46 TECH ADVISOR • FEBRUARY 2020REVIEW
S10+. And while we’re at it, why is Google still charging
£100 for an extra 64GB of storage? Even Apple charges
half that.
Somewhat surprisingly, Google shines in its new
display game. Pixel phones have had long-standing
issues with their screens, from OLED burn-in to flat
colours, but the Pixel 4 XL is the first to get it right. It’s
still not quite as bright as the Note 10+ or as vibrant
as the iPhone 11 Pro, but the display on the Pixel 4 XL
is easily the best Google has delivered. The blacks are
deeper and the colours are more vibrant than the Pixel
3, and the oleophobic smudges that plagued earlier
models are nowhere to be seen (so far, anyway). And
I really liked the new Ambient EQ feature that adjusts
the white balance based on the light in the room.
Similar to Apple’s True Tone display, it makes the screen
much easier on the eyes without the often jarring auto
brightness adjustments.
Google’s handset also introduces Smooth Display,
which ups the refresh rate to 90Hz for smoother and
speedier scrolling and swiping. It’s one of only a few
devices to boast such a feature, but the difference here
isn’t as immediately obvious over the Pixel 3 or even
switching between 60- or 90Hz in the settings. That’s
somewhat due to the Pixel’s natural hardware-software
integration, but it’s also because it actually only turn
on if your brightness is set to greater than 75 percent,
another limitation that Google fails to advertise. Still,
there were times when I honestly couldn’t tell whether
Smooth Display was on or off, even when the phone
was at max brightness. Google says it will be updating
Smooth Display “in the coming weeks”. For now it’s just46 TECH ADVISOR • FEBRUARY 2020REVIEW
S10+.Andwhilewe’reatit,whyis Googlestillcharging
£100for an extra 64GB of storage? Even Apple charges
half that.
Somewhat surprisingly, Google shines in its new
display game. Pixel phones have had long-standing
issues with their screens, from OLED burn-in to flat
colours, but the Pixel 4 XL is the first to get it right. It’s
still not quite as bright as the Note 10+ or as vibrant
as the iPhone 11 Pro, but the display on the Pixel 4 XL
is easily the best Google has delivered. The blacks are
deeper and the colours are more vibrant than the Pixel
3, and the oleophobic smudges that plagued earlier
models are nowhere to be seen (so far, anyway). And
I really liked the new Ambient EQ feature that adjusts
the white balance based on the light in the room.
Similar to Apple’s True Tone display, it makes the screen
much easier on the eyes without the often jarring auto
brightness adjustments.
Google’s handset also introduces Smooth Display,
which ups the refresh rate to 90Hz for smoother and
speedier scrolling and swiping. It’s one of only a few
devices to boast such a feature, but the difference here
isn’t as immediately obvious over the Pixel 3 or even
switching between 60- or 90Hz in the settings. That’s
somewhat due to the Pixel’s natural hardware-software
integration, but it’s also because it actually only turn
on if your brightness is set to greater than 75 percent,
another limitation that Google fails to advertise. Still,
there were times when I honestly couldn’t tell whether
Smooth Display was on or off, even when the phone
was at max brightness. Google says it will be updating
Smooth Display “in the coming weeks”. For now it’s just