60 PCWorld DECEMBER 2019REVIEWS
T
he Google Pixel 4 XL can lay claim
to the only real smartphone
breakthrough of the year: a
shrunken radar chip that’s so
advanced it can detect when you reach for
your phone so you’ll never have to stare at a
blank screen.
It’s a delightful feature that makes phones
with ambient or always-on displays feel like
they’re stuck in the past. Combined withFace unlock, the Pixel 4’s Motion Sense
technology makes me feel like the phone
anticipates all my moves, and this truly saves
time by limiting how often I need to tap the
screen. Before you even unlock it, the Pixel 4
XL exudes futurity and sets you up for an
experience unlike anything you’ll find on a
Galaxy or iPhone.
Unfortunately, the rest of the Pixel 4’s
innovations are still several software updatesIMAGE: CHRISTOPHER HEBERTPixel 4 XL:
Half great,
half-baked
Google has packed its
newest handset with an array
of cutting-edge tech, but
it falls frustratingly short of
being a great phone.
BY MICHAEL SIMON