Google launches Pixel 4
Google’s latest handsets aim to undercut Apple’s iPhone by using new radar technology and featuring a dual camera, all included at a lower price point.
The Pixel 4 and 4 XL have been unveiled by Google’s consumer hardware division in New York, and the new smartphones are intended as a direct challenge to Apple’s iPhone.
In the UK price, the Pixel 4 is £70 less than last year’s Pixel 3, retailing at £669 ($799 in the US) but it won’t cut back on features when it ships on 24th October.
Alongside 64GB of storage, Google’s new dual-camera system combines a 16-megapixel 2x telephoto camera with a separate wide-angle 12-megapixel camera to provide up to 3x zoom capability.
Google’s next-gen “night sight” tech offers a range of innovative long exposure uses in low-light conditions, such as photographing stars in its astrophotography mode.
Vice president of research for the Americas at CCS Insight, Geoff Blaber, commented on another innovative feature: “The inclusion of radar with Project Soli gives Pixel 4 some unique UI features through gesture control. It’s unlikely to be viewed as game changing but it gives Pixel 4 some much needed differentiation in the smartphone sea of sameness.”
With a new 90Hz OLED screen in either 5.7in or 6.3in sizes, the Pixel 4 will also debut Google’s new Neural Core chip. Another major selling point is an in-built capability to use local speech recognition technology offline via Google Assistant, without running the risk of hefty data charges.