color temperature across generations.
Turning the variable 90Hz display off is always an option if you're concerned about Pixel 4 battery life, and you should be.
There are three color settings for the Pixel 4 display: natural, boosted, and adaptive. Adaptive is the default and that’s what I left it at. The others just mute the colors a little or lock you into the more saturated palette all the time. Ambient EQ is kind of like Apple’s True Tone, adjusting the color and brightness of your display depending on the ambient environment.
In our time with the Pixel 4 family, we didn’t notice any issues with the display like we saw in previous years. Other than the discrepancy in color temperature, the displays were vibrant and sharp and serviceably bright in direct sunlight. In fact, according to our objective testing, the Pixel 4 XL is the best all-round smartphone display we’ve currently tested.
Pixel 4 in clear MNML case
The Pixel 4’s performance is surprisingly good. There’s 6GB of RAM in a Pixel for the first time and both models run the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 mobile platform.
Pixels have long suffered from slow-down over time, so additional RAM is very welcome here, even if it is only 6GB. Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait a while longer to find out if more RAM has put past issues to bed or if the Pixel 4 family will also be affected.
The Pixel 4 seems to have addressed the RAM management issues that plagued the Pixel 3.
In the short term at least, more RAM means fewer issues with cached apps. The Pixel 4 seems to have addressed the RAM management issues that plagued the Pixel 3. For instance, you can now safely keep Spotify, Maps, and the camera in the cache without any of them being force closed. This is good news, but it really shouldn’t have been a problem in the first place.
While we appreciate seeing the bump in RAM here, nearly every other flagship now uses 8GB as the standard (barring the iPhone). You don’t even have the option for more RAM if you pay for the higher storage option. While the new Pixels may not need 8GB of RAM right now, given that Google guarantees updates for at least two more years, who knows where we’ll be then.
The same is true of storage. While Google is understandably enthusiastic about streaming all the things, not everyone can live their life in the cloud. The base model Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL have 64GB of storage (still), and it’ll cost you an extra $100 to double that to 128GB. For comparison, Apple only charges an extra $50 for the 128GB iPhone 11 and $100 more for the 256GB version. Given that original quality Google Photos uploads are no longer on offer and we’re never getting a microSD card on a Google phone, you have justifiable reasons to feel disgruntled.
Pixel 4 benchmark results:
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