Pixel 4
Brand | |
---|---|
Manufacturer | Foxconn |
Type |
|
Series | Pixel |
First released | United States October 24, 2019 |
Predecessor | Pixel 3 |
Compatible networks | GSM/EDGE, UMTS/HSPA+, CDMA EVDO Rev A, WCDMA, LTE, LTE Advanced |
Form factor | Slate |
Dimensions | Pixel 4: H: 147.1 mm (5.79 in) W: 68.8 mm (2.71 in) D: 8.2 mm (0.32 in) Pixel 4 XL: H: 160.4 mm (6.31 in) W: 75.1 mm (2.96 in) D: 8.2 mm (0.32 in) |
Weight |
|
Operating system | Android 10 |
System-on-chip | Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 |
CPU | Octa-core (1x2.84 GHz Kryo 485 Gold Prime & 3x2.42 GHz Kryo 485 Gold & 4x1.78 GHz Kryo 485 Silver) |
GPU | Adreno 640 |
Memory | 6 GB LPDDR4X |
Storage | 64 GB or 128 GB |
Removable storage | None |
Battery |
|
Rear camera | 12.2 MP (1.4 μm) with f/1.7 lens, 28mm (wide), 1/2.55" + 16 MP (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 30/60/120 fps, 4K at 30 fps |
Front camera | 8 MP with f/2.0 lens, 22mm (ultra wide, 90°), 1.22μm, 1080p at 30 fps, Auto-HDR + ToF camera |
Display | Pixel 4: 5.7 in (140 mm) FHD+ 1080p P-OLED at 444 ppi, 2280x1080 pixel resolution (19:9) Pixel 4 XL: 6.3 in (160 mm) QHD+ 1440p P-OLED at 537 ppi, 3040x1440 pixel resolution (19:9) Both displays have Corning Gorilla Glass 5 and a dynamic 90Hz refresh rate |
Sound | Stereo speakers |
Connectivity | Wi-Fi 2.4GHz + 5.0GHz 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0 + LE, NFC, GPS (GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou), eSIM capable |
Data inputs | USB-C |
Codename | |
Other | |
Website | Google Pixel 4 |
References | [2] |
Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL are Android smartphones from the Google Pixel product line, serving as successors to the Pixel 3.[3][4] The phones were officially announced on October 15, 2019 and will be released in the United States on October 24, 2019.[5]
History
Google confirmed the device's design in June 2019 after renders of it were leaked online.[6][7]
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.[8] As with all other Pixel releases, Google is offering unlocked U.S. versions through its website.
Specifications
Design and hardware
The Pixel 4 and 4 XL are constructed using an anodized 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.[9]
The USB-C connector on the bottom of the device is used for charging and audio input, and neither USB-C headphones or a USB-C to 3.5mm jack adapter are included in the box.[10] Neither model includes a fingerprint reader: facial recognition (using dot projector, infrared emitters and cameras along the top of the device) is the only biometric authentication method offered by the Pixel 4.[11]
Both models use the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 system-on-chip (consisting of eight Kryo 485 CPU cores, an Adreno 640 GPU and Hexagon 690 DSP), with 6 GB of LPDDR4X RAM. Models are available with 64 or 128 GB of non-expandable storage.[11] A lithium-ion battery powers both, with the Pixel 4 using a 2800 mAh cell and the Pixel 4 XL using a 3700 mAh 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.[11]
The Pixel 4 features an OLED display with HDR support, that operates at a refresh rate of up to 90 Hz (the refresh rate dynamically adjusts depending on content to preserve battery life).[11] Both models use a wider 19:9 aspect ratio, with the Pixel 4 using a 5.7-inch (145 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 does not have a "notch" at the top of the display.[10]
The Pixel 4 includes dual rear-facing cameras housed in a raised square module. It houses a wide 28mm 77° f/1.7 lens with a 12.2-megapixel sensor, and a second telephoto 48mm f/2.4 lens with a 16-megapixel sensor.[11] Google claims the Pixel 4 can capture 8x zoom at near-optical quality.[12] They are accompanied by 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.[13] It includes a single ultra wide (90°) front-facing camera, unlike the Pixel 3 which included ultra wide (97°) and wide (75°) front-facing cameras.[14]
Motion Sense
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. Motion Sense can be used for detecting a user's proximity to the device to activate the always-on display or power the screen on, and waving gestures that can be used in supported apps (such as skipping tracks in the music player, and an interactive Pokémon demo app).[10][15][16]
Due to its use of 60 GHz 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 60 GHz frequency is prohibited in India, unlike in the U.S. and some other countries, where it is considered unlicensed spectrum.[17][18][19]
Software
The Pixel 4 ships with Android 10 and Google Camera 7.1.[20] The devices feature several features powered by their "Pixel Neural Core" (a successor to the Pixel Visual Core): in addition to its existing use for image processing, it is used by the new "Recorder" app (a voice recorder with live transcription), and the "new" Google Assistant, which contains enhancements to allow for increased client-side recognition of commands that are local to the device (rather than necessarily needing to send the query to Google servers).[10]
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. Marc reaffirmed Google's commitment to improving the camera with software updates (a signature of the Google Pixel Phones) and said to stay tuned.[21]
Reception
Ars Technica gave the device a mixed pre-release review, noting that the etched finish of the orange and white models felt stronger than that of the Pixel 3 without compromising its "soft" and "grippy" feel, but that the screen bezels looked "lopsided". The Motion Sense system was panned for its reliance on hand waving gestures that were "so big that it's a cumbersome, tiring, annoying thing to do." This was contrasted with early demonstrations of the technology being able to detect "sub-millimeter motions at high speed and accuracy", noting that Google's admitted need to downsize the radar chip in order to fit into a smartphone may have compromised its capabilities.[9]
Google was criticized for not providing unlimited uncompressed photo and video cloud storage like its Pixel predecessors had and also for not having larger battery capacity than the Pixel 3. [22][23]
References
- ^ a b Laird, James (October 9, 2019). "Google's Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL codenames just leaked for all to see". Trusted Reviews. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
- ^ "Compare Pixel 4 & Pixel 4 XL Tech Specs - Google Store". Google Store. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Holland, Patrick (October 15, 2019). "Google Pixel 4 and 4 XL hands-on: Two rear cameras and that ugly notch is gone". CNET. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
- ^ Amadeo, Ron (October 15, 2019). "Google Pixel 4: 90Hz screen, next-gen Google Assistant, shipping Oct 24". Ars Technica. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
- ^ Bohn, Dieter (October 15, 2019). "Google Pixel 4 and 4 XL hands-on: This time, it's not about the camera". The Verge. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
- ^ Welch, Chris (June 12, 2019). "This is Google's Pixel 4". The Verge.
- ^ Welch, Chris (September 16, 2019). "Google announces October 15th hardware event for Pixel 4". The Verge. Retrieved September 16, 2019.
- ^ Wedel, Chris (October 15, 2019). "Google expanding Pixel 4 to all major U.S. carriers". Android Central. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
- ^ a b Amadeo, Ron (October 16, 2019). "Pixel 4 hands-on—Thumbs up for 90Hz, thumbs down for Project Soli". Ars Technica. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
- ^ a b c d Bohn, Dieter (October 15, 2019). "Google Pixel 4 and 4 XL hands-on: this time, it's not about the camera". The Verge. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e Frumusanu, Andrei. "Google Announces The Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL: The 2019 Pixels". Anandtech.com. Future plc. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
- ^ "Google Pixel 4 Promises 'Studio-Like Photos Without the Studio'". petapixel.com. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
- ^ "These are the most important Google Pixel 4 camera updates". DPReview. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
- ^ Kellen (October 16, 2019). "Pixel 4's Single Front Camera Almost as Wide-Angle as Pixel 3's". Droid Life. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
- ^ Bohn, Dieter (October 15, 2019). "Google's Project Soli: the tech behind Pixel 4's Motion Sense radar". The Verge. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
- ^ Porter, Jon (October 15, 2019). "Google demos how the Pixel 4's gesture controls work with music, pokémon, and more". The Verge. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
- ^ "Google Pixel 4, Pixel 4 XL not launching in India". TechCrunch. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
- ^ Ganti, Anil (October 15, 2019). "Motion Sense Will Automatically Disable Itself in Unsupported Regions". Wccftech. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
- ^ Anwer, Javed. "Google Pixel 4 and Pixel 4XL will not launch in India, they are too high-tech for Indian government". India Today. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Perlow, Jason. "Pixel 4 specs vs price: Google's new phone is too weak, too late, and too expensive". ZDNet. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
- ^ Made by Google '19, retrieved October 19, 2019
- ^ Google Pixel 4 buyers won’t get unlimited photo uploads at original quality
- ^ The Pixel 4 won’t have free, unlimited full-res Google Photos storage