The Google Pixel 4 was introduced in October 2019 and marked a significant shift for Google's smartphone lineup. With an emphasis on AI-powered features, an excellent camera system, and a clean Android experience, it was designed to deliver the best of Google’s software with top-tier hardware. Let's dive into its features, performance, and the pros and cons of the device.
Design & Display
Design:
The Google Pixel 4 offers a simple yet elegant design. Its glass back and aluminum frame create a solid build, with smooth edges that make the phone comfortable to hold. The device has an almost bezel-less display, with a small forehead at the top housing the front-facing sensors, including the Project Soli radar chip for Motion Sense and facial recognition. The fingerprint sensor was removed in favor of this technology, which created a more streamlined design.
The device is available in two color variants: Just Black and Clearly White, both of which look sleek and minimalistic.
Display:
The 5.7-inch OLED display on the Pixel 4 is stunning, providing sharp details with vibrant colors and deep blacks. With a 90Hz refresh rate, the Pixel 4 delivers a smoother scrolling and touch experience, making everything feel more responsive. It’s a feature that enhances the overall performance, especially while gaming or swiping through the interface. However, some users might have expected a larger screen size in this range.
Despite being excellent in terms of clarity and color reproduction, it doesn't get quite as bright as some of its competitors in direct sunlight, but still, it performs well indoors.
Performance & Software
Performance:
The Google Pixel 4 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chipset and coupled with 6GB of RAM, making it capable of handling most tasks without any issues. Whether you’re gaming, multitasking, or using intensive apps, the Pixel 4 performs smoothly. However, for the price, some users might have expected more RAM, especially when compared to other phones in the market at that time.
The Adreno 640 GPU ensures that gaming and high-performance apps run well, and the performance is enhanced by Google's software optimization.
Software:
One of the biggest selling points of the Google Pixel 4 is its pure Android experience. Running on the latest version of Android 10, the Pixel 4 delivers an interface with no bloatware and features the latest updates straight from Google. It offers a smooth, clean, and intuitive UI that’s easy to use.
It also comes with unique AI features like the Google Assistant, which is fast and highly capable, and the Now Playing feature, which identifies music playing in the background.
Motion Sense, powered by the Project Soli radar chip, is a fun addition that allows you to control your phone without touching it. You can wave your hand to skip songs, silence calls, or snooze alarms.
Battery Life:
The 2800mAh battery in the Pixel 4 might seem a bit small for today’s standards, especially given its competition. In everyday use, you can expect a full day's usage, but heavy users might need to recharge by the evening. The phone also supports 18W fast charging, which can charge the phone quickly when needed.
However, the battery life is one of the most criticized aspects of the device. The small battery combined with the 90Hz display and other power-hungry features may leave you with lower-than-expected endurance.
Camera Performance
Rear Camera:
The Google Pixel 4 comes with a dual-camera setup: a 12.2MP primary camera and a 16MP telephoto lens. The main camera takes some of the best photos in the industry, with excellent color accuracy, dynamic range, and detailed shots, especially in low light, thanks to Google's Night Sight feature. It captures vibrant images with great sharpness and detail, and HDR+ further enhances photos, even in challenging lighting conditions.
The telephoto lens allows for up to 8x digital zoom, giving you additional flexibility when capturing distant subjects. The quality of the zoomed-in photos isn’t as sharp as the main camera, but it’s still quite impressive for a phone of its size.
Front Camera:
The 8MP front camera is also great for selfies and video calls. It captures clear, well-lit shots and offers some nice skin tone adjustments. There’s also an under-display facial recognition system, which works well but has been critiqued for being slightly slower than other biometric methods.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Pure Android Experience: The Pixel 4 runs a clean, bloatware-free version of Android, providing timely updates and a smooth, responsive interface.
- Excellent Camera Performance: One of the best smartphone cameras, offering great photos with vibrant colors, sharp details, and superb low-light capabilities.
- 90Hz Smooth Display: The 90Hz OLED display provides a smooth scrolling experience that is particularly noticeable when interacting with the UI and gaming.
- AI Features: Google’s AI capabilities, including the Google Assistant and Now Playing, make for a truly unique smartphone experience.
- Face Unlock & Motion Sense: The face recognition works efficiently, and the Motion Sense feature provides an interesting way to control your phone without touching it.
Cons:
- Battery Life: With a relatively small battery, the Pixel 4 might not last as long as competitors in its price range. It may require recharging before the end of the day with heavy usage.
- No Fingerprint Sensor: While facial recognition is convenient, the lack of a fingerprint sensor may be a downside for those who prefer that method of authentication.
- No Wide-Angle Camera: The Pixel 4 lacks a wide-angle camera, a feature that many other phones in the same range offer.
- Limited Storage Options: The Pixel 4 only offers 64GB or 128GB storage, and there’s no expandable storage via a microSD card, which could be restrictive for some users.
- Price: For the features offered, the Pixel 4 may seem expensive when compared to other phones with similar or even better specifications.
| 🚀 Overview | |
|---|---|
| The Google Pixel 4 is a flagship smartphone known for its clean Android experience, impressive camera features, and fast performance powered by Google's custom software optimizations. | |
| 📅 Launch Details | |
| Announced | 📢 October 2019 |
| Status | ✅ Released |
| 📱 Display | |
| Type | 🖥️ OLED, 90Hz, HDR support |
| Size | 📏 5.7 inches (~82.5% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Resolution | 🔍 1080 x 2280 pixels (~444 ppi density) |
| Protection | 🛡️ Corning Gorilla Glass 5 |
| ⚡ Performance & OS | |
| OS | 📲 Android 10, upgradable to Android 12 |
| Chipset | ⚙️ Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 (7 nm) |
| CPU | 🚀 Octa-core (1x2.84 GHz Kryo 485, 3x2.42 GHz Kryo 485, 4x1.78 GHz Kryo 485) |
| GPU | 🎮 Adreno 640 |
| 📸 Camera Setup | |
| Rear Cameras | 📌 12.2 MP, f/1.7 (wide), Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS 📌 16 MP, f/2.4 (telephoto), 2x optical zoom |
| Front Camera | 📌 8 MP, f/2.0 (wide), HDR 🎥 1080p@30fps |
| 🔋 Battery & Charging | |
| Battery Type | 🔋 Li-Po 2800 mAh, non-removable |
| Charging | ⚡ 18W wired, 11W wireless, Reverse wireless charging |
| 💾 Memory Options | |
| Variants | 📦 64GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 6GB RAM |
| Storage Type | 🚀 UFS 2.1 |
| 📡 Network & SIM | |
| SIM | 📱 Nano-SIM and eSIM, dual stand-by |
| 5G Support | 🌍 ❌ No |
| Bands | 📶 GSM / HSPA / LTE |
| 📏 Body & Build | |
| Dimensions | 📐 147.1 x 68.8 x 8.2 mm |
| Weight | ⚖️ 162 g |
| Build | 🏗️ Glass front (Gorilla Glass 5), glass back, aluminum frame |
| Colors | 🎨 Just Black, Clearly White, Oh So Orange |
| 💰 Price | |
| India | 🇮🇳 ₹64,999 (Expected) |
| USA | 🇺🇸 $799 (Approx) |
| Pakistan | 🇵🇰 PKR 150,000 (Expected) |
| UAE | 🇦🇪 AED 2,799 (Expected) |
Conclusion
The Google Pixel 4 offers one of the best camera experiences in the smartphone world, combined with a clean Android interface and innovative AI features. However, the battery life and limited storage options hold it back from being a perfect device. If you’re someone who values pure Android and camera quality above all else, the Pixel 4 is an excellent choice, but it might not be the best option for those who need longer battery life or more storage.
👉 Also Read
Google Pixel 8 Review – The Best AI-Powered Smartphone?
🔥 Must-Read Article
Samsung Galaxy S24+ vs Google Pixel 8 Pro Specs