Google Pixel 4 – How It Can Be Their BEST Smartphone Yet!

Hey everyone, Eber here with Hardware Canucks. Just a few hours ago Google tweeted a picture of supposedly what the Pixel 4 will look like – or at least the backside of the device – while mentioning that there seems to be some interest around this phone. Now there have been a lot of rumors as to what the Pixel 4 and the Pixel 4 XL would look like. I’ve been reading a lot of articles with regards to what we could expect from these devices because the Pixel 4 is probably one of the most anticipated phones of 2019. I’m looking forward it just because I am curious to see what Google can do with this device, especially since I reviewed the Pixel 3 in the past and had a lot of problems with it. I’ve experienced many of the issues that a lot of users have also been experiencing with regard to software bugs and performance issues.

So here’s what I’d like to see when these phones get announced officially. Now, just a quick disclaimer, these are just rumors and speculations on the Pixel 4 and the Pixel 4 XL. None of this is guaranteed to be true. In fact, part of me thinks that Google is sort of trolling us with that picture that they tweeted. I mean I want to believe that it’s the real device, but I’m on a neutral stand right now. So let’s just go by some of the rumors that we are aware of and that could potentially show up on the next Pixel.

All Glass Back

Just by taking a look at the official photo that Google tweeted, it looks like the Pixel 4 is going to come with an all glass back, so it’s not going to feature the familiar two tone finish found on the Pixel 3 and the Pixel 2. I personally like the one on the Pixel 3, especially the frosted texture. It was a glass back, but the frosted texture on top of that definitely added a sense of gripe when you were holding the device. But given that this is an all glass back design I know for a fact that it’s going to be a fingerprint magnet just like the Samsung Galaxy S10. Interestingly enough there wasn’t any sign of a fingerprint scanner on the back so it looks like Google is ditching that and they might end up going for an in-display fingerprint scanner just like the Galaxy S10 and some of the other smartphones that we’re seeing in 2019.

No Bezels?

Now taking a look at this other sample render by OnLeaks, it looks very similar to the picture that Google tweeted, especially if you compare the backsides of the Pixel Four. However, if you look at the front side of the device, I can’t really tell if the display is going to be bezel-less, if it’s going to be a larger display. I know for a fact that Google won’t make the same mistake as they did with the Pixel 3 XL and that ridiculous notch. So I hope it’s either going to be all display or they might end up leaving some bezels on the top to accommodate the cameras. I’m just really curious at this point.

Dual-SIM or More Storage?

Now according to PocketLint, the Pixel 4 and the Pixel 4 XL might have dual-SIM support. However, I would actually much rather see expandable storage instead of the dual-SIM support, because that way it would compete with what Samsung is offering with the S10 because those devices have support for expandable storage.

Where’d My Buttons Go?

PocketLint also suggest that Google might go with capacitive buttons instead of physical buttons on the Pixel 4 and the Pixel 4 XL. I’m not exactly sure if that’s 100% true, but if it is it’s certainly gonna be an interesting experience just getting used to that whole setup.

Radar In Your Hand

What really caught my attention was this article by 9to5Google. Essentially the Pixel 4 might come with radar gesture sensors that allows the user to use their hands to adjust certain controls. So if you want to adjust your volume or skip tracks or perhaps copy or paste certain things just use your our hand gestures. It’s something that we saw with the LG G8, and I’m not sure if that’s going to translate really well in the Pixel 4. 9to5Google did link to a video called Project Soli which was debuted back at Google I/O 2016, so a really long time ago. It looks like the R&D team was more focused on developing a radar sensor in a relatively compact form factor, and that way they could implement it in future products that could potentially take advantage of those hand gestures. Now recently, the FCC did grant Google permission to implement it in future products, but if it makes its way to the Pixel 4 and the Pixel 4 XL I’m not really sure how people could actually take advantage of those hand gestures. Maybe Google is thinking of some smart things or smart ideas or smart gestures that could be revolutionary, but at this point these are just rumors. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Another FaceID Competitor

Now it also looks like Google might be working on its own version of FaceID, and I’m actually not surprised about that because if you look at the current state of fingerprint scanners – especially the ones that have been integrated underneath the display – most of them are perfect but others are just not that great. So if they can come up with something that almost matches or perhaps even exceeds the level of FaceID, that would be great.

Shocking Camera

Obviously we have to talk about the cameras. If you look at the picture that Google tweeted it looks like there are two rear-facing sensors, and I hope that one of them is an ultra-wide angle lens. I don’t think the addition of a telephoto lens would be very handy, or at least I personally wouldn’t really take advantage of that. Camera quality I think is going to be superior, I don’t think I’m going to have anything to complain about in that department, but we’ll just wait and see what they can come up with.

Last, but at least I do want to comment on the square camera design. If you take a close look at it, it almost looks like a droid face with a really interesting expression. That’s something that I can’t unsee now and hopefully I didn’t spoil it for you guys as well. To wrap things up, I’d love to see Google address some of the issues that we had with the Pixel 3, specifically on the performance side of things. I’d like to see it being more consistent on the Pixel 4 and the Pixel 4 XL. Perhaps the extra RAM might be handy in this case, but we also know for a fact that it’s going to come with the latest and fastest available SOC Also, better battery life on both these devices would be highly appreciated. And finally, and most importantly, I want to see a better microphone integrated on these smartphones because on the Pixel 3 it was pretty terrible, so I’d love to see Google improve on that part. When you shoot video on the Pixel 3, the quality is just pretty terrible, especially compared to be flagship offerings from Samsung and the rest.

Google if you’re going to be pricing this thing more than $800 or $900, it better be on par with the rest of the competition. So that about wraps up my expectations for the Pixel 4 and the Pixel 4 XL. I’m sure you might have a list as well. I’m sure some of you would like them to bring back the headphone. And come to think of it, if they do that it would be revolutionary.