This morning Google unveiled its latest smartphones, the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL, at an event in New York. And while details like tech specs and design had been comprehensively leaked beforehand, what's surprising is the volume of new features and ideas packed in.
With significant changes to the display and camera, totally new sensors on the front and additional smart AI tricks on top of the expected increase in RAM and processing power, this is Google's most ambitious mobile upgrade yet. I'll need a lot more hands on time to determine how it all works in the real world (in fact so far I've only handled the phone briefly at Google's demo "playground" following a demo and Q&A), but here are the five things that grabbed my attention.
The Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL debut a lot of new hardware and software features.
It's another very kitschy Google phone
Google’s Pixel phones have always had a divisive look. They don’t go in for the glass waterfall or magical window aesthetic of other flagship phones, and their big chins and flat finishes have led some to label them “ugly”. But personally I think they look a bit nerdy and cute, like playful pocket computers.
The Pixel 4 follows on from prior models in this way, with a flat coloured body and chunky camera bump around back, and a reduced lower bezel and big forehead at the front. There is a new black band around the edges that gives a nice pop to the white and limited edition orange models, and makes for a really nice grip if you're using it sans case.
There’s no display notch at all this time, just that big upper bezel, and that’s partly because there’s a lot of tech hiding up there alongside the selfie camera.
The white and orange versions of the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL stand out with black accents.Credit:Bloomberg
Face unlock is very fast
First and foremost in that upper array is a bunch of gear to power an iPhone-style face unlock. From my demo, the most notable thing here seems to be that it is much faster than Apple’s solution.
When you pick up and look at the phone, the screen turns on and you’re staring at whatever you were doing with it last. There’s no lock screen, no swiping, no tapping; it’s on and ready before you have a chance to put your thumb near the glass.
This pic, supplied by Google, was taken with a Pixel 4.
The Google Assistant can now do much more on the phone without needing an internet connection and is quick and smart enough to work across multiple apps and contexts. No matter what you're doing, you can ask for a specific user on Instagram or photos you took in a specific location. You could also ask to take a screenshot or selfie, then ask to send it to a specific contact. In the demo, each task took less than two seconds. There's also a new recorder app that transcribes your (English) recordings in real time, without an internet connection.
In the camera, the HDR+ algorithm (which combines multiple exposures so you don't lose detail in highlights or shadows) now works in real time. That means before you've even taken the photo you can adjust two sliders independently to make sure the pic is exposed how you want. Night Mode has also been improved, with the promise that if you keep the phone steady (but not necessarily on a tripod), you can get detailed photos of the night sky. Obviously, while taking photos of the objects inside a dark box at Google's event proved to me that Night Mode still works, I'm very keen to see how it all goes in the great outdoors.
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