T3 - UK (2019-12)

iPhones famously get by on less RAM
thanks to software optimisations
going on behind the scenes, but they
are something. In just about every
category you can find a phone that’s
beaten the Pixel 4 this year, which
isn’t a good look for a flagship that’s
launching after every other brand has
had their go.

In sink
The Pixel 4 is fully dust- and
waterproof, with an IP68 rating that
means it can survive for up to 30
minutes in water at a depth of up to
1.5 metres. Wireless charging and fast
charging are here again, same as last
year, and you can use the same Pixel
Stand that launched alongside the
Pixel 3 to turn your phone into a
nightstand display.
Bad news for 3.5mm stalwarts,
because you’ve got USB-C or
Bluetooth for audio: the headphone
jack is gone for good, though the Pixel
4 does also offer a good-quality pair of
stereo speakers. They’re fine for
gaming, podcasts and movies and, at
a push, they’ll do for music as well.
So, let’s now loop quickly back to
the beginning of our review and ask
again: is all of this enough? The likes
of Samsung, Apple and OnePlus have

made substantial steps forward with

their handsets this year. Let’s be fair:

Google has also made progress with

the Pixel 4 in terms of the camera,

Motion Sense, Face Unlock and

integrated AI. But there are some

disappointing misses among the hits.

When it comes to the hardware

design, the internal components and

the battery life, the Pixel 4 is not

much more than satisfactory. If

Google wants what has thus far been

Android’s cornerstone design to

continue to appeal to power users it

needs to go further than a maximum

of 128GB of internal storage with no

memory card support, for example.

Perhaps the excellent Pixel 3a and 3a

XL proved that high-end pixels have

had their day, and that the mid-range

is where the Pixels belong?

Or maybe not. The improvements

just aren’t big enough in comparison

to the rest of the field – it feels as

though Google has lost some ground

this year – but this is still absolutely

the best Pixel handset yet. It takes

the stellar photos that the range has

become known for, and the on board

AI (including Google Assistant)

remains the gold standard that

everyone else needs to beat. Whether

that is enough for you to pick this over

something else will be an entirely

personal thing. The price, we feel, is

right, and the laundry list of reasons

you’d have bought a Pixel in the past

remain ticked off here.

There’s magic in the Pixel 4, but

most of it comes from Google’s

software division using it as a launch

platform for some cool new Android

functionality – if you need that now,

then you need a Pixel 4. If you’re

looking for raw power in your hand,

its souped-up rivals may offer more of

what you’re looking for.

WE’RE IMPRESSED $QRWKHUDPD]LQJFDPHUD

some cool AI tricks; face unlock is speedy.

WE’D IMPROVE Average battery life; ho-hum

design; better specs out there.

THE LAST WORD Loads to love, but perhaps

needed to punch harder given the competition.

VERDICT

Find the best deals for the Google Pixel 4 at:

bit.ly/t3pixel4

DECEMBER 2019 T3 87

Google Pixel 4

The phone can

survive for up to

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metres of water

BEYOND SIGHT

The Pixel 4’s camera array

includes a hyperspectral sensor

which can peer through the

electromagnetic spectrum –

perfect for astronomical shots