Last year, we reviewed the Pixel 3 XL and Pixel 3a some time ago. We were impressed by Google’s computational photography. With a single camera, it is capable of providing picture quality that is on par with those that require 2 or 3 cameras. This is especially in night photography. In fact, it even win a DXOmark score of 102.
Last week, Google officially unveiled the Pixel 4 and 4 XL smartphone. This 4th generation of Pixel smartphone now comes with a more powerful processor and improvements in software not only in photograhy but in usability.
One of the most notable difference between the Pixel 3 and Pixel 4 is the missing fingerprint scanner at the back of Pixel 3. Pixel 4 replaced it with face unlock.
The Pixel 4 (5.7″) is slightly larger than the Pixel 3 (5.5″). Both has a 444 ppi and 443 ppi HDR supported 19:9 / 18:9 screen. The Pixel 4 and 4 XL both supports smooth display of up to 90 Hz.
Both Pixel 4 and 4 XL supports both wireless charging and has a battary capacity of 2800 mAh and 3430 mAh. The Pixel 4 battery is smaller than the Pixel 3 at 2915 mAh.
Both Pixel 4 and 4 XL has 6 GB of RAM and comes with unlimited high quality photo storage at Google Photos. It is both powered by Snapdragon 855. The Pixel 3 series has 4 GB of RAM and is powered by Snapdragon 845.
Camera wise it has a 12.2 MP f/1.7 OIS+EIS rear with audo focus and dual pixel Phase detection 1.4um pixel width, a 16 MP f/2.4 telephoto camera OIS+EIS 1.22um pixel width.
Some of the camera features Group Selfie Cam, Night Sight, Top Shot, Portrait mode, Super Res Zoom, Motion Auto-Focus, HDR+, Frequent faces, Dual exposure controls, Motion Sense. The last two camera features are new to Pixl 4/4XL and enhancements are made to features like Night Sight, Potrait Mode, Super Res ZOOM, HDR+.
The smartphone is powered by Android 10 out of the box. It has dual stereo speakers and comes with USB-C audio.
A comparison chart between the Pixels can be found here.
On the next page, we check out the performance of the phone before we go investigate the photography features.
[nextpage title=”Antutu, PCMark benchmark performance”]PC Mark benchmark
PCMark measures the workloads on office productivity like web browsing, editing etc.
The benchmarks give a rough indication on how well the device performs under load.
In our previous run the Pixel 3 XL scored 9106 and Antutu scored 236919
Antutu Benchmark
Antutu scored 236919
Speedtest results
Pixel 4 is powered by the Snapdragon 855 and suppots up to 5xCA, LAA, DL 4×4 MIMO, CAT 18 up to 1.2 Gbps download, CAT 13 150 Mbps upload speed.
We tested the network using speedtest and attained the following results :
A downlink speed of 212 Mbps and uplink of 9 Mbps. This is tested at Bugis MRT station train platform using Grid Mobile (runs on top of Singtel).
A similar results was obtained using Open Signal app recording a speed of 213 Mbps.
Live HDR+
Pixel 4 also introduced a new Live HDR+ enabling you to fine-tune the brightness and amount of detail in the shadows, helping with difficult shots like sunset portraits. Pixel 4 also has Live HDR+ in the viewfinder so you know exactly what your photo will look like, even when you’re using the new controls in tricky lighting.
Here are some samples of using dual exposure controls to enhance the photos taken in high contrast conditions.
SuperRes Zoom with telephoto camera
In the Pixel 4 and 4 XL, the new smartphone now packs it with 2 rear camera with 12.2-megapixel f/1.7 main, 16-megapixel f/2.4 telephoto and a front 8-megapixel selfie cameras. It still lacks a wide angle camera that is already present on a number of high end smartphones. As for video, the cameras can handle 4K at up to 30 fps, and 1080p at 120 fps.
To achieve the optimum picture quality, the Pixel uses a combination of 2X optical zoom on the second camera + software Super Res Zoom to deliver sharper pictures than before. To zoom, just pinch on the view finder and it can zoom up to 8x. We supposed that is a hybrid zoom with optial of 2X.
Original photo
Zoom image on Pixel 3 XL vs Pixel 4
We can clearly see the edges are well defined on the Pixel 4 as compared to the Pixel 3 XL. (right click save the images to your PC or Mac to view it in full screen to see the differences).
We used the 8X hybrid zoom to focus on the building structure.
It can be easily observed that the lines are well defined as compared to previous Pixel 3 XL.
[nextpage title=”Potrait mode”]Potrait mode is now enhanced with the second camera (telephone) to judge distance, creating a better depth map than previous generation of Pixel.
Here is a shot taken using Pixel 3 XL vs Pixel 4. Pixel 4 colours are warmer and we noticed that the background is not extremely blurred (see top left and right plants which are blurred on the Pixel 3 XL).
Pixel 4’s Motion Sense feature uses a miniature radar sensor to detect movement around your phone. It can sense when you’re reaching for the phone and will initiate face unlock, or turn off your screen when you’re not around. New Quick Gestures let you skip songs when you don’t want to pick up your phone. Just wave your hand to snooze alarms, dismiss timers, or silence your phone ringer.
Google has announced that the astrophotography mode is indeed coming to the Pixel 3 series including the Pixel 3a.G
Pixel 4 is the first to have this feature available in the Night Sight option in the camera. To enable it, you need to be in a super dark environment (with minimum light) and set your phone to Night Sight mode, astro mode will auto enable.
With Astrophotography mode, it basically lenghthens the exposure time to beyond 4 minutes. It is not easy to see stars in this part of the world due to light pollution. It may not be that meaningful to have such a feature that most people can’t immediately enjoy unless they travel to some rural areas where there is minimal light pollution and take a picture of the stars with a tripod.
Unfortunately, this feature is automatic, it detects the environment and is automatically enabled when it detect pitch darkness. The phone must also be held steadily to enable the Astrophoto mode. There are no manual settings available to override it.
#NightSight already helps you take beautiful photos in the dark. Now you can use it for shots of the night sky. Coming to Pixel 3a and Pixel 3 as well as #pixel4. #madebygoogle
Live caption is a feature that is exclusive to the Pixel 4 at this moment.
With Live Captions turned on, hearing impaired users can now enjoy English langauge videos clips with English captions even it wasn’t subtitled.
The caption is real time and is very useful for LIVE broadcasts which are usually come without subtitles.
Live captions can be enabled in set Settings -> Accessibility options. It is currently limited to English language only.
#teampixel #pixel4
Conclusion
Google’s Pixel 4 again demonstrates computational photography can deliver amazing picture quality. On the Pixel 4, this is further enhanced with a seperate telephoto camera which enhances the SuperRes Zoom. The 8X digital zoom is way clearer than the Pixel 3 XL. With the telephoto serving as a secondary camera, bokeh effects look more natural too.
Astrophotography could be fun but it may not be that useful for most users which lives in brightly lit cities. Again missing are options like white balance, ISO settings. Google should have enabled manual exposure and controls allow users to adjust it for shooting light trails etc.
I like the Pixel 4’s dual exposure control and Live HDR+. This feature really helps when you need to take picture of an object and background which has a huge contrast difference. With the dual exposure controls, the front can be lit up and background adjusted accordingly for the perfect picture.
When it comes to a smartphone, battery life is utmost importance. I don’t understand why Google chose to use a 2800 mAH battery instead. In our test, a full charge took around 1 hr 40 mins.
The battery lasted around 1 day 5 hrs with light usage mainly on benchmarking, facebook and speedtest. In actual fact, from the first full charge to 1% remaining, it took around 1 day and 10 minutes.
Google Pixel 4 has a single physical SIM slot and supports eSIM. Accessing the engineering menu shows that the phone, just like the Google Pixel 3a, has two IMEI numbers. It supports Dual Sim Dual Standby (DSDS). So, if you need to use two numbers, you might need to check with your telco if they can support eSIM on the Pixel 4 / 4 XL. VoLTE support is also missing for local telcos. So far, it seems that Starhub may have VoLTE support on the Pixel 4.
In Conclusion, Pixel 4 is a worthy upgrade for those who wants regular updates. The camera also takes amazing night shots but the lack of manual controls might turn people away. As for Face unlock, Google has indicated that they will ensure that the face unlock won’t unlock with eyes shut in a future update to the software.
Pros :
- Night photography
- Live HDR+ , Dual Exposure controls
- Live Caption
- Water and Dust Resistance
Cons:
- Weak battery life
- No Wide angle camera
Ratings
- Performance 10
- Design 10
- Features 10
- Usability 10
- Value for money 8
- Score : 9.6 / 10
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