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00:00Okay, so the Pixel 4 and the Pixel 4 XL are not regular smartphones, because the company
00:07that makes them, Google, is not a regular phone company.
00:10They're not even a hardware company.
00:12They're a software company that just happens to make hardware to flex how good their software
00:17really is.
00:18And if you look at the older Pixel phones, like the first, the second, and third generation
00:22of Pixel phones, these are phones that have a clear focus on software.
00:27Particularly like Google Assistant and how they integrate all the apps and features of
00:31the Google ecosystem into their voice-controlled stuff.
00:34And also, their camera system.
00:36Like, not the hardware, like the actual camera lens and the sensor in their Pixel phones
00:41isn't particularly special, but it's what they do in software that really makes their
00:45computational photography shine.
00:47So, clearly, Pixel phones are software-based devices.
00:51But this year, with the Pixel 4, during the presentation, they drew a lot of attention
00:55to two hardware features.
00:57The 90Hz screen and how smooth and fluid it was, as well as their new radar-based motion
01:02sensing tech.
01:03And in doing so, I think they inadvertently shifted people's attention away from the traditional
01:08stuff that Pixel's known for, their amazing software, onto hardware, which is really not
01:13what Google's Pixel phones are all about.
01:15And that's where there's a bit of a problem.
01:18So, first, I want to talk about this new radar-sensing tech.
01:21The truth is, this technology is freaking awesome.
01:25And what we're seeing, the implementation that we see on the Pixel 4 and the Pixel 4 XL
01:29right now, isn't its full potential.
01:31Because when you look at Google's original video of this technology from 2015, they had
01:36a 10-minute video of this technology.
01:38And it was a video of the Pixel 4 and the Pixel 4 XL.
01:42Because when you look at Google's original video of this technology from 2015, they had
01:46a team of these really passionate engineers developing this radar tech.
01:50And the capabilities looked amazing.
01:52Like, you had this fine fingertip control.
01:55Not just your fingers, but actually just rotating and tweaking your fingertips could give you
01:59this precise control of a variety of interfaces.
02:02Like, that example they had of that map, where you could move the map around and zoom in
02:06and zoom out with just your fingertips, like, that looked incredibly useful.
02:10Like, we've all been there.
02:11We've all manipulated maps on our phones, and it's like, your fingers obscuring what
02:14you're looking at.
02:15That map control looks amazing.
02:17But that's not what we have.
02:18In this first generation, or first iteration of this hardware, we don't have fingertip control.
02:22We don't even have finger control.
02:24It's full hand movement, which is honestly not nearly as useful.
02:28But you can't fault them.
02:29Like, you can't fault Google for putting this radar tech into this phone.
02:33Because a lot of people are like, that's so stupid, it's a gimmick, I would never use
02:35my phone like that.
02:37That's not the point.
02:38They put this sensor in here as step one, so that people can get used to the idea of
02:41gesture-based controls for their phones.
02:43But where I think they messed up was in marketing it the way they did.
02:46Like, when you put this much effort and time into talking about this feature, when its
02:50current capabilities are so limited, it just opens them up to criticism.
02:54And I think for some people, they'll be disappointed.
02:56Like, if you purchase this phone thinking that that tech has a more substantial functionality
03:01than it actually does, you'd be disappointed.
03:04So, what I think they should have done is still include the radar tech, but not talk
03:07about it so much as if it was some kind of headlining feature, and just worked on the
03:11software over time until it became really awesome.
03:14Now, another feature that's kind of controversial about this phone is its price, if price can
03:19be considered a feature.
03:21This thing starts at $800 for the small one, $900 for the big one.
03:24Maybe it's from tariffs or a particular profit margin they have to hit, but these phones
03:28are very expensive on paper.
03:30But the thing that sucks is that they're often way cheaper than their launch price.
03:34Like, Pixel phones usually go on sale on Black Friday by like $150, $200.
03:38So, it's, I don't know.
03:40It's just weird to me that they still launch these phones at such a high price, but then
03:44over the course of 12 months, they just consistently drop this price on the phone.
03:48Companies like OnePlus and Apple, like, they don't drop the prices on their phones.
03:52These guys go on sale all the time.
03:54I don't know.
03:55It's obviously a business strategy.
03:56They do it on purpose.
03:57But I feel like if they just launched this phone at a more appropriate price, people
04:01wouldn't criticize them for these high prices from the get-go.
04:05Now, if I look at this phone with a different perspective, where the Pixel 4 is now a $650
04:09or $700 phone, and I temper my expectations of what this radar technology is supposed
04:14to do, this phone is great.
04:17I love the screen.
04:18The 90Hz refresh rate is fantastic.
04:20The face unlock is super fast, like, literally the fastest face unlock that I've used.
04:24The speakers sound great.
04:26Not much different from what the Pixel 3 offered last year, but still excellent speakers.
04:30And the battery life.
04:31This is something that a lot of people were concerned about, myself included.
04:34A 2800mAh battery in the small Pixel 4 with a 90Hz refresh rate and battery life is not great.
04:42I was honestly disappointed.
04:43Now, I think whatever software they're using to downclock that refresh rate from 90 down
04:49to 60 is quite aggressive, and it's like a 6-hour, maybe 6.5-hour screen on time.
04:53If you use your phone a lot, you might run out of juice before the end of the day.
04:57But if you're a lighter user, I don't think that's an issue.
04:59Camera.
05:00So this is a topic that I think is going to be more subjective this year.
05:03Both the Pixel 4 and the iPhone 11 Pro, or iPhone 11, are going to have the best cameras
05:09in the market right now.
05:10They're so close to each other.
05:11They're different in how the images look, but it's hard for me to say which one is better or worse.
05:16If I had to pick a winner, it would actually be the iPhone 11.
05:20Like, this is just a personal thing.
05:21I find the iPhone 11's app easier to use because there's no selection of night sights specifically.
05:26It just happens automatically.
05:28And for the average person, I think that should be the way the default camera app should handle it.
05:32But I do find that the Pixel 4 handles low light a little better on faces.
05:36It just looks a little cleaner to me.
05:38But one thing for sure, both of these cameras have better image quality than the OnePlus 7T.
05:45And I think that's a comparison a lot of people make because this is also rocking a 90-hertz screen,
05:50but it's 200 bucks cheaper, and it has double the storage.
05:53So if you're deciding between the two, like, it should be relatively simple.
05:56If you care a lot about picture quality and you want to have the best possible camera on your smartphone,
06:01Pixel 4 is the option.
06:02I mean, that's what this thing offers.
06:03It's a relatively unique experience to have a 90-hertz screen with the best possible camera.
06:09Pixel 4.
06:10Okay, hope you guys enjoyed this video.
06:11Thumbs if you liked it, subs if you loved it.
06:13See you guys next time.