I find it odd that the Pixel 4 got more of a full review, when the "review" for the iPhone 11 and Pros basically just said that you shouldn't buy it unless your phone is more than 5 years old, which is forever in tech time. How come in this review you analyze the pros and cons of Pixel's face scanner for several paragraphs instead of just saying "Whatever, it doesn't really matter because you can just type in a passcode", just like you said the iPhone 11's ability to take good photos at night didn't matter because "You could always just use a flash", even though it would give you a far worse photo and annoy everyone around you? Why ding the Pixel for not having a super wide angle when you could just tell users to step back? Have you decided that reviews should indeed be useful to readers, or is this just a service you provide only to Android users?
6
After having had a series of Samsung smartphones, I really wanted to move on to something better, sturdier, more reliable (not anything Apple, been there, done that, never again). Pixel would have been my choice but for the fact that Google already knows just about as much about me as I do myself. No way could I see myself giving them total control of literally everything I would be doing on my smartphone for the next two to three years.
3
My neighbor's younger daughter can open her older sister's iPhone using FaceID. I wouldn't take Apple's claim of "one in a million."
7
I presently have an LG V30 which has an ultrawide lens, and while it's cool, I'd much prefer having a lens that can do a REAL optical (not digital zoom). How many times have you wished you could zoom in and get a good closeup photo, such as at a concert? Don't presume that people want what you want.
6
I had an original Pixel. It dropped calls at least half the time. Then the battery quit holding a charge. The only way to contact customer service was by email, and I got only automated responses. After six weeks, I got another phone. I wouldn't own a Pixel without assurance that customer service exists.
5
Pixel phones are great, but if you want a phone with a screen that will get very bright in sunlight, go with a Galaxy. The difference is stark.
3
I'm a professional photographer and personally like Google's blast-it-out look its Night Sight provides vs. Apple's more subtle Night mode, and I also love the Pixel 4’s ability to shoot astrophotography. I also agree with Google that a telephoto lens is more important than an ultra wide lens, but why not have both? Overall I love the Apple interface and think that this may be the year to upgrade from my 7 Plus.
5
Apple fan boys should not be reviewing other products.
19
The Pixel’s greatest flaw is neither capabilities nor usability; rather, it’s Google’s business plan. Google is in the business of harvesting and selling our information. They’ve hired many of the world’s smartest and most-capable people with the goal of swiping as much info as possible, and as cleverly as possible so as to not alert users that their info’s getting swiped. Witness, for example, the recent NY Times report of Android apps that tracked and sent user locations every few minutes, up to hundreds of times per day, where the info was sold to anyone with a few shekels.
I’ve given up Android for Apple - I don’t particularly like paying the substantial “Apple premium”, but at least Apple’s business model is transparent and (AFAIK) they understand it’s in their best interest to keep my info private.
America’s founders understood the need for privacy, and enshrined it in our constitution. More Americans should understand this, too.
10
You can tell the author picked the absolute worst pictures taken from the Pixel and compared them to the best he took with iPhone. Pretty disingenuous review in my opinion.
13
@Mike. How can you tell, Mike? Were you there?
2
I think the Pixel 4's Google is a good option despite its flaws. The difference with its competition (Samsung Galaxy S10 and IPhone 11 Pro) if we talk about the camera section are very small but still, shots are great in any phone maybe a little bit better on iPhone 11 Pro in low-light. This review shows some flaws with this phone but that's what we need to know every time we buy a smartphone.
Previously had 2 of these. They are just rebadged Huawei phones. Google has fallen enormously and became Microsoft 2.0
4
Thanks for this review.
And again saving me money.
I have iPhone X and an S10 - you saved me from upgrading to an 11.
It seems that I can also wait out a Pixel - may be a couple of years from now.
More and more - your reviews talk about cameras on these phones.
So I am beginning to think - next time you review these phones - please tell us a comparable camera only to go with a phone.
2
"That makes the face scanner, in some ways, a weaker security feature than a fingerprint sensor." Don't understand that; are you saying that the fingerprint sensor is more secure because it takes slightly more coordination to touch the sensor to the the sleeper's fingertip than point the phone's camera at his face? Nein.
4
@steve. At the very least, one would have to touch the phone's sensor to a particular finger (I doubt that many users register all of their fingers) of the sleeping person. More likely, the correct finger and, perhaps, hand would have to be repositioned and held against the sensor. Of course, that's no guarantee of waking the sleeper. But, it certainly increases the risk.
4
It’s worth noting, because I am not alone, I am sure: I just don’t trust Google. I am phasing out Maps, Gmail, and google searching as we speak. Every website I visit seems have google analytics nested into it somewhere, gathering information on my digital habits.
I certainly wouldn’t buy a phone from them.
10
@X
I'm sure Apple isn't much better.
7
What I am sure of is that you are wrong. Apple is in the business of selling hardware and services. Compare this to Google whose main business is selling customer (whether they know it or not) data.
7
@X
"... the search giant treats device security as an afterthought."
I switched from a Pixel 3, when it broke, to iPhone Xr. The privacy and security with the iPhone is so much greater.
I feel the iPhone lets me control the tracking so much better than the Pixel did.
2
Why not make this a subscription service Google? $20/month for the phone, unlimited storage, Fi (MVNO), photos, etc. Trade in the phone every 2 years and get a new one.
Just buy a LG G8 or a Samsung Galaxy ..open box or slightly used on eBay or Amazon. You will get 95% of what you want and 150% of what you need, for about $500 less than the latest fad.
That is $500 more for your retirement/brokerage account or whatever else that you may 'want'.
6
Shouldn't we wait (if possible) for 5G rather than upgrading now in any case?
1
So, I just get the feeling these days with every iPhone or Android smartphone review, we're really just talking about a camera, which is about all there is review (yes, I'm aware of the headline). Sound quality? Nada. Battery life? Nope. Hardware? Don't bother. Software, email, messaging? Um, not.
How about we just start calling it a 'smartcamera' and no longer a smartphone? Better yet, how about manufacturers design a smartphone that allows you to unplug the phone part and just leave the camera? But, wait, would that be just, oh, what's it called? Oh, right, a camera. Never mind.
20
The phone has got to be better as a phone than this review is for a review.
13
I am an owner of a Pixel of the First Generation, and a new Pixel 3 a. I use the older one still for Photos, because they will be Stored in full size. The reasons why i have chosen the 3a, not the fourth Pixel ist the Fingerprint Sensor, the headphone jack and the normal price, i wanted just a good Phone.
1
"...releasing it in this state suggests that the search giant treats device security as an afterthought."
It has been abundantly clear that all Google products, hardware or software, have treated security as an afterthought for quite some time. It threatens their business model.
1
I far prefer the Android interface to IOS, even if it's sometimes klunkier.
And I love my two Pixel 2 XLs.
But I do worry about security. For example, on my desktop computer, quitting Gmail, for which I have enabled 2-factor authentication, without logging out, sometimes results in Gmail auto-logging me in when relaunching, even after a couple of days. THIS SHOULD NEVER HAPPEN, even after a few seconds. Google, you should know better.
5
Brian, thank you for your review but I am a member of the unwashed masses that waits a couple of weeks or months to buy our phone. Hence I paid under $350 for a Google 3 shortly after it came out or a net cost of $185 since I did not replace my cracked screen and still received a $50 trade in for my ascetically lacking LG G-5. On a 24 month payment plan, I will not factor in inflation for true cost.
I will assume your review among others will help to lower the price of G-4 for future purchasers and for that a debt of gratitude should be paid.
With that being said the perfect Cell Phone only exists in science fiction. Besides I am one of those troglodytes that is perfectly happy with a very good camera (shooting mostly artwork), a telephone with good clarity, an uncluttered bios, a very good picture in bright light and a micro-processor that outstrips the speed of the most WiFi systems. Alas I will not search for Utopia if a plastic and glass shell.
5
I read this article and I am sorry to day it does not deserve to be called a review. The "review" focuses amost exclusively on two items: 1) face recognition and 2) camera. A cell phone is much, much more than that. There is the processor speed, wifi connectivity, bluetooth connectivity, ability to keep your data (i.e backups), screen brightness, colors and resolution, etc, etc. This is an incredibly superficial review.
65
@JAB Totally agree. And, I think that when reviewing personal consumer products such as cars and phones, the reviewer should also mention what phone they personally use.
2
For a big monopoly with enormos monetary and human capital is astonishing how little real inovation there is at Google. techwise america is becoming like europe a bore.
5
Why doesn't the transcription feature, "Live Caption", work with a phone call? Will it ever?
The ability to conduct an on-device captioned phone call would change people's lives in the deaf and hard-of-hearing community.
7
@the graduate Or, you know, people could just text one another. I use voice recognition when I text and then I correct any errors in the transcription before I send. I probably have 10 text conversations to every phone conversation that I have.
@JerseyGirl True, but you can't pick up a call at work via txting. You can't make a doctor's appointment via txting. You can't call customer service for an error on the water bill via txting. You can't have a long conversation with your mother via txting. You can't dial 911 via txting. You can't pick up the phone and order a pizza via txting.
4
You dont talk about privacy or security. I cant imagine having a device so dramatically created to feed information about me to a corporation. I think that deserves a whole section in your article.
11
Surely waterproofing should be a fundamental feature rather than a high end option.
I understand that the most common cause of phone failure is flipping them into the toilet. Waterproofing turns a disaster into just an ew.
6
@David Rose
"I understand that the most common cause of phone failure is flipping them into the toilet. "
Please cite a credible source for your claim. That seems VERY unlikely cause to me, compared to drops on a hard surface.
2
so if you are lying in bed and someone comes into your room and wants to access your phone and you are asleep with your iphone is next to your bed and if they wake you up and threaten you to open your eyes and point the phone at you--- then they can access your iphone!!
that is some serious flaw--- maybe less than the one where you don't even have to open your eyes.......
what an absurd review
12
@google fan boy When I read that part: If you’re asleep, all someone has to do to get access to your personal data is take your phone and hold it up to your face.
my reaction was that if someone has invaded your space like that while you're asleep, having them try to steal your data is probably the least of the problems you'll have to deal with.
7
@Bob R Of course, that person who has "invaded your space" while you are asleep could be your girl friend, who wants to read those text messages you always check in private.
1
The article starts by saying that an iPhone is a cheaper alternative, but then compares the Pixel to a more expensive iPhone. Like many reviews this one focuses on features that are unimportant to me. And while it doesn't have the modern gimmicks, under ordinary conditions my five-year Moto phone takes much better pictures than any iPhone.
3
You, and many other reviewers, have noted the Recorder app (which transcribes conversations without needing internet access) as a distinctive piece of software that might encourage people to buy the Pixel 4. This could be true, but the app runs quite nicely on a Pixel 2 (and other phones).
1
@adam Not available in the Google Play Store as of 10/21/2019 at 6:51 pm
@Bill
The software is available on apkmirror and certain other reputable websites. Which illustrates another reason you might want to use an Android phone: more freedom to configure the phone the way you wish. But this is naturally not a good idea for everyone. Fortunately we have choices.
2
I've dropped my Pixel 2 XL on the dash of my car about 400 times and on cement floors about another 50 times. No damage. Whereas I don't know anyone who hasn't cracked their Samsung or their iPhone.
With Pixel's better integration with other Google apps, lack of bloatware, and its integration with Google Fi, it becomes a no-brainer.
18
@Bryan
Somehow I doubt that you "don't know anyone who hasn't cracked" their phone.
So, gee, let's see. Being an older klutz, I have at various times dropped my iPhones on floors, sidewalks (and here in Prague, the sidewalks are rough cobblestones) and once in the subway station where the phone slid across the floor onto the tracks.
There was not a scratch on the screen, let alone, as you put it, a "crack".
8
My two 2 XLs are ipretty tough, I agree. And I intend to keep them awhile. One gripe is the poor integration between the Hangouts dialer and the built-in Phone application. Considering the Hangouts app, Android and the device itself are all Google branded, this is surprising, to say the least.
@Bryan Think the hardware gaps are hard to forgive at this price point for a flagship device.
Given the high resolution photos and videos we are used to, am doubtful the 64/128GB capacity and low RAM sufficiently future proofs the buyer for the next 2 to 3 years.
The battery life is also miles behind the competition from Huawei, Samsung, OnePlus etc. Not to mention the 18W charger is a generation behind.
Finally, the camera lacks ultra wide, and time of flight sensor and does not have the ability to take videos at 4K 60fps. These hardware flaws are reflected in the DXOmark score of 112 (117 for still photos) which is behind not only the usual suspects like Huawei and Samsung but also behind the considerably cheaper OnePlus 7 Pro.
One or two compromises are fine, but this just feels like a half baked effort from Google.
1
I’ve been an owner of the Pixel 1,2 and 3. Having worked for Apple, it took project Fi to get me to switch and i’ve been very happy with all the Pixels, particularly Pixel 3. I had pre-ordered the Pixel 4 but after more consideration, I canceled for these reasons: worries about battery life, the discontinuation of free and unlimited hi-res photo uploads, not being convinced a telephoto lens is worth an almost $1k upgrade, dropping the fingerprint sensor (I’m already uneasy about all the other data that Google has on me, the additional biometrics are unsettling), eliminating the 3.5mm to usb-c converter and wired earphones (this may seem petty on my part, but Google is asking top dollar for the phones, why are they nickel and diming me?).
16
@Thomas Hughes I also canceled my preorder. Taking away full resolution photo backup was the final straw. They can nickel dime someone else.
5
Google needs to cut their profit margins on the Pixel 4 in half. That's the way to entice market share away from evil apple. Build a following and then slowly raise profit margins on the successive models.
4
"In the meantime, people who enjoy Google products have a good option: the $400 Pixel 3A, the budget version of the phone that was released in May."
A "budget" phone for $400? I've never paid any more than $225 for any phone, including my current Pixel 1 which is still quite current, I can assure you. Oh, and it even has a headphone jack that the Pixel 4 apparently lacks. There are deals out there if you look around without getting ripped off.
2
@STR You can get a better deal on the 3a than $400, but $400 is the retail price. The retail price for the Pixel 1 was $699. Phone reviews almost universally use retail prices for a consistent comparison.
3
I have a Pixel 2 which has been terrific. For me, I'll upgrade to the Pixel 4 for two reasons. First, I truly don't like the Apple way of doing things like managing my photos, music, and cloud storage. Second, I don't like iOS, and while I realize that's a very subjective preference, I spend considerable time transferring files between devices, internal directories, and the cloud. Android makes this process transparent and simple.
As for the rest - battery life, camera, screen - I feel that the differences at the top end are so slight only a professional reviewer is able to appreciate the nuances. For +/- $100 either way, I'll stick with the excellent product I already know.
8
There is little point to comparing the Pixel to the iPhone. Very few people are going to switch to the other OS just to get a slightly better phone. Go ahead and compare the Pixel to the Samsung: that's comparing oranges to oranges (or, er, Android to Android). But it's not helpful to most of us when you compare oranges to Apples.
29
I'll pay attention when they review the phone instead of the camera...
36
Incomplete and disappointing review. Ok camera and facial recognition weren't as good as competitors. You made a passing comment about integration with Google - BTW this is the primary reason folks by the Pixel.
34
@Steve I agree - Chen's review is a review written by an Apple Fan boy who doesn't understand the value proposition between the platforms - it's not all about a camera.
3
One more very important point: battery life was already a major issue for the Pixel 3. And the smaller version of the Pixel 4 *has a smaller capacity battery than its predecessor!* Cellphone manufacturers routinely ignore their customers' concerns (ask yourself: who would want the physical audio jack removed from their phone?), but reducing power and stranding users when they are on the road seems like bad business.
9
@Jonny P is it really such a big deal? I don't think so. Most people are either a) able to recharge during the day if they need to or b) carry a power bank. I have had all of the Pixel phones and never once been stranded with a dead battery, even during long hikes or long nights out in the city.
If getting stranded without power is something that is actually a concern, I'm not sure the 1 - 2 hrs extra is really going to help all that much anyway. Invest $20 in a nice battery pack to keep in your bag.
2
There is definitely a scent of a pro-Apple bias in this review. Definitely more testing should be carried out before passing judgment on the pros and cons of the product. There seems to be a failure to recognize the software and hardware issues that Apple has been facing across its range of product offerings.
34
@Frederick P It always amazes me that when someone gives to edge to an Apple product, no matter what it is, there will always be someone like you to say that it's because of "a scent of pro-Apple bias".
Isn't it just possible that there's a "scent" of a slightly inferior, over-priced phone in the review?
6
@Frederick P Agreed. Brian has always had an Apple bias in his writing. Search his past reviews.
It's not that Apple doesn't make great products. They do. But you can always tell when someone goes a little overboard with praise for their peoducts or works extra hard to take shots at their competitors and Brian definitely does that. It shows most in his refusal to highlight many of Apple's noted actual flaws over the years (all tech has flaws).
4
@Frederick P
Yeah - very unfair that he let's you see the pictures for yourself.
1
I can't justify that price, and I'm just not that interested in camera features. "Phones" have also gotten unnecessarily big. My early Google Nexus was darn near perfect with a pocketable 4.7" screen. I struggle to find anything near that size now. I have a Sony Xperia "compact" something but it's starting to show age, and there is just nothing out there that compels me.
1
@Bill C. Exactly. I'm buying an iPhone SE today to replace by older iPhone 5s. Fits in my pocket, takes good photos...
1
LOL, interesting but based on all the prior rave reviews I just ordered the 4XL from Verizon. I wish I had see this earlier. On the plus side, Verizon is running a promotion where if you have unlimited data plan they will give you 450.00 off with a trade in. So that mitigates the pain somewhat.
Of course, to 68-year-old me, all these phones are amazing...
6
@Gberger I'm with you - I'm upgrading from the 2XL. At $900, the phone isn't worth it, but at $450, it seems like a no brainer.
1