The Pixel 4 is losing a lifelong fan
I've owned every single pixel since they started making them.
I even had a bunch of those Nexus phones back in the day and for the most part, I really liked all of them.
But after the announcement of the pixel four and some of the hands on I've had with the phone I'm sitting this one out.
For me, it used to be all about having stock Andriod, you're the first to get updates, and the first to experience the latest in Andriod.
And all that's still true, but, for me, it doesn't outweigh some of the other problems I had owning a 3XL and the confidence I've all but lost in using Pixel phones exclusively.
Every year Google makes the case for owning a Pixel, and up until now I agreed with the points being made, but this time around I wasn't sold.
And I think it's because the Pixel 4 doesn't do enough to stand out from the rest of the Android pack.
Take the camera, for example.
It's tough to argue that the Pixel 3, and likely the 4 Will be on a shortlist of the best you can buy.
I mean, you can literally photograph space, now.
But there are plenty of phones out there that are still pretty damn good.
And if the Pixel 4 is an A plus, most of us can settle with an A minus in the Note 10 or OnePlus 7 Pro And there's also no ultra wide angle lens in the fore, what is that about?
And you know what?
Launching the camera app in my 3XL seemed lke it took forever.
I genuinely missed photo opportunities waiting the extra few seconds it took to launch.
And that brings me to my next point.
I'm legitimately worried about speed in the Pixel 4. I'm not convinced it will be speedy phone I need it to be.
If the pixel three is any indicator, it won't be long before I start discerning, noticeable lack.
Spec wise the pixel three had the same processor as others in its class, the Snapdragon 845.
But maybe it was the four gigabytes of RAM that prevented the phone from really hitting its stride.
I don't know.
All I know is that it felt slow only after a few months of owning it.
The Pixel 4 does bump up the RAM to six gigs, but that's still less than any of the new Galaxy phones launched this year.
They all started eight gigs Along with many others in the same class, I just don't want to take a chance again this time around.
And then there's the issue of storage.
Everyone loves to knock Apple for only offering 64 gigs in their base model.
And they should, but Google needs to take some heat for it to in twenty nineteen sixty four gigs of onboard storage is not enough.
Period.
So what exactly are you getting with a pixel four that you can't get with other Android phones out there.
A 90 hertz display is great, but is it enough to get a new phone?
A big focus is always google assistant and for good reason, but this year, the exclusive perks just didn't seem to move the needle for me On the fly surgical voice transcription is cool on paper, but I just don't think it's a dealmaker for me.
I just don't know when I'm gonna use that.
Google says assistant is better integrated into the pixel for and its onboard processing is definitely an advantage.
But at this point, I'm not sure that's a must have feature, especially when I'm pretty content with assistant right now on my note 10 plus.
And the other google devices I have in my home.
Now is there going to be a killler app kind of use for assistant on a pixel down the road?
That is possible but right now it's just not there.
And don't forget, a lot of those features can sometimes make there way onto other android devices.
Okay, so there's also solely the motion sensor radar for super fast face on lock.
And to be fair, the face on lock is insanely fast.
But in terms of the gesture control, and I the only one who doesn't want to wave my hand in front of my phone, I mean, assistant already lets me speak to it.
So what's the big appeal there?
I realized radar makes room for spatial awareness which could lead to new and interesting interactions with your phone.
But think about the way they pitched it with the swiping around to mute and skip tracks.
I don't know I wanted to be wowed.
I was not well, I'm not disappointed in the lack of 5G G Or by the absence of USBC headphones in the box, or that the Pixel freeze battery life wasn't great and it's gonna be really tough to assume that the four will perform that much better.
But I am disappointed that the Pixel 4 wasn't able to get me excited in any meaningful way.
So what do you think?
Are you let down by the Pixel 4's official debut?
You know, there's always the Pixel 5, which I guess actually will get leaked in like three weeks.
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