INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
This is the Pixel 4, the handset that literally everyone saw coming
Even by Google standards, the handset leaked like crazy
Some was almost certainly by design, as the company looked to hype its new flagship amid slowing smartphone sales
That said, showing up for pre-order on two different sites in the past few days is a lot, even by Pixel Standards.
Google Pixel 4 ships
October 24, starting at $799
From the front, at least, the new device doesn''t really stand out
The standard Pixel 4 maintains some pretty sizable bezels on the top and bottom, even as most of the industry has moved toward a notch or
hole punch to accommodate the camera.
The back of the device is another story entirely, of course
After a few generations of pushing back on multiple camera setups, Google is finally embracing them with the 4
The pair of cameras are positioned in a square configuration, similar to the iPhone 11
The sensor is up top and the flash is on the bottom, with the wide angle and telephoto sitting next to one another in the middle
There is a 12-megapixel and a 16-megapixel, per earlier leaks
I&ve included a handful of random shots I&ve taken here
They leave a little to be desired — more when we get our hands on the device later for a proper review, but this should give you some idea
of what we&re working with here.
Honestly, I&m pretty excited to see what on offer with the device here
Google always done a good job using AI/ML to augment the single-lens configuration, so the idea of what it capable of producing in tandem
with dual lenses could well make it a contender for one of the best camera phones on the market.
Imaging has been improved across the
board here, including the already solid Night Sight, Portrait Mode and zoom, which uses a hybrid of digital and the physical telephoto lens
I mean, if it good enough for Annie Leibovitz, right?
Recorder is an exciting new prospect for someone who makes a living interviewing
I tried it out, but honestly, it leaves a bit to be desired in this super noisy setting
Again, a more official write-up of that later, though I do appreciate that the company is doing the transcribing on-board, versus the
cloud.
[gallery ids="1897517,1897523,1897518"]
That means a faster response and no concern over more sensitive stuff
Once recording, you&ll see a gray wave form that turns blue when speech is detected
Tapping ''transcript& will show the speech
From there you can share it via social media or save it to Google Drive.
It fun to see Google embracing gestures here, as a natural
followup to its squeezable Active Edge
Admittedly, it something that plenty of phone makers have tried with limited success
Perhaps the inclusion of the new radar chip will save it from accidental gestures and make it more user-friendly.
Or maybe the inclusion
of a kind of game where you can wave at Pikachu and other Pokémon will help with adoption
I don''t have particularly high hopes on either one, if I&m being honest
Training users on a new form of input is an uphill climb, though the gestures are pretty responsive
At least everyone is already familiar with face unlocks, which is augmented by the aforementioned radar feature, detecting the user as they
reach for the phone and beginning the unlock process from there
The handset ships October 24, starting at $799
Look for a much meatier review in the near future
