72 PCWorld DECEMBER 2019REVIEWS GOOGLE PIXEL 4 XL
Google Pixel 4 XL
PROS- Cool features advance Android into a new era.
- The camera is still great, even if competitors have
caught up.
CONS - Flaws and shortcomings undermine new features.
- Battery life is just OK.
- RAM, storage, and design underwhelm for a
premium phone.
BOTTOM LINE
If you absolutely need to have the newest Android
features and want to be on the Pixel’s bleeding
edge, by all means go buy a Pixel 4 XL. Otherwise,
you might want to wait a few updates—or for the
Pixel 5.
$899
Pixel 4, if you’re looking for another
generational leap, you’re going to be
disappointed.BOTTOM LINE
The latest Pixel phone is usually an easy
recommendation, but this year’s phone is a
bit of a conundrum. So here’s my
recommendation: Now is not the time to buy
a Pixel 4.
The Face Unlock and Google Assistant
bugs are too glaring to overlook, and
Motion Sense is in desperate need of new
features. The camera is still one of the best,
but the gap between it and its peers is
practically nonexistent, and its tricks aren’t
nearly as impressive with a second lens.And the specs are
downright blah for a
$900 phone. Even
the Pixel launcher
and the promise of
three years of
Android updates are
less of a reason to
buy, as Samsung ups
its game with One
UI.
The Pixel 4 has
more untapped
potential than any
other phone I’ve
used, but it fails at its
most important
job: being a phone that lives up to its own
hype—and price.Both the Pixel 4 (left) and iPhone 11 (right) brightened this super-dark
nighttime scene, but Apple retains the shadows and spookiness while Google
blows out the ambiance a bit.