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Google added a 2X optically zoomed lens to the Pixel 4 , and as a result, you get great 2X zoomed photos. But Google has seemed proud of what the Pixel 4's zoomed lens can do when you zoom further than 2X, where the phone starts using software-based digital zooming.
Indeed, the Pixel 4's digital zooming is better than what I've seen on other phones, but photos with digital zoom still look like photos with digital zoom — there's still some blotchiness and detail smoothing. I wouldn't use the Pixel 4's digital zooming to capture anything meaningful. Could you image wider Pixel-quality photos that captures more scenery, colors, and details? Unfortunately, imagining how good ultra-wide Pixel 4 photos would look like is all we can do, since the Pixel 4 doesn't have an ultra-wide camera.
It's a shame that the Pixel 4 doesn't have an ultra-wide lens like some of its biggest competitors — it means the Pixel 4 is a less versatile smartphone for taking photos than other recent smartphones, like the iPhone 11 , Galaxy S10 , and OnePlus 7T. Adding salt to the ultra-wide wound, Pixel 4 owners don't get the free, unlimited Google Photos storage at the "original quality" setting anymore, like Pixel owners did up until the Pixel 4.
With the Pixel 4, you get free, unlimited storage at Google Photo's "high quality" option, which is still great. It's actually hard to tell the difference between "original" and "high quality," but still, it's a demotion. The astrophotography mode on the Pixel 4 captured the night sky amazingly well.
At the same time, my night sky is a little boring, and I'd imagine most night skies are pretty boring, too. I think you need to be at a location that's directly under the Milky Way, or somewhere that's absolutely pitch black with no noise pollution, to take photos that look good and interesting. Otherwise, astrophotos, at least mine, look somewhat boring.
No one should have expected Google to reintroduce a headphone jack into the Pixel 4 after ditching it with the Pixel 2. Nowadays, removing the headphone jack is pretty much standard, and I can't accuse Google of being unhelpful for this. If you have a traditional pair of wired headphones and you unbox the Pixel 4, you will not have anything you need to listen to music on your new Pixel 4. The company surely wants you to buy its wireless audio solution to listen to music on the Pixel 4 — the Pixel Buds 2.
But get this: they're not even coming out until next year. So either you're stuck with buying the extremely poorly reviewed original Pixel Buds, Google's USB-C wired earbuds, or your own choice of wireless Bluetooth headphones. So far, there have been no issues worth reporting. The adaptive 90Hz screen contributes a great deal to the Pixel 4's overall impression as a fast and powerful smartphone.
It's purely aesthetic yet surprisingly noticeable and meaningful compared to 60Hz phone screens, like the iPhone 11 series and Galaxy S For reference, the more "Hz" a screen has, the more frames per second it can display. More frames per second means smoother animations.
The 3,mAh battery in the Pixel 4 XL will see you through the day, but not as comfortably as other smartphones. I haven't heard great things about the smaller battery in the smaller Pixel 4, either. With that in mind, it would have been good to see some of the faster 25W-plus charging technologies we've seen in Samsung and OnePlus phones instead of the 18W charger that comes with the Pixel 4. That way, should the Pixel 4's battery life start to cause concern, a quick charge would help settle some nerves. Is it the radar, then? With the seamless unlocking and swiping away the brutal morning alarm?
Or perhaps it's getting Android updates as soon as they roll out?
Maybe the 90Hz screen? It's up to you whether that stuff makes up for some of the shortcomings on the Pixel 4. I don't mind the design, I can live with the mediocre battery life, I have my own Bluetooth headphones already, and I barely store anything on my phones as everything is in the cloud, so the 64 GB base storage isn't an issue. The supreme performance of the Pixel 4's camera helps make up for the lack of an ultra-wide lens, but it still stings.
I do really like the Motion Sense stuff, as it's helpful in small, meaningful ways. I'd say, sure, consider it. Get the latest Google stock price here. Account icon An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders. It often indicates a user profile. Login Subscribe. My Account. World globe An icon of the world globe, indicating different international options. Coronavirus Live Coverage. Antonio Villas-Boas. The Pixel 4's design is unimpressive, but that's because it's useful. The Pixel 4's unimpressive design enables radar-powered features like Motion Sense that makes unlocking the Pixel 4 the best unlocking experience on a smartphone so far.
Phone-makers have experimented with motion control for years, using the camera sensor to know where you are and interpret what it is you want to do hands-free, like swipe through photos in a gallery and switch tracks in a music app. Some, like the LG G8 , have even concocted elaborate motions to launch certain apps by pinching your fingers into a bird's beak, or adjust audio by miming a turn of a dial. The missing ingredient in these clunky earlier tests, at least according to Google, is radar, which the company hopes will make motion sense quick and convenient to use when it comes to your phone knowing where you are.
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Before we get into anything else, know that radar isn't the same as face unlock. Google Motion Sense understands when you're reaching for the Pixel 4 and lights up the screen, bracing for your face to come into range and do the rest. But that's all the radar-fueled chip inside does. The sensor, which Google calls Soli, isn't actually scanning your mug to make sure you're really you. We're not sure how many dots are being projected onto your face we asked , but it's this depth map that does the actual unlocking. Motion Sense just speeds up the process so you don't have to swipe to unlock the phone, or even pick it up to trigger raise-to-wake.
Motion Sense can detect your presence, if you're reaching for the phone and gestures that have you decisively swipe left or right with your hand. With Motion Sense enabled, you can:. Google chose radar for Motion Sense, rather than relying on the camera to "see" you, because of its longer range and low use of power. Radar uses radio waves to sniff out the size, location and proximity of objects.
While you can turn off any of the Motion Sense features on the Pixel 4 individually or all together , if Motion Sense is enabled, it's always detecting you. Google says that its technology uses a 60GHz radio frequency, doesn't travel very far and has passed all requisite safety requirements. This is how Google visualizes the Pixel 4's Soli radar sensor to detect your presence and motion. The Pixel 4's chip has a degree field of view, which means that it has spatial awareness everywhere in front of it and off to the sides.
In terms of depth -- how far in front of the phone it's sensing -- a Google rep told me that it's looking at least 0. Radar, too, isn't distinct enough to pick up a detailed picture of your hands or face, for example. The Soli sensor is tuned to look for blobs of mass and motion, not people.
The company's keeping quiet about future plans, including if it will add a radar sensor to the back of the phone as well. A rep did say, however, that Google could potentially use Soli's ambient awareness to boost your productivity on the phone and build out a larger gesture vocabulary.