This smartphone can be directed, but only a little bit: The Pixel 4 and the Pixel 4 XL are Google's first devices that recognize the user's gestures using a radar chip and thus enable a non-contact operation. This could be helpful in the kitchen, for example, if you do not have a hand free, but still want to skip a song while listening to music.
But how does the technology that the company has researched for five years actually do in practice?
That is quickly told. Motion Sense, as Google calls the gesture control, is currently very limited. You can mute alarms and calls by holding your hand over the phone. In many music apps you can also jump from one song to the next with a swipe in the air. That's it.
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Pixel 4 in the test: This can be the new Google phoneAfter all, Motion Sense works quite reliably, as long as one gestures clearly enough and does not remove his hand more than 20 to 30 centimeters from the screen. The benefits are limited. In this respect, one should understand what is offered rather as a "sneak preview". Google has announced that it will deliver additional features via update.
Face recognition detects even in sleep
The Radarchip also contributes to the fact that Google's face recognition to unlock the Pixel 4 is particularly fast. Namely, it registers when the hand approaches the device to grasp and prepares the face recognition before. In addition, Google's solution makes it pleasant to see the last opened view immediately. A swipe on the screen is not necessary, unlike the iPhone and most other smartphones.
Unpleasant is the fact that Google's Face Unlock - unlike Apple's face recognition - so far works even if the owner has closed his eyes. As a security feature, the function is therefore hardly to use until Google turns off this behavior by updating. But good, another manufacturer installed in his upper-class smartphones fingerprint sensors that simply accept any finger, if you happen to use a screen protector, that's even more embarrassing.
The camera: upper class
After several dozen test photos, we find that Google's camera or Google's software sometimes gets along better with dark, sometimes worse than the iPhone 11 Pro. We could not choose a clear winner.
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Google's promise that Pixel 4 could photograph the starry sky in a quality unprecedented for smartphones, we could not verify. It was mostly lacking on starry nights, and when it was cloudless, the lights of the city disturbed, as our target-actual comparison shows:
Astrophotography with the pixel 4 - target and actual
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Selfies succeed with the Pixel 4 against it outstanding. Especially the simulation of a bokeh effect works better than the competition. Where the iPhone sometimes includes hair in its blur, Google's software leaves hairstyles mostly untouched. Only a wide angle function, useful for group seelfies, we have missed.
Like the unlimited online storage that Google has given away with previous Pixel phones. Unlike the models up to the pixel 3 one can not save its recordings for free in original quality online. Instead, the same applies to pixel 4 as with pixel 3a, that the photos can only be uploaded "in high quality" in unlimited numbers. However, this option is available to any Android user, regardless of the device used. With a maximum of 128 gigabytes of memory in the device that's a disadvantage.
The display: fast and beautiful
To make it short: The presentation quality is outstanding. Colors shine powerfully, without appearing unnatural, contrasts are strong, the resolution is so high that even fine details in photos and drawings are clearly visible. Thanks to its very good black display, the screen is also a lot of fun to watch dark movies and space epics.
Especially games can benefit from the fact that the refresh rate can be up to 90 Hz. This looks great, but it costs a lot of energy. Normally, Google will reduce the display to 60 Hz.
Automatic subtitles and transcriptions
Two of the best features currently only work in English: The App Recorder can transcribe conversations while recording. A 45-minute interview conducted in English was translated by the app with an acceptable error rate. Although she gets along with technical terms rather badly and can not distinguish between different speakers - Google is working on it - for the transcript is searchable directly in the app.
Similarly, the function "Automatic subtitles" works. It can generate music and videos automatically and in real-time subtitles - unfortunately only in English. But that works quite well and makes it possible, for example, to watch videos from any source without sound.
Matthias Kremp / THE MIRROR
With the automatic subtitles you can watch "Last Week Tonight" in the subway even if you forget to pack your headphones.
A German version of the underlying language model Google wants to submit by update. Whether it works just as well and thus makes paid transcription software obsolete, then has to show another test. It is important that the transcription works offline. So recorded conversations do not even land on Google servers, remain private.
Different battery life
So far, we can only say so much about the battery life: The Pixel 4 XL has after six hours of playing a 4K video in full-screen mode and at maximum display brightness still slightly more than half of its charge capacity left - a good value. The smaller pixel 4 looks different. After a few days of testing, we can only attest to his average endurance. The shrunken in comparison to the pixel 3 battery is likely to have its share of it, although Google controls the power consumption according to their own information now smarter.
But the charging is done quickly. From 0 to 100 percent charge capacity needed the Pixel 4 XL with the included power adapter 90 minutes. Optionally, you can also load both models wirelessly. This takes longer but is more comfortable.
Orange only in the small version
Nice, the Pixel 4 is really not guessed. On the back, it resembles the iPhone 11 with the large, protruding camera module, which not everyone should understand as praise. On the front, the comparatively thick black bars are visible above and below the display. Not that the absurdly large Notch in the previous model was prettier, but the new approach does not seem contemporary.
The case colors black and white are also no eye-catcher. For the black version, we recommend to order a case, because the glossy back really attracts fingerprints. The pretty orange version is available only with a meager 64 gigabytes of memory and not in the XL version.
Conclusion
The Pixel 4 is actually a preview version. It damn well damn good. Ironically, what makes it unique, seems unfinished: the non-contact control. Otherwise, it plays in the upper class, with its photo quality can easily compete with the top models of Apple, Samsung and Huawei, sometimes even surpass them.
With 749 euros and 899 euros, however, are already the basic versions with 64 GB of storage is no bargain. The urgently needed doubling of the memory to 128 GB can be paid by Google, each with 100 €.
Background: Product tests in the network world department
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