ISSUE 68 • ANDROID ADVISOR 43phones since the first Razer Phone – but it remains
one of the single biggest upgrades an Android phone
can get right now.
The company has been vague about how and why
it triggers the 90Hz mode, but enterprising Redditors
figured out that Google’s software only activates
the 90Hz refresh when either display brightness is
above 75 percent or the ambient light is very bright,
presumably on the basis that it’s harder to spot the
refresh rate differences in dimmer light. Don’t be put
off by that though – it honestly is hard to spot the
transition, and at no point in using the phone have I
noticed it drop to 60Hz or thought it felt sluggish.
As for the rest of the display, it’s a 19:9 flexible
FHD+ OLED with HDR support and Ambient EQ
- tech first shown off in the Nest Hub that adjusts
brightness and colour temperature to match ambient
conditions, similar to Apple’s True Tone. Together
with the high refresh rate, the result is a panel that’s
pretty lovely to look at all round, and one of the high
points of the phone.
Verdict
The Pixel 4 packs in a deceptive number of major
hardware changes – the second lens, 90Hz display,
new face unlock, radar sensor, and Neural Core
chip – but each of them comes with some sort of
compromise in performance or usability that holds
them back from their full potential.
Throw in bugs like the lack of support for G Suite
accounts on the new Assistant, or the fact that Face
Unlock works with your eyes shut (not to mention