Kshitij PujariOct 15, 2019 21:27:18 IST
Google's latest flagship called the Pixel 4-series has been announced alongside the new Pixel Buds, new Nest devices and more. The Pixel 4 and 4 XL will start at $799 and $899 respectively and will start go on pre-order from 24 October. Obviously both devices are ultra-premium flagships which will compete alongside the iPhone 11 Pro (Review), Galaxy Note 10 Plus (Review), and also the OnePlus 7T Pro.
Pixel 4.
The Pixel 4 comes with a The Pixel 4 has a 5.7-inch full HD+ display while the Pixel 4 XL comes with a 6.3-inch Quad HD+ display. Both the displays have an OLED panel and are called “Smooth display”, indicating a 90 Hz refresh rate which was seen also on the OnePlus 7T (Review).
Both the phones are powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chipset although quite a few devices now have the Snapdragon 855+. The phones have 6 GB and 8 GB of RAM along with 64 GB and 128 GB of internal storage. As far as optics go, both the phones sport 12 MP and 16 MP camera sensors on the back while there 8 MP sensor that supports 1080p video recording.
With this amount of hardware, the new Pixel 4 lineup has the competition on paper with other ultra flagships is going to be quite tasty. Keep in mind that we have not reviewed the device as it has not gone on sale as of yet which means that this comparison is not drawing any final verdict as of now.
| Smartphone | Pixel 4 XL | OnePlus 7T Pro | Apple iPhone 11 Pro | Huawei P30 Pro | Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus |
| Display Size (inch) | 6.3 | 6.67 | 5.8 | 6.47 | 6.8 |
| Resolution (pixels) | 1440 x 3120 | 1440 x 3120 | 1125 x 2436 | 1080 x 2340 | 1440 x 3040 |
| Display Type | OLED | Fluid AMOLED | OLED | OLED | Dynamic AMOLED |
| Weight (gm) | 193 | 206 | 188 | 192 | 198 |
| Dual SIM | Yes | Yes | Yes, eSIM | Yes | Yes |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ | A13 Bionic | HiSilicon Kirin 980 | Exynos 9826 |
| CPU Cores | Octa-core | Octa-core | Octa-core | Octa-core | Octa-core |
| RAM | 6 GB | 8/12 GB | 4 GB | 8 GB | 13 GB |
| Ruggedness | IP68 dust/water resistant | Splashproof | IP68 dust/water resistant | IP68 dust/water resistant | IP68 dust/water resistant |
| Internal storage | 64, 128 GB | 256 GB | 128/256/512 GB | 128/256/512 GB | 256/512 GB |
| Expandable Memory | No | No | No | Yes, up to 256 GB | Yes, up to 1 TB |
| Camera Array | Dual camera | Triple camera | Triple camera | Quad camera | Quad camera |
| Primary camera | 12 MP, f/1.7 + 16 MP, f/2.4 | 48 MP, f/1.6 (primary) + 16 MP, f/2.2 (ultrawide) + 8 MP, f/2.4 (telephoto) | 12 MP, f/1.8 + 12 MP, f/2.0 + 12 MP , f/2,4 | 40 MP, f/1.8; 20 MP, f/2.2, 8 MP, f/3.4 and 3D TOF | 13 MP, f/1.5-1.8-2.4 (primary), 12 MP, f/2.1 (telephoto), 16 MP, f/2.2 (ultrawide) and TOF 3D |
| Secondary Camera | 8 MP, f/2.3 | Motorised pop-up 16 MP, f/2.2 | 12 MP, f/2.2 | 32 MP, f2.2 | 11 MP, f/2.2 |
| OS Version | Android 10 | Android 10/OxygenOS | iOS 13 | Android 9.0 Pie | Android 9.0 Pie/ One UI |
| Fingerprint Scanner | No | Yes, In-display | No | Yes, in-display | Yes, In-display |
| Battery (mAh) | 3,700 | 4,085 | 3,046 | 4,200 | 4,300 |
| Fast charging | Yes | Yes, 30 W Warp Charge 30T | Yes, 18 W | Yes | Yes, 45 W |
| Colors | Just Black, Clearly White, Oh So Orange | Haze Blue, McLaren Edition | Gold, Space Grey, Silver, Midnight Green | Aurora, Amber Sunrise, Breathing Crystal, Black, Pearl White | Aura Glow, Aura White, Aura Black, Aura Blue |
| Prices in India | Starts at $799 | Starts at Rs 53,999 | Starts at Rs 99,900 | Starting at Rs 71,990 | Starts at Rs 79,999 |
What we can make out from the specs of the Pixel 4 is that it is offering some tight competition to other flagships. When seeing the performance metrics we see that the OnePlus 7T Pro houses Snapdragon 855+ chipset while the Samsung Note 10 Plus has an Exynos 9820 chipset and Pixel 4 has a normal Snapdragon 855. Apple is still king in the processing department with its A13 chipset although we will have to test it out to be completely sure.
The camera department is something which the Pixel devices are all too familiar with. The camera prowess over the years mastered by the Pixel lineup has been matched by Apple and Samsung in its latest flagships although OnePlus is still behind. Even so, the Pixel lineup still lacks the ultra-wide sensor which all of the competing devices have and has instead gone for a telephoto setup. There are, however, numerous new camera features which will certainly be of interest when we review the phone.
In terms of display, the Pixel 4 XL comes with a QHD+ AMOLED panel which has a higher 90 Hz refresh rate than the Note 10 and iPhone 11 Pro but equal to the OnePlus 7T Pro. A higher refresh rate does put the Pixel ahead of the Note 10 and iPhone 11 Pro but Samsung flagship does come with the most colour accurate display while the latest iPhone 11 Pro has a stupendous peak brightness. A full review will let us know how good the Pixel 4's display really is in comparison.
Battery-wise, we spot that Google Pixel 4 XL has a 3,700 mAh, which is just about to comparable to the OnePlus 7T Pro and iPhone 11 Pro although the Note 10 Plus pulls ahead with the 4,300 mAh cell with a mind-boggling 45W fast-charging capabilities. How well will the Pixel 4 XL perform in front of the competition? For a final and definitive answer on this question we will review of the device by putting it through its paces. Stay tuned for it!
