The 5G on the new Pixel 4 is Google’s cheapest but larger 5G phone, and it’s probably the best.
It is available in black and is priced between 499, 599 pixels 5 and 349 pixels 4.
Although the Pixel 4 shares most of the same interior elements with the 5G Pixel 5, the look, feel, and body of the black plastic match the smaller Pixel 4A in a much larger size.
The Pixel 4 5G has a 6.2in FHD + OLED screen which is bigger than other Pixels this year. It looks great but will not bother the best from Samsung, OnePlus or Apple. The screen is flanked by stereo speakers which is really good for video-viewing in landscape.
The body is made of a soft-touch black plastic and feels stiff in the hands but is somewhat cheaper than the metal and glass rivals. Most users will keep it in any case. The 168G phone is fairly light and balanced for size. The top even has a low-spot headphone socket, but the 4A5G lacks water resistance.
Special mention
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Screen: 62in FHD + OLED (413ppi)
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Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G
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RAM: 6 GB of RAM
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Storage: 128 GB
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Operating system: Android 11
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Camera: 12.2MP + 16MP UltraWide, 8MP Selfie
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Connection: 5G, ESIM, WiFi 5, NFC, Bluetooth 5 (AAC, Aptex / HD, LDAC), Headphones and Location
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Water resistant: Nothing
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Dimensions: 153.9 x 74 x 8.2 mm
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Weight: 168g
Two day battery
The Pixel 4 and 5G have the same high-mid-range Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G processor as the Pixel 5, but only slightly less RAM with 6GB. This means that the smaller Pixel 4A has a faster processor.
Performance is good. The phone feels quick and responsive, apps load quickly and switching between them is smooth. It also takes more time to open complex websites than the top-chip competitors in fast-paced shot photo processing, but it handles everything I want to do. Gamers will want to look elsewhere to find the fastest frame rates.
Battery life is very good, between about six hours of screen charge and two hours of 5G and three hours of 4G usage, more than 48 hours spent with WiFi, more than 48 hours. This means that even after my relatively heavy use, the 5G on the Pixel 4 lasts from 7am on the first day to 7am on at least three days.
Google’s new ultimate battery saver system will extend the required battery life by allowing only a select few applications to run, suppressing only a few others.
The Pixel 4A 5G ship phone with 18W fast charger takes less than 90 minutes to fully charge, hitting 50% in about 35 minutes.
Durable
The Google Pixel 4 does not provide estimates for the expected full charge cycle from a 5G battery. However, the ideal lifespan of a smartphone battery is at least 500 cycles while maintaining at least 80% power. Pixel 4A 5G is usually repairable. Warranty repairs cost about 110 110 for the screen or about 55 55 for the battery through any of Google’s repair partners, IceSmash or the Google Store.
The Pixel 4 contains about 47% of post-consumer recyclable components in its plastic mechanical parts – part of Google’s commitment to include recyclables in all products launched from 2022. The company released an environmental impact report on several of its products, including the Pixel 4A 5G. Google will recycle all Pixel devices for free.
Android 11, Google’s way
The Pixel 4 5G runs the latest version of Android 11 and can expect a minimum of three years of operating system and security updates, which is still some way behind Apple’s five-year support for the iPhone.
The Pixel version of Android is quick and well-optimized, just like the General running on the Pixel 5. Generally speaking, it’s simple and well-adapted, with good gesture control, upgraded media controls and conversation options built into Android 11.
The advanced Google Recorder app offers automated transcription, new live view for Google Maps, which uses augmented reality to identify where friends are, offers improved smart replies to messages in chat apps, and new, faster Google Assistant.
The camera
The cameras on the Pixel 4 and 5G are identical to the hardware and software on the Pixel 5 and therefore perform seamlessly. That means the Pixel 4A5G has some of the best point-and-shoot cameras, including some crisp and top-notch photos and top-class low-light performance.
There is a main camera and an ultraviolet, but no telephoto camera for optical zoom. Instead of having a solid digital zoom it is good for 2x magnification but goes beyond that. Video capture is also quite good with great stability to remove the camera shake.
Please see the Pixel 5 review for more information.
Observation
Price
The Pixel 4A 5G is priced at £ 499 and is only available in black.
For comparison, the Pixel 4A has an RRP of 9 349, the Pixel 5 costs £ 599, the OnePlus 8 costs £ 549, the OnePlus Nord costs £ 379, the iPhone 12 costs £ 799 and the iPhone SE costs 41 419.
Judgment
The Pixel 4A 5G is the best combination of battery life, price and capability of this year’s Google smartphone.
The £ 599 Pixel 5 isn’t as nice to hold, but the rest of the experience is basically the same with a slightly larger screen and a longer battery life of more than two days. This means you get a great camera, good screen, decent performance and good software with three years of software updates.
There are smartphones that provide better hardware for a similar amount of money but they don’t match the pixels with the camera or battery life.
Better value than 8 5.8 in Pixel 4A for 9 349 If you’re not interested in 5G or want a smaller phone, the 5G in Pixel 4 ticks faster and more boxes, especially if you’re looking for a discount Can. 499 RRP.
Professionals: Great camera, good screen, great software and update support, great battery life, relatively inexpensive, headphone socket, 5G.
Cons: No expandable storage, no water resistance, the plastic body is somewhat flat plain
