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Google Pixel 4 and 4 XL review: The biggest upgrade Google has delivered so far

By Koh Wanzi - 24 Nov 2019

Performance & battery life

Benchmark performance

The Pixel 4's specs are pretty much par for the course for a flagship phone in 2019, although they can hardly be described as class-leading. For one, there are already phones with the newer Snapdragon 855+ processor, such as the OnePlus 7T, but the Pixel 4 is still using the Snapdragon 855, which was announced in late 2018.

Compared to the Snapdragon 845, the Snapdragon 855 is supposed to deliver a 45 per cent improvement in CPU performance and a 20 per cent boost to GPU speeds with the Adreno 640. It's built on the TSMC's 7nm process and features a total of eight cores in the following arrangement:

  • Performance cluster: 3 Kryo 485 cores (Cortex A76-based) up to 2.42GHz
  • Low-power cluster: 4 Kryo 385 cores (Cortex A55-based) up to 1.8GHz
  • "Prime" cluster: 1 Kryo 485 core (Cortex A76-based) up to 2.84GHz

This configuration is based on ARM's DynamIQ cluster technology, and it's slightly different from the older big.LITTLE design, allowing for individual cores to be better tailored to more specific performance requirements. 

There's 6GB of LPDDR4X RAM, but the Samsung Galaxy Note10 and Huawei Mate 30 Pro both come with 8GB. Meanwhile, the Galaxy Note10+ and select models of the OnePlus 7 Pro have 12GB. The point is that the Pixel 4 looks like it's lagging behind on paper, even if day-to-day operation still feels buttery smooth. On top of that, there's the problem of storage, and the phone comes in only 64GB and 128GB flavours.

Pixel 4 and 4 XL specs
  Google Pixel 4 (64GB) Google Pixel 4 XL (64GB) Apple iPhone 11 (256GB) Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max (512GB) Samsung Galaxy Note10+ (256GB) Samsung Galaxy S10+ (512GB) Google Pixel 3 XL (64GB) Huawei P30 Pro OnePlus 7 Pro (12GB/256GB) Oppo Reno 10x Zoom
  Google Pixel 4 (64GB) Google Pixel 4 XL (64GB) Apple iPhone 11 (256GB) Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max (512GB) Samsung Galaxy Note10+ (256GB) Samsung Galaxy S10+ (512GB) Google Pixel 3 XL (64GB) Huawei P30 Pro OnePlus 7 Pro (12GB/256GB) Oppo Reno 10x Zoom
Operating system
  • Android 10
  • Android 10
  • iOS 13
  • iOS 13
  • Android 9.0 Pie with Samsung One UI
  • Android 9.0 Pie with Samsung One UI
  • Android 9.0 Pie
  • Android 9.0 with EMUI 9.1
  • Android 9.0 with Oxygen OS
  • ColorOS 6, based on Android 9 Pie
Processor
  • Snapdragon 855
  • Snapdragon 855
  • Apple A13 Bionic
  • Apple A13 Bionic
  • Samsung Exynos 9825 octa-core (2x2.73 GHz Mongoose M4 & 2x2.4 GHz Cortex-A75 & 4x1.9 GHz Cortex-A55)
  • Samsung Exynos 9820 8nm octa-core (2x2.7 GHz Mongoose M4 & 2x2.3 GHz Cortex-A75 & 4x1.9 GHz Cortex-A55)
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
  • Hisilicon Kirin 980 octa-core (2 x 2.6GHz Cortex-A76 & 2 x 1.92GHz Cortex-A76 & 4 x 1.8GHz Cortex-A55)
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Octa-core (1x2.84 GHz Kryo 485 & 3x2.42 GHz Kryo 485 & 4x1.8 GHz Kryo 485) with Adreno 640 GPU
Built-in Memory
  • 6GB LPDDR4X
  • 6GB LPDDR4X
  • 4GB
  • 6GB
  • 12GB RAM
  • 8GB RAM
  • 4GB RAM
  • 8GB RAM
  • 12GB RAM
  • 8GB RAM
Display
  • 5.7-inch flexible OLED
  • 2280 x 1080 pixels
  • 444ppi
  • 6.3-inch flexible OLED
  • 3040 x 1440 pixels
  • 537ppi
  • Liquid Retina IPS LCD display
  • 1,792 x 828 pixels
  • 326ppi
  • 6.5-inch Super Retina XDR display
  • 2,688 x 1,242 pixels
  • 458ppi
  • 6.8-inch / 3,040 x 1,440 pixels (498 ppi) / 19:9 ratio / Dynamic AMOLED Infinity-O Display
  • Always-On Display
  • 6.4-inch / 3,040 x 1,440 pixels (526 ppi) / 19:9 ratio / Dynamic AMOLED Infinity-O Display
  • Always-On Display
  • 6.3-inch / 2,960 x 1,440 pixels (523 ppi) / flexible OLED Display
  • Always-On Display
  • 6.47-inches 2,340 x 1,080 pixels (398 ppi) OLED 19.5:9 ratio
  • Always-On Display
  • 6.67-inch / 3120 x 1440 pixels (516ppi) / 19.5:9 ratio / Fluid AMOLED
  • 6.6-inch / 2,340 x 1,080 pixels (387 ppi) / 19.5:9 ratio / AMOLED Display
Camera
  • Rear:
  • 12.2 MP, f/1.7, 28mm (wide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, PDAF, OIS + EIS
  • 16 MP, f/2.4, 45mm (telephoto), 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS + EIS, 2x optical zoom
  • Front:
  • 8 MP, f/2.0, 22mm (wide), 1.22µm, no AF
  • Rear:
  • 12.2 MP, f/1.7, 28mm (wide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, PDAF, OIS + EIS
  • 16 MP, f/2.4, 45mm (telephoto), 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS + EIS, 2x optical zoom
  • Front:
  • 8 MP, f/2.0, 22mm (wide), 1.22µm, no AF
  • Rear:
  • 12 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, PDAF, OIS
  • 12 MP, f/2.4, 13mm (ultrawide)
  • Front:
  • 12 MP, f/2.2
  • Rear:
  • 12 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, PDAF, OIS
  • 12 MP, f/2.0, 52mm (telephoto), 1/3.4", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 2x optical zoom
  • 12 MP, f/2.4, 13mm (ultrawide)
  • Front:
  • 12 MP, f/2.2
  • Rear: 12-megapixel f/1.5-2.4, 26mm wide + 12-megapixel f/2.1, 52mm telephoto, 2x optical zoom + 16-megapixel, f/2.2, 12mm ultrawide, TOF 3D VGA camera
  • Front: 10-megapixel, f/2.2, 26mm (wide),Dual Pixel PDAF
  • Rear: Triple 12-megapixel dual f/1.5 and 2.4, 26mm wide + 12-megapixel f/2.4, 52mm telephoto, 2x optical zoom + 16-megapixel, f/2.2, 12mm ultrawide
  • Front: Dual 10-megapixel, f/1.9 + 8-megapixel, f/2.2 depth sensor
  • Rear: 12.2-megapixel, f/1.8, OIS, phase detection & laser autofocus, dual-LED flash
  • Front: 8-megapixel, f/1.8; 8-megapixel wide-angle, f/2.2
  • Rear: Quad: 40-megapixel f/1.6 wide with SuperSpectrum sensor, 20-megapixel f/2.2 ultra wide, 8-megapixel f/3.4 telephoto lens with 5x optical zoom and 10x Hybrid zoom, and Time-of-Flight (ToF) 3D lens
  • Front: 32-megapixel, f/2.0
  • Rear:48 MP, f/1.6, (wide), 1/2", 0.8µm, PDAF, Laser AF, OIS
  • 8 MP, f/2.4, 78mm (telephoto), 3x zoom, PDAF, Laser AF, OIS
  • 16 MP, f/2.2, 13mm (ultrawide)
  • Front:Motorized pop-up 16 MP, f/2.0, 25mm (wide), 1/3.0", 1.0µm
  • Rear: 48 MP, f/1.7, 26mm, Periscope 13 MP, f/3.0, 160mm (telephoto), 5x optical zoom, 8 MP, f/2.2, 16mm (ultrawide)
  • Front: 16-megapixel, f/2.0
Video Support
  • Rear:
  • 1080p @ 30 FPS, 60 FPS, 120 FPS
  • 720p @ 240 FPS
  • 4K @ 30 FPS
  • Front:
  • 1080p @ 30 FPS
  • Rear:
  • 1080p @ 30 FPS, 60 FPS, 120 FPS
  • 720p @ 240 FPS
  • 4K @ 30 FPS
  • Front:
  • 1080p @ 30 FPS
Connectivity
  • Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz + 5 GHz 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 2x2 MIMO
  • Bluetooth 5.0
  • A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO
  • Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz + 5 GHz 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 2x2 MIMO
  • Bluetooth 5.0
  • A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO
  • Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax/ac/n/b/g/n/a)
  • Bluetooth 5.0
  • A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS
  • Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax/ac/n/b/g/n/a)
  • Bluetooth 5.0
  • A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS
  • Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 + 5GHz), 4G+ LTE Cat 18 (up to 1200Mbps), Bluetooth 5.0, VHT80, MIMO (2x2), GPS, GLONASS, NFC, Screen Mirroring
  • Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax (2.4 + 5GHz), 4G+ LTE Cat 20 (up to 2000Mbps), Bluetooth 5.0, VHT80, MIMO (2x2), GPS, GLONASS, NFC, Screen Mirroring
  • Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 + 5GHz), 4G+ LTE Cat 15 (up to 800Mbps), Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, GLONASS, NFC
  • Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, 4G+ LTE-A (3CA) Cat 21 (up to 1400Mbps), dual-band, hotspot, DLNA, Bluetooth v5, A2DP, LE, GPS, GLONASS, USB 3.1 Type-C
  • Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, hotspot ,Bluetooth v5, NFC, 4G LTE Cat 18 (up to 1.2Gbps)
  • Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac , dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot, Bluetooth 5.0, A2DP, EDR, LE, aptX HD, dual-band A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO, QZSS, NFC
Storage Type
  • 64GB internal storage
  • 64GB internal storage
  • 256GB internal storage
  • 512GB internal storage
  • 256GB internal storage
  • microSD expansion (up to 1TB)
  • 512GB internal storage
  • 512GB (MicroSD)
  • 64GB internal storage
  • 256GB internal storage
  • Huawei Nano Memory expansion (up to 256GB)
  • 256GB
  • 256GB internal storage;
Battery
  • 2,800mAh lithium-ion
  • 3,700mAh lithium-ion
  • 3,110mAh lithium-ion
  • 3,500mAh lithium-ion
  • 4,300mAh
  • Samsung Super Fast Charging
  • Wireless charging
  • 4,100mAh
  • 15W Samsung Adaptive Fast Charging
  • 15W Fast Wireless charging
  • 9W Reverse Wireless charging
  • 3,430mAh
  • Fast Charging
  • 4,200mAh
  • 40W Huawei SuperCharge
  • 15W Huawei Wireless Quick Charge (Qi wireless charging)
  • Reverse wireless charging
  • 4,000mAh
  • Warp Charge 30 Fast Charging
  • 4,065mAh
  • VOOC Flash Charge
Dimensions
  • 147.1 x 68.8 x 8.2 mm
  • 160.4 x 75.1 x 8.2 mm
  • 150.9 x 75.7 x 8.3mm
  • 158 x 77.8 x 8.1
  • 162.3 x 77.2 x 7.9 mm
  • 157.6 x 74.1 x 7.8 mm
  • 158 x 76.7 x 7.9 mm
  • 158 x 73.4 x 8.4 mm
  • 162.6×75.9×8.8mm
  • 162.0 x 77.2 x 9.3 mm
Weight
  • 162g
  • 193g
  • 194g
  • 226g
  • 196g
  • 175g / 198g (ceramic)
  • 184g
  • 192g
  • 206g
  • 215g

JetStream 2.0

JetStream 2 is a combination of a variety of JavaScript and Web Assembly benchmarks, including benchmarks that came before like SunSpider and Octane. It primarily tests for a system’s and browser’s ability in delivering a good web experience. It runs a total of 64 subtests, each weighted equally, with multiple iterations, and takes the geometric mean to compute the overall score.

The Pixel 4 and 4 XL did reasonably well here, beating out most of the tested Android devices, including heavyweights like the Galaxy Note10+. The one exception is the OnePlus 7 Pro, but even that was way behind the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro, and even last year's iPhone XS Max.

 

AnTuTu

AnTuTu is an all-in-one benchmark that tests CPU, GPU, memory, and storage. The CPU benchmark evaluates both integer and floating-point performance, the GPU tests assess 2D and 3D performance, the memory test measures available memory bandwidth and latency, and the storage tests gauge the read and write speeds of a device's flash memory.

The Pixel 4 also has a good showing here, coming the closest to challenging the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro. In fact, the iPhone 11 Pro was just 7 per cent faster than the Pixel 4 XL. The latter was in turn 14 per cent quicker than the OnePlus 7 Pro, which was the top-performing Android phone in this benchmark previously.

 

Geekbench 5

Geekbench CPU is a cross-platform processor benchmark that tests both single-core and multi-core performance with workloads that simulate real-world usage. Geekbench 5 scores are calibrated against a baseline score of 1000, which is the score of an Intel Core i3-8100. As a result, Geekbench 5 scores are not comparable against those of Geekbench 4, whose baseline score is derived from an Intel Core i7-6600 processor.

Oddly-enough, the Pixel 4 XL lags slightly behind the Pixel 4 in the single-core benchmark, but it exceeds it in the multi-core score. Overall, both phones manage to stand their ground compared to the Samsung flagships, and the Pixel 4 XL is roughly 18 per cent quicker than the Galaxy Note10+. That said, Apple's iPhones still have the undisputed lead, and the Pixel 4 was nowhere close to challenging them. 

 

3DMark Sling Shot

3DMark Sling Shot is an advanced 3D graphics benchmark that tests the full range of OpenGL ES 3.1 and ES 3.0 API features including multiple render targets, instanced rendering, uniform buffers and transform feedback. The test also includes impressive volumetric lighting and post-processing effects. We're running this benchmark in Unlimited mode, which ignores screen resolutions.

The Pixel 4 and 4 XL are again among the top-performing Android devices here, losing out only to the OnePlus 7 Pro. The iPhones are still way ahead though (including last year's iPhone XS Max and XR), and the iPhone 11 Pro was a whopping 63 per cent faster than the Pixel 4 XL.

 

Battery Life & Charging

Our standard battery test for mobile phones has the following parameters:

  • Looping a 720p video with screen brightness and volume at 100%
  • Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity turned on
  • Constant data streaming through email and Twitter

Battery life is where the Pixel 4 doesn't fare so well. Oddly enough, battery capacity on the Pixel 4 has taken a slight dip coming from the Pixel 3, but it has increased on the Pixel 4 XL. The Pixel 4 now has a 2,800mAh battery (2,915mAh on the Pixel 3) while the 4 XL has a 3,700mAh unit (3,430mAh on the Pixel 3 XL).

However, even despite the increase in battery capacity on the Pixel 4 XL, it's still clear that it's still significantly smaller than on the other Android flagships. As a result, battery life results lag behind many of its rivals, with the Pixel 4 XL lasting a good 95 minutes less than the Galaxy Note10+. Conversely, the OnePlus 7 Pro, which also has a 90Hz display, lasted 189 minutes longer, so you can't entirely blame the Pixel 4 XL's shorter battery life on the higher refresh rate screen.

When it came to charging, the 18W USB-C charger took the Pixel 4 up to 46 per cent in 30 minutes, and the 4 XL up to 45 per cent. A full charge took a 105 minutes for the Pixel 4 and 103 minutes for the 4 XL.

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