Pixel 4

Google Pixel 4a - My First Impressions!

Google sent over their brand new Pixel 4a in what is a pretty soft launch for a Smartphone. If you want to see the live Unboxing, you can check out the video above. For now, we’re going to focus on my First Impressions after spending a day with it. So, let’s get into it.

Design

Design-wise, I absolutely love it. It’s very tiny at 5.8” and is almost identical to an iPhone X, XS or an iPhone 11 Pro and around the same size as the iPhone SE 2020. This is a very small Smartphone, which is easily usable with just one hand. The back is made out of Plastic, so there is no Glass here as this is only a £350 device. We also have a Fingerprint Reader on the back with no In-Display Fingerprint Reader at all. Additionally, I also really love how the Camera Module looks, it’s so tiny and cute. The Pixel 4a just looks like a baby Pixel 4.

A nice inclusion for their target market.

A nice inclusion for their target market.

On the right-hand side we have a coloured Power Button, as well as the Volume Slider. On the top, we have a Microphone and a Headphone Jack, I haven’t seen this in ages! I guess that, because of the lower price, Google assumes that the market that they are targeting this at would not have Wireless Headphones. This is a good option for just giving people more options as you can, of course, still use Wireless Headphones on this if you want. We don’t have anything on the left-hand side and finally on the bottom we have the Speaker, a USB C Charging Port as well as the other Microphone. Speaking of Speakers, we do have Stereo Speakers on this, which is fairly rare to see on low-to-mid range Smartphones. 

Moving on to the Display and like I said before, this is a 5.8” Panel but what I haven’t said is that this is actually an outstanding Panel, especially at this price. It is an OLED Display with a Resolution of 2340x1080 and a PPI of 443. It supports HDR as well as Google’s ‘Now Playing’ feature, which shows you the exact song that’s playing in the background, even when you’re not connected to the internet, which I think is just insane. It is a 60Hz Panel but it does support Always-On functionality. The fact that we have no Notch or thick Bezels, but rather a single small cut-out for the Front Camera, makes this the best looking Pixel Phone that Google has ever released, in my opinion.

Camera

The Pixel 4a can still do 4K60 Video Recording.

The Pixel 4a can still do 4K60 Video Recording.

So what about the Camera? Most of the people that would buy a Pixel Smartphone, would buy it for that amazing Camera. Well, I’m pleased to say that the Camera on the Pixel 4a is identical to the main Camera on the Pixel 4. That means that this is a 12.2MP Sensor with 1.4μm Pixels and an f/1.7 Aperture. The Front Camera is also identical to the one on the Pixel 4, an 8MP Sensor with 1.22μm Pixels and an f/2.0 Aperture. We have 4K Video Recording with the Back-Facing Camera but only at 30 FPS. Again, this is the same as on the Pixel 4.

We even get Optical Image Stabilisation and Dual Pixel Phase Detection Autofocus, which is something that you usually only see on high-end Smartphones. You even get the insane Astrophotography Mode, which is still the best way to take photos of the night sky on any Smartphone. We got this with the Pixel 4 first and now we also have it on the 4a.The Pixel 4 had one of the best Cameras ever, on a Smartphone, and we’re getting that on a Phone that costs £350, which is pretty incredible.

Specs

The Processor is not the fastest, but Google do a great job of optimising what they do have.

The Processor is not the fastest, but Google do a great job of optimising what they do have.

 Then, we come to the Specs? Well, CPU wise, we get the Snapdragon 730G Processor, which from these ‘Geekbench’ results, is significantly less powerful than a Pixel 4’s Snapdragon 855 or not even to mention the iPhone SE”s Apple A13 Chip. But, using the Pixel 4a seems to be just fine. It’s very fast, very responsive, so it looks like Google has done an outstanding job when it comes to optimising the software for this lower-end hardware. The only place where I’ve definitely noticed a Performance downgrade, over the Pixel 4, was when processing photos, but that’s was it. We also get 6GB of LPDDR4X RAM, the same as on the Pixel 4, as well as 128GB of storage, which is again the same as on the Pixel 4. 

Special Features

So what about the Special Features? Is there anything we’re missing out on, from the Pixel 4? Well, we don’t get Wireless Charging or Water Resistance. That 3D Depth Sensing Array on the front is gone and so is the FaceUnlock.The Speakers are a bit worse but other than that, we get most of the features. Even Fast Charging is just as fast as on the Pixel 4, up to 18W, and we do get a Fast Charger bundled in the box, which is great. 

The Haptic Engine on this feels amazing and I’m not talking about a Vibration Motor, I’m literally talking about the Haptic Engine. This is actually a first for a Phone of this price to include. It feels pretty much as good as the one on the Pixel 4, meaning that the typing experience is absolutely incredible.

So, what’s the catch then? Well, it only comes in one size and only in this one single black colour but other than that, this is just an outstanding Smartphone. Now, is it better than the iPhone SE, or the OnePlus Nord or the Samsung A71?

Pixel 5 - Google’s Making a MASSIVE Change!

What is happening with the Google Pixel 5? 

Google’s upcoming Smartphone for 2020 seems to have been completely forgotten, or so you would think, since we haven’t had any major leaks yet. By this time last year, Google themselves even tweeted the full Design of the Pixel 4 because of how many leaks we had at that point.

Not only that, but we even had full Review videos of the Pixel 4, months before the Phone was even announced. The Pixel 4 ended up being the most leaked Phone since the iPhone 4. Whether or not some of this was done on purpose, we cannot know for sure. But, what we do know is that the Pixel 5 is just three months away and we’ve barely heard anything about it. 

So, here’s everything that we do know about the Pixel 5, so far!

Design

Let’s be honest, Google has never had a good looking Pixel Phone. The Pixel 1 from 2016 looked just like the iPhone, which at that time had some gigantic Bezels. Not only that, but the fact that the Pixel also had the Android Navigation Bar made that chin look even more gigantic and the back just looked…weird.

The Pixel 2 from 2017 thinned out the Bezels considerably, but 2017 was when we got the iPhone X and the Samsung Galaxy S8, so we started getting Bezel-less Smartphones and Google was, once again, at least a year behind.

Then, the Pixel 3 from 2018 had that gigantic Notch, even bigger than on the iPhone, but that Notch didn’t have any 3D Facial Recognition Sensors, like on the iPhone. Instead, it only had a secondary Front Camera, which was a Wide Angle, but that was it. The back of the Pixel 3 was improved with the inclusion of Frosted Glass, which I absolutely loved.

The Pixel 4 in Orange was easily the best looking Phone in that line-up.

The Pixel 4 in Orange was easily the best looking Phone in that line-up.

Then in 2019, we had the Pixel 4 and instead of Google removing that gigantic Notch altogether, like what most of the competition was already doing, Google went back to the Pixel 2’s Design with thicker Bezels on the top and bottom. Now, we did get a 3D Depth Sensing Camera with the Pixel 4, just like the iPhone, but the Pixel 4 still looked very out-dated.

That’s the thing, when you build a Smartphone, you can indeed make it extremely exciting for us (the tech nerds) by adding Sensors that can sense your hand from 30cm away and cool stuff like that. But, the majority of people won’t care about that at all, they only care about how good the Phone looks and how much it costs. With the Pixel 5, it seems like Google will finally be focusing on these two things.

We’ve had a recent link from ‘xleaks7’ who, in partnership with ‘Pigtou’, shared some CAD Models and some renders of the Pixel 5. It seems that Google will finally bring a modern Display to the Pixel line by dropping the Notch and the Forehead altogether, going for an In-Display Camera Cutout. You know, just like what other manufacturers have been doing since early 2019. The Frame surrounding the Phone, the Bezel, is now thinner and seems to resemble the one that we have on the iPhone X. The sides are pretty much identical to the Pixel 4, with a coloured Power Button and a Volume Button on the right-hand side and nothing on the left, aside from the SIM Card Tray. The back is really where we might see some more changes. 

So, on the leaked CAD files, the Camera is just identical to the Pixel 4 one, at least when it comes to the number of Modules. This is very disappointing to see as most Smartphone manufacturers are moving towards four and even five Camera Modules, Google is still sticking with just two. Also, the Fingerprint Reader from the Pixel 3 is returning, at least according to the CAD Models.

I honestly don’t see this happening at all. Everyone has been using In-Display Fingerprint Readers for a few years now and I really don’t see Google going back in time and having a Fingerprint Reader on the back but it is Google, so anything’s possible. We’ve actually removed that from our Concept and we’ve obviously embedded that into the Display Assembly, we’ve also added one more Camera Module for a total of three.

Finally, when it comes to the colours, the Pixel 5 is rumoured to come in two colours, Black and White, but I would expect them to release at least one “special colour”, similar to the ones we’ve seen previously such as “Oh So Orange, “Purple-ish” and “Not Pink”. We haven’t had any leaks in terms of that, so we’ve created our own colour. We call this ‘Tasteful Turquoise’ and I think it just looks incredible, especially with that white Power Button. I would definitely buy this, should Google actually release this colour.

Display

We’re likely getting a smaller Display, with no improvements in terms of the Refresh Rate.

We’re likely getting a smaller Display, with no improvements in terms of the Refresh Rate.

That was the Design so, what about the Display? The Pixel 4 had a 90Hz Refresh Rate, so will we get anything crazy like 120Hz this year? According to all the leaks that we’ve seen, Google will be keeping the same 90Hz Refresh Rate as last year but the Display size is said to be getting smaller, from 6.3” to 5.78”, making it around the same size as the iPhone XS. This is still said to be an AMOLED Display, with a QHD Resolution.

However, this year it seems like we would also be getting the Pixel 4a and Pixel 4a XL. According to some code found by ‘9to5Google’ in the latest version of the Google Search app, Google would not have a Pixel 5 XL and instead, they would only have a Pixel 4a, 4a 5G and Pixel 5. 

Speaking of the Pixel 4a, the official render of the Pixel 4a has appeared on Google’s website and we even got to see a full billboard featuring the 4a, which matches with the Design of the Google website listing. It seems like the Pixel 4a’s launch is imminent and the Pixel 5 leaks seem to match up with the 4a’s front Design, so it is quite likely that Google would be announcing all of these, at the same time.

That’s also why there’s a lot of confusion when it comes to the Specs, as we’ve seen reports that Google would keep the Pixel 5 as a mid-range device this year, which I’ll cover more in just a second. 

Camera

With the Pixel’s Camera, Google’s Software was always key.

With the Pixel’s Camera, Google’s Software was always key.

In terms of the Camera, ‘OnLeaks’ has posted a schematic that shows not just all of the upcoming Pixel phones for 2020, but also their Camera Arrangement. He did mention that this is likely not 100% accurate, at least on the Pixel 5’s side, as we’re still awaiting on a lot of details to be confirmed. Nonetheless, that schematic does point to the Pixel 5 having a Triple Lens Camera Module, as opposed to the Dual on the 4a. But, one of these Modules would be the Flash, which would mean that the Pixel 5 only has two Cameras, the same as the Pixel 4. The Pixel 4a would only have one Camera.

The leaks are also saying that the Main Camera on the Pixel 4a would be identical to the Pixel 4’s, which was mostly identical to the Pixel 3’s Camera. We don’t know yet if that second Module on the Pixel 5 would be the same Telephoto that we had on the Pixel 4, or a new Ultra-Wide Angle Module. I’m really hoping that it’s an Ultra-Wide, or even better, a Triple Lens Camera with both a Telephoto and an Ultra-Wide Angle Module.

But the thing is, even-if the hardware remains the same, Google’s magic is all in Software. That is why the Pixel Phones have such a great Camera, because of that Google Image Processing. 

Performance

When it comes to the Performance, this is a bit of an odd one. We’ve seen many reports that Google would not be including a new flagship level Processor in the Pixel 5 this year, so no Snapdragon 865, but instead they would be using Qualcomm’s mid-range 765G Processor. This is a fairly decent Processor and also Qualcomm’s lowest-entry Chip that would give you 5G.

In terms of RAM, the Pixel has always fallen short of its flagship competitors.

In terms of RAM, the Pixel has always fallen short of its flagship competitors.

But, the problem here is that all the leaks are saying that both the Pixel 4a, the 4a XL and the Pixel 5 will all have this Chip. This begs the question…what will the Pixel 5 have over the 4a’s, aside from that extra Camera Lens? Also, why would Google make such a move?

Keep in mind that the Pixel Phones, as they were released in October, are quite late in terms of implementing a new Processor. Qualcomm announces their new Chips in December. So, just two months after the Pixel Phones launch, they would already be outclassed by a faster Processor. While Pixel Phones were very well optimised in the past, we haven’t really had any performance issues. RAM management issues were always a problem, as Pixel Phones only came with 4 or 6GB of RAM when other Smartphones already have 8GB, 12GB or even 16GB. The Pixel 5 is said to be sticking to 6GB of RAM. 

Special Features

When it comes to Special Features, Water Resistance and Wireless Charging will still be there, at least on the Pixel 5, but it seems like the 3D Facial Recognition Camera Array on the front is going away. 

While that is a bit of shame to see, as Google has even done a better job when it comes to Face-Unlock than even Apple, the majority of users would still pick a better looking Phone than a not so great looking Phone that comes with more features.

Battery 

In terms of Battery Life, the Pixel 4 had a fairly poor one. The 4 XL was better, but it still wasn’t great.

At the moment, we don’t have any leaks in terms of the Pixel 5’s Battery Life but from the looks of it, it would remain identical to the Pixel 4’s, or even getting a bit smaller due to the entire Device being smaller. Fast Charging is also expected to remain the same at 18W. 

Release Date

The Pixel 5 is likely to break away from the usual October launch.

The Pixel 5 is likely to break away from the usual October launch.

When are the Pixel 4a and Pixel 5 going to be released? Well, the Pixel 4a’s launch seems to be imminent. Not just judging but the sheer number of leaks that we’ve had on it, but also by the leaked press image on Google’s website. Plus, the Pixel 4a has been long overdue, this was supposed to launch back in May. 

The Pixel 5 on the other hand, is a bit of a different story. You see, Pixel Phones have always launched around October, but we’ve also had a ton of leaks in the past, around this time. This means that Google could either delay the Pixel 5 until November, or even December, or they could be releasing the Pixel 5 alongside the 4a’s as a slightly higher-end version of it, rather than a true flagship Smartphone. I do think that this is what will happen. 

Price 

The problem with Pixel Phones has always been the fact that they were priced like flagship Smartphones, but they lacked a lot of features that the competition had. These were Features such as a modern Design, a high amount of RAM or a Dual/Triple Camera Module. Even the Processors were out of date two months after the Pixel Phones launched.

However, with Google marketing the Pixel 5 as a mid-range device rather than a flagship, they can still keep most of those features and they can cut back on the CPU Performance. This was already pretty good to be honest. All of this means that they can drop the price as a result. Therefore, the Pixel 4a is said to start at $350, while the Pixel 5 would be priced around $500-$700. However, the Pixel 5 would need to seriously outclass the 4a’s, if Google wants to charge this much for it. 

So, at the end of the day, there’s nothing really that points to the Pixel 5 being a revolutionary Smartphone at all, or even a Smartphone that competes with the flagships of today. Google has tried to compete with the flagships for so many years now and aside from the Camera, which was indeed flagship level, they have failed. They seemed to have just moved into another direction, focusing on the mid-range market instead.

Google Pixel 4 - Final Leaks & Rumors!

The Google Pixel 4 is coming out this month! This will be one of the best smartphones to get in 2019, and it might have the best camera in a smartphone for 2019, alongside some very unique features. Personally I’m very excited for the Pixel 4 and here’s everything you need to know about the soon to be device from Google.

This article contains 8 sections: Design, Display, Camera, Performance, Special Features, Battery, Release Data & Price, so you’ll definitely need some popcorn and drinks for this one!

DESIGN

Ok, so Pixel phones are mostly known for 3 things; the amazing camera, the pure stock android experience with no bloatware and day one updates, and the not so pretty design.

The Pixel 1 looked like an iPhone with no home button, but it did have on screen buttons which made the bezels horrendously thick. The Pixel 2 which was released in 2017 already had an outdated design, when compared to the competition, such as the Galaxy S8 or the iPhone X. The Pixel 3 from 2018 had the famous notch which was even bigger and more noticeable than the one on the iPhone X, while lacking any 3D Depth Sensing technology or Face Unlock like the iPhones had. 

And now the Pixel 4 will have another questionable design. Google has tweeted about this and even posted a few teasers. There are so many leaks for this phone that I think its the most leaked phone ever!

A hands on showing the forehead of the new Pixel 4 (Soure: 9to5Google)

A hands on showing the forehead of the new Pixel 4 (Soure: 9to5Google)

First off, the Pixel 4 no longer has that huge notch. Instead we have a fairly noticeable forehead that resembles the one that we had on the Pixel 2XL, back in 2017.  But this year Google is actually packing some serious tech inside that forehead which I’ll cover soon, so it’s not just there without any purpose. The side bezels are fairly thin, they do look to be about the same thickness as on the iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max, and finally the bottom chin does appear to be thicker than on most phones today, but this one might also have its own purpose.

Moving on to the back we no longer have that iconic dual tone look that Pixel phones were known for, instead we have a single colour glass panel, which is again said to have the same frosted material that the Pixel 3 had and that the iPhone 11 Pro’s now have. 

Google’s ad in Times Square showing the new ‘Oh So Orange’ colour and new camera module. (Source: Reddit)

Google’s ad in Times Square showing the new ‘Oh So Orange’ colour and new camera module. (Source: Reddit)

The leaked colours at least, are black, orange and white. Google even had a massive Time Square poster, teasing the Pixel 4 which featured the orange model, so orange is definitely confirmed at this point. Evan Blass (@evleaks) also confirmed this colours, with their names apparently being “Just Black”, “Clearly White” and “Oh So Orange”! 

Finally, and probably the most noticeable thing on the back, is that camera module which looks so different to how it looked on the previous Pixels. It looks very similar to the iPhone 11 Pro’s module the only differences is that it’s black on the inside rather than matching the colour of the back of the phone. In a way it does look very similar to the camera module on the iPhone 11 Pro mock-ups that we had. It’s not a triple lens camera module unfortunately it’s just a dual one but I’ll be covering that more in the camera section of this article.

Also, the fingerprint reader is now gone and it has now been replaced by something even better. This means that the back has quite a clean look and I overall I do think that Google’s moving into the right direction when it comes to the design. It’s still not as sleek as the S10 is, or the OnePlus 7 & 7T Pro but it will come with some very unique features which I’ll cover later on. 

 

DISPLAY

Moving on to the display, the regular Pixel 4 will come with a 5.7” FullHD+ display, at 2160x1080 resolution and 424 PPI, whereas the Pixel 4 XL will come with a 6.3” QuadHD+ panel, so 3040x1440 resolution at 534PPI. 

These will both be OLED displays, with Gorilla Glass 6, HDR support, 100% DCI-P3 coverage so they will be very good panels but they will also feature something quite special, a 90Hz refresh rate display! A high refresh rate display such as this, is something that we already have on phones such as the OnePlus 7 Pro, the 7T’s, the Asus ROG gaming phones, and the Razer phones. What this means is that all the animations would be 50% more fluid than on a regular phone which has a 60Hz refresh rate panel. Your laptop, your computer, your monitor, most of them also have 60Hz. So the Pixel 4 will be more fluid than those.

CAMERA

Now the Pixels are known for having amazing cameras but the thing is the camera hardware itself was never anything ground-breaking. Instead, Google’s machine learning has been by far the best in the industry and they’ve been able to deliver some amazing results.

The Pixel 3 introduced a dual front facing camera set up (Source: Google)

The Pixel 3 introduced a dual front facing camera set up (Source: Google)

Where all the other manufactures have had dual, triple, even quad camera modules, Google has only had one module. In 2018 with the Pixel 3, we did get a dual front facing camera module, which was one of the first in any smartphone. We had a wide-angle lens for group selfies which was actually a very useful thing to have, but literally nothing extra on the back.

So this year we are getting a dual camera module on the back, which means that Google would still be a year behind the competition. Smartphones in 2017 and 2018 got a second telephoto or a zoom camera module, then a wide angle in 2019. Unfortunately, according to all the leaks that we’ve seen the second module on the Pixel 4 will actually be a zoom module rather than a wide angle module, which is pretty disappointing. You can always zoom in digitally but you cannot take a wide angle shot, without a wide angle lens. 

What’s even more disappointing is that Google already has a very good digital zoom. Google calls it SuperRes zoom, and while it’s nowhere near the quality of an actual zoom module, it’s very very close. So whilst all the leaks seem to be pointing to a zoom module, I’m still holding out for it to be a wide angle.

From the looks of the leaked designs, the Pixel 4 wont have the same dual front facing camera module that we have seen previously (Source: Genk.vn)

From the looks of the leaked designs, the Pixel 4 wont have the same dual front facing camera module that we have seen previously (Source: Genk.vn)

Now, speaking of the modules, it seems like we won’t be getting a dual camera module on the front anymore. From the official images that Google posted there is only one camera module there, I’ll talk about all the other sensors once we get to the special features section. However, this is expected to be a wide angle lens, or ultrawide as everyone’s calling it now, which means that Google will probably take all photos zoomed in digitally at a lower resolution and them zoom out for that wider field of view, when you need to. A similar technique to what Apple is now doing with the iPhone 11 Pro’s.

In terms of the camera specs the selfie camera is reported to be an 8MP sensor, f/2.0 aperture with 1080p video recording at 30fps. This is quite a big downgrade from the 4K60 that the iPhone 11 Pro for example can do. The back camera is reported to be a 12.2MP sensor with f.1.6 aperture. Same 1 / 2.55” sensor like we had on the Pixel 3 but with that f/1.6 aperture from f/1.8, which means we will be getting more light to the sensor, which in turn means better low light photography. 

Video recording with the back facing camera will finally be bumped to 4K60, as the Pixel 3 could only do 4K30 and we’ve had 4K since on phones since 2017 with the iPhone 8.

In addition this camera will actually have two brand new features. The first one being called the ‘Pixel Neural Core’. This is essentially the next gen version of the Pixel Visual Core which was the imaging chip found in the Pixel 3. This was also the chip responsible for processing the data required for the Night Sight photography. Speaking of Night Sight probably the most impressive camera features for me at least, we are getting a brand new Astral Photography mode which seems to be an even more improved version of Night Sight.

We do now have full leaked images from the Pixel 4 thanks to 9to5Google, which you can check out below.

They’re definitely coming from a Pixel, I can tell that by looking at the portrait mode shot in the first image, where the subjects are clearly separated from the background, so they look as if they were added in photoshop.

That portrait mode of the dog looks incredible (Image 2). That’s some very good background separation right there, were the image becomes blurrier the further away you get from the lens, and that 2nd camera module is definitely helping make that portrait mode look realistic. 

There’s also a Night Sight shot (Image 3) that look very good and has that signature Pixel look, where the colours are quite vibrant and cool compared to the warmer tint that we get with Samsung phones and iPhones.

Image 4 is a sample of the Astral photography mode which just look mind-blowing! I can’t believe that these were taken on a phone.

And then we a leaked Macro shot (Image 4) which just looks stunning, look at that detail!

Then we also have samples of food (Image 5) which seems to be very sharp and very colour accurate. 

 

PERFORMANCE

Now, when it comes to the Performance, Pixel phones have never been that impressive. I mean sure, they were smooth and fluid and got day one updates but raw performance wise, they were quite weak when compared to the competition. This is because Pixel phones get released in October and they are one of the last smartphones to be released in the year. Whereas Qualcomm announces their new processors in December, so Pixel phones only get two months until they are already outdated.

In terms of the CPU, the Pixel 4 will come with the Snapdragon 855+. This is actually a fairly new CPU, being launched back in August, however it is just an overclocked 855 and not anything like the 865 will be, which will be announced around December. Still, the 855+ is a very good processor and a pretty big bump from the 845 that the Pixel 3 had.

Aside from the CPU, Pixel phones were also lacking RAM. The Pixel 3’s only come with 4GB of RAM which for an iPhone that’s quite normal but for an Android phone, 4GB of RAM is usually what you now find on low end handsets. Google stated that they don’t need more RAM since they optimise their Pixels very well which unfortunately hasn’t been the case. They were lots of complaints with the RAM management on the Pixel 2 & 3, which Google could easily fix by just adding more RAM in the Pixel 4. And they will, it’s just that the leaks suggest a bump to 6GB of RAM from 4, which isn’t that much. Today we have Android smartphones that come with 12GB and many more than come with 8 as standard. So even 6GB would be slightly outdated.

SPECIAL FEATURES

Ok, now aside from the camera upgrades, and the performance improvements, what are the features that make the Pixel 4 unique? Well, this is where we get the biggest improvements!

A leaked tear down of the forehead showing the implementation of the Soli Radar Chip (Source: Genk.vn)

A leaked tear down of the forehead showing the implementation of the Soli Radar Chip (Source: Genk.vn)

First off, we get the brand new Soli chip. So this is essentially a miniaturised radar that can detect and measure movement much better than a camera can. In fact, Google had a special team just working on this Soli chip. What this chip allows you to do is control your Pixel 4 using Air Gestures. Now this isn’t anything new. We’ve had this with the Galaxy S4 and some other smartphones as well, and while you will be able to just wave at your Pixel to stop an alarm or skip to the next song, I still find this to be a gimmick.

Leaks suggest that Face Unlock will be coming to the Pixel 4 (Source: Genk.vn)

Leaks suggest that Face Unlock will be coming to the Pixel 4 (Source: Genk.vn)

But the good news is that It will work in conjunction with the other sensors in that forehead, to enable the second big new special feature, Face Unlock. Just like we have on the iPhone X and newer, the Pixel 4 will have a full 3D Depth sensing camera. At the moment, no one apart from Apple, Huawei and now Google, are using this tech, mostly because it’s quite expensive. But, Google Face Unlock might be even better than Apple’s, thanks to that Soli Radar chip. Reportedly, the Pixel 4 lights up the display as soon as it sees your face, and unlocks the phone. This is will make it so much faster than Apple’s approach, where you have to lift the phone or tap the display, for the display to even light up. Also, if you take a look at the entire list of sensors that Google has inside that forehead, they’re actually using 2 Face unlock IR cameras, rather than just 1 like Apple uses. This could mean that Google will be using those for even better 3D depth mapping or even faster and more secure unlock.

The 3rd new feature will be UFS 3.0 storage. So just like the OnePlus 7 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy Note 10, the Pixel 4 will have the fastest storage on the market, with Read speeds of just over 1GB/s, which is really impressive to have on a smartphone! This will go really well with that 90Hz refresh rate panel. 

The 4th, and final, new feature is 8x zoom with the back facing camera. We’ve seen some hands-on videos with the final retain unit of the Pixel 4. Unfortunately it seems like it will have a telephoto module rather than an ultra wide angle module, like I am hoping. And that 8X zoom would be digital instead of optical but hey, at least it’s there.

 

BATTERY

In terms of the battery, this is reported to be 2800mAh for the Pixel 4 and 3700mAh for the Pixel 4 XL.

Interesting enough, this is actually a downgrade on the Pixel 4, from the 2915mAh that the Pixel 3 had, but it is however an upgrade on the Pixel 4XL from the 3430mAh that we had on the Pixel 3XL. 

No updates on the fast charging as to whether it is going to be improved in any way. 

RELEASE DATE

So the actual Pixel 4 event is happening on October the 15th, which is just next week! This will be when Google will unveil the Pixel 4, the new Pixel Buds and possibly some brand new Google Home’s as well. 

In terms of when the Pixel 4 would actually be released, this should also be on the 15th. Usually it’s about a week or two after the unveil but considering the amount of leaks that we’ve had, including people making videos with the actual retail unit of the Pixel, months before release, seems like Google already has the Pixel 4’s ready to ship.

 

PRICE

Price-wise we’ve only had one leak from a website called Elara, which was discovered by 9to5Google and according to this leak the prices for the Pixel 4’s would be 820 euros (£730) and 1126 euros for the XL (£1,000). Now although this is quite the price increase from the Pixel 3’s, I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s the case. The Soli radar chip and Face Unlock are indeed some very expensive components which will increase the manufacturing cost of the Pixel 4. But at the same time, Google didn’t sell a lot of Pixel 3’s so they really shouldn’t be bumping up the price.

Leaks from Elara appear to show the prices of the yet to be released Pixel 4s (Source: Elara & 9to5Google)

Leaks from Elara appear to show the prices of the yet to be released Pixel 4s (Source: Elara & 9to5Google)

Also we’ve had a leaked listing of what we get inside the box, posted by 9to5Google, and it seems that we get a USB c to USB C charging cable, the power adapter, which is actually the same 18W charger that we got with the Pixel 3, the sim eject tool and the quick start guide. So no headphones again, which to me is another reason why Google should drop the price, since all the other smartphones at this price point do include headphones and more accessories, especially when it comes to Samsung.

 

CONCLUSION

Ok, so in the end, what do I think about the Pixel 4? Well, it’s not out just yet so I’ll reserve my final thoughts until then but based on all the leaks that we’ve seen, it’s going to be a very strong phone. Basically a OnePlus 7T Pro, with a much worse design but with Face Unlock, Air Gestures, a much better camera and even more stock OS with literally day 1 updates.

It won’t be the prettiest but it might just be the best android phone of 2019.