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Google Pixel 4: bells and whistles instead of battery power

Google Pixel 4
Google Pixel 4
Google's Pixel 4 exhibited various flaws in our test while at the same time neglecting important smartphone core competences. What good is innovation if the phone cannot even last until the end of the day?

With the Pixel 4 Google attempts to woo customers in with innovative technology, such as touchless gestures or a 90 Hz display. The latter works remarkably well and can definitely be considered a benefit. Touchless gestures, on the other hand, are a whole different story as the novelty factor wore off quite rapidly and we found ourselves never using them in day-to-day situations. Another feature that could have provided major benefits is the Active Edge frame surrounding the display. Unfortunately, it failed to entice us due to lack of flexibility and Google’s neglect to further improve upon it. In addition, other manufacturers have simply integrated this dedicated button for the Google Assistant into their power buttons.

The battery is another mystery, and we were dumbfounded to find out it actually shrank in capacity despite a larger case and larger display. One thing we loved from day one was its dual camera which, unfortunately, was unable to keep up with the likes of Apple, Samsung, and Huawei in low-light situations. At least Google includes a night mode to compensate for this shortcoming. Videos are limited to UHD at 30 Hz, which one the one hand makes sense considering the Pixel’s meager storage configuration but is on the other hand simply not good enough for a smartphone at the Pixel’s price point.

Find out more about the Google Pixel 4 in our detailed review. Google has a lot of homework to do, and we hope to see an improved Pixel 5 smartphone next year that will once again be capable of taking it up with the big guns.

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > Google Pixel 4: bells and whistles instead of battery power
Daniel Schmidt, 2019-11-26 (Update: 2019-12-29)