Google Pixel 4 And Pixel 4 XL With 90Hz Display Available For Preorder Starting At $799 (Hands-On)
Following a barrage of leaks, rumors, and speculation, the Pixel 4 series has now been given a proper unveiling and is available to preorder starting at $799 for the Pixel 4, and $899 for the Pixel 4 XL. And while perhaps lacking in surprises, these look to be enticing smartphone options for the money.
Google Pixel 4 And Pixel 4 XL Specs And Pricing
Let's kick things off with an overview of the pertinent specs. The Pixel 4 arrives with a 5.7-inch FHD+ OLED display (19:9 aspect ratio, 444 ppi) while the Pixel 4 XL goes a little bigger and sharper with a 6.3-inch QHD+ screen (19:9 aspect ratio, 537 ppi), both with a 90Hz refresh rate (gaming phone territory). It's already received an A+ rating from DisplayMate.
The handsets are powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor and 6GB of LPDDR4x memory, paired with 64GB or 128GB of onboard storage. Here's how pricing breaks down for each configuration...
- Google Pixel 4 XL 128GB: $999
- Google Pixel 4 XL 64GB: $899
- Google Pixel 4 128GB: $899
- Google Pixel 4 64GB: $799
While not exactly cheap, pricing is line with the competition, for the hardware involved. As a preorder bonus, Google is tossing in a $100 credit to spend on accessories (or other things) at the Google Store, provided you live in the US.
Google Pixel 4 And Pixel 4 XL Camera Configuration
Smartphones these days are hyper focused on camera performance, and the Pixel 4 series is no exception.
"Pixel 4 brings our largest camera upgrade yet. There are now two cameras on the back of the phone, including a new telephoto lens. When you combine this new hardware feature with our Super Res Zoom software, it gives you exceptional image quality—even from a distance," Google says.
Believe it or not, the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL are the first Pixel handsets to feature dual rear cameras. The primary camera consists of a 16-megapixel sensor with an f/2.4 aperture, 52-degree field of view, optical and electronic image stabilization, spectral + flicker sensor, and autofocus with phase detection.
There's also a 12.2-megapixel wide-angle sensor with f/1.7 aperture, 77-degree field of view, optical and electronic image stabilization, and autofocus with dual pixel phase detection.
Around front, there is an 8-megapixel sensor with an f/2.0 aperture and 90-degree field of view. Check out our quick video nickle tour for more hands-on action...
As previously rumored, Night Sight takes residence on the Pixel 4 family for capturing twilight photos, such as stars and even the Milky Way, Google says. Also assisting the rear cameras are a handful of features, such as learning-based white balancing, a wider-range portrait mode, and live HDR+ in the viewfinder, with dual exposure controls.
The software is just as important as the hardware. In fact, Google referred to the Pixel 4 as a "software defined camera," noting that it's powered by a Neural Core for motion and face tracking (as well as other kinds of tracking), and to adjust the exposure, focus, and other details that are crucial to capturing the perfect snapshot.
This is where the dual exposure comes into play. Separate sliders will along a user to lighten the subject and darken the background, or vice versa, which can come in handy when taking pictures in sunlight.
Google Pixel 4 And Pixel 4 XL Wrapped Up
Google Pixel 4 XL
Google Pixel 4
Also as previously confirmed, the Pixel 4 series introduces gesture control with Motion Sense. There is actually a miniature radar sensor implanted in the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL to detect movement around your phone.
"It can sense when you’re reaching for the phone and will initiate face unlock, or turn off your screen when you’re not around. New Quick Gestures let you skip songs when you don’t want to pick up your phone. Just wave your hand to snooze alarms, dismiss timers, or silence your phone ringer. Motion Sense is enabled everywhere Pixel 4 is sold, except in Japan where it's coming soon," Google says.
In addition, Google claims deeper integration of its Assistant makes it faster and more responsive. Part of that entails "breakthroughs in speech processing" to having to send certain requests to the cloud.
Finally, Google expanded its partner lineup to include AT&T, C Spire, Cellcom, Google Fi, Spectrum Mobile (Charter), Charter, T-Mobile, US Cellular, Verizon, Visible, and Xfinity Mobile (Comcast). You can preorder the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL now in Clearly White, Just Black, and a limited edition Oh So Orange. The phones ship on October 24.
