Google launched a lot of new products at the event on October 15, but the Pixel 4 series was definitely the most awaited one, or maybe not (All thanks to the leaks). Like the past couple of years, the Pixel phones of this year are one of the most leaked devices. Way before the official launch, we had the idea of the specs, the design, pricing & more. Now that the Google Pixel 4 & Pixel 4 XL are official let’s talk about everything for one last time, hopefully.
GOOGLE PIXEL 4 & PIXEL 4 XL – DESIGN & SPECIFICATIONS
While the Pixel 3 series retained the design from the Pixel 2 series, the situation is completely different this time around. The Pixel 4 series has an all-new design with no two-tone finish on the back & a front with no notch or hole. There is an iPhone 11-like square camera module on the top left that houses dual cameras, the LED flash, & the mic. Yes, for the very first time, we are getting more than one rear camera on a Pixel phone.
On the front, while there is a negligible bottom chin, we have a huge top bezel & that’s there for a reason. That reason is the array of sensors that are there for Superfast Face Unlock. Moreover, Google has also added a Soli Radar Chip there for motion sensing. Now, unlike last year’s Pixel phones, there is a single front camera so no wide-angle secondary camera on the front.
Since Google’s Pixel phones are known for having great cameras, let’s start talking about the specs by talking about the cameras. On the rear, there is a dual-camera setup. There is a primary 12.2 Megapixel shooter with f/1.7 aperture & 1.4-micron pixel size. There is Dual Pixel AF & Optical + Electronic Image Stabilization. The secondary camera isn’t an ultra-wide-angle unit but rather a 16MP telephoto camera with 2X optical zoom & OIS+EIS.
On the front, there is a single 8MP camera with fixed focus, f/2.0 aperture & 1.22-micron Pixel size.
Talking about those extra sensors, there are IR sensors, Flood Illuminator, DOT Projector, Ambient Light/Proximity Sensor, & the Soli Radar Chip. The radar is used to sense the motion & so you can do various things by just waving your hand over the display, e.g. Navigating through Songs, Snoozing & Silencing the Alarms & calls, & more.
It is worth mentioning that there is no fingerprint scanner on the Pixel 4 series. So, there is Face Unlock for unlocking the phones & it is ridiculously fast. The sides are pressure sensitive, so you can squeeze them to use the Google Assistant.
Talking about the display, both the Google Pixel 4 & Pixel 4 XL feature a 90Hz screen, but the difference is that the Pixel 4 has a 5.7-inch Full HD+ OLED panel whereas the Pixel 4 XL has a 6.3-inch Quad-HD+ OLED panel. There is Dynamic Refresh rate, so the refresh rate automatically changes to 90Hz or 60Hz whenever it is needed or not needed.
Under the hood, there is Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SOC powering both the phones & it is weird that while the Snapdragon 855+ is already out, Google opted for the less powerful version. There is a Titan M security chip as well as Pixel Neural Core. As for storage, both the Google Pixel 4 & Pixel 4 XL feature 6GB LPDDR4X RAM & 64GB or 128GB storage. There is no mention from Google if it is a UFS 3.0 storage, so we are sure it isn’t.
The battery situation is kinda weird. Despite the fact that there is a powerful SOC & a high-refresh-rate screen, Google Pixel 4 has a 2,800mAh battery only. The bigger Pixel 4 XL, however, gets a 3,700mAh unit. Both phone support 18W Fast charging via USB Type-C port & Wireless Charging.
Android 10 runs out of the box. Both phones are IP68 rated as well.
GOOGLE PIXEL 4 & PIXEL 4 XL – PRICING & AVAILABILITY
The Google Pixel 4 & Pixel 4 XL come in three colors named Just Black, Clearly White & Oh So Orange. The pricing is as follows –
Google Pixel 4
- 6GB + 64GB – $799
- 6GB + 128GB – $899
Google Pixel 4 XL
- 6GB + 64GB – $899
- 6GB + 128GB – $999
The phones are up for pre-orders in a lot of regions & you will be able to grab one starting October 21 if you live in Canada or Australia. For those living in the US, the phones would be available to buy from October 22. Due to the 60GHz spectrum licensing issues, Google Pixel 4 series won’t launch in India.