APRIL 2020 • TECH ADVISOR 111volume (the Pixel 4 loses its front-firing speakers, which
gave it a serious sound boost last year).
Max decibels
Samsung Galaxy S10+: 100
Google Pixel 4 XL: 98
OnePlus 7T: 97
Apple iPhone 11: 94
Along with their loudness, every handset but the
Pixel 4 boasts Dolby Atmos spatial sound. While
it’sdebatablethatyouactuallyneedDolbyAtmos
supportona phone,it’snicetohave.Supported
musicandmoviesdefinitelyfeelslightlyfuller
(thoughyou’renotgoingtoforgetyou’relisteningona
pair of smartphone speakers).
Winner: Samsung Galaxy S10+
Biometrics
We’re at something of a transitional period when it
comes to biometrics. OnePlus and Samsung replaced
the physical fingerprint sensor with an in-display
scanner, while the iPhone 11 and Pixel 4 XL both use
3D facial recognition. The Galaxy S10+ has a better
scannerthantheOnePlus7T,andtheiPhonetops
thePixel4 XLwithfacialrecognition,butthere’s
moreto the story than that.
The Galaxy phones used to have an iris scanner
in addition to a fingerprint reader, so the in-display
sensor feels like a step backward, especially because
it’s neither as fast nor as reliable as the physical scanner.
Meanwhile, the OnePlus 7T’s scanner is faster than