Google announces Pixel 4 & 4XL with face unlock and more, to compete with latest iPhones

At it’s annual Made By Google event today, Google revealed the successors to the Pixel 3 Series – the 4 and XL. These have been known as the most leaked devices in history, so, we know most of what’s new with the phones, but there are some surprises.

Starting at $799 and $899 for 64GB of storage, the Pixel 4 and 4XL come in new colors – black, white and orange, which is a limited edition, Google claims. They’re powered by the Snapdragon 855 and have 6GB RAM. They’ll be running Android 10 as well.

The usual OLED display is as standard, coming in 6.3-inches and 5.7 respectively. However, following OnePlus’ move with the 7 Pro, Google has added a variable refresh rate that can switch between 60Hz and 90Hz (something that Apple is rumored to do with next year’s iPhones).

Following Apple’s move, Google has implemented facial unlock on the front of the Pixels, and it’s said to be very fast. On this note, a new technology called Motion Sense, which uses the Radar Sensor, allows you to control the device with hand gestures, and it works to the point where it will detect if you’re near it and alter your system notification sounds, unlock the phone and perform other relevant actions.

With the iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max, Apple caught up with Google in terms of camera quality and performance. Google hasn’t made any major leaps in camera quality this year, although they’ve added a telephoto portrait lens to go alongside the primary camera. This offers a 2x zoom. However, there’s no ultra-wide, which is featured on the iPhones, and 4K 60fps video recording – so it looks like Apple’s still leading in this.

Additionally, Google announced updated Pixel Buds with an improved design and a $179 price tag. They also released a new Pixelbook – so it looks like a direct take on Apple’s AirPods and MacBook Air.

We’ll be waiting for the day-to-day tests to confirm the improvements that Google has made with the latest lineup of Pixel phones and see a comparison between the latest smartphone cameras.

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Ben Ward

Senior Editor, discussing everything Apple and supporting other writers and members of Apple TLD's team of volunteers.

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