Couple thoughts on the Pixel 4

Last few years I've gone from Pixel 1, Pixel 2 XL, Pixel 3 and now Pixel 4. I think The Verge did a really good comprehensive review of the phone, I would recommend anyone considering the PIxel 4 to read that first. I think they describe the phone well but I don't always agree with their conclusions. I'd like to add to their review with some comments related to transitioning from the Pixel 3 to the 4.

Things I really like:

P4 has a little radar built in for detecting objects moving around near it. This is used to great effect in conjunction with its Facial Detection for unlocking the phone. I did not expect how much I would appreciate this feature. It means the moment you pick up your phone and start bringing it towards you, the phone will detect that it is moving closer to your face and will proceed to scan and unlock the phone. It seems so trivial and yet I continue to be impressed by it. No tapping a PIN or locating the fingerprint sensor, just pick up the phone and it's ready to go.

The radar can also be used for some other minor stuff like skipping music tracks by waving your hand over your phone, but that didn't wow me nearly as much.

In general, the camera is great, pretty similar performance to before except now you have a telephoto lens as well on the back. Having a telephoto lens is great. Thinking in 35mm camera terms, the 28mm is the standard cellphone wide lens and now you have a 50-ish to add to the repetoire. I find myself using it for half body shots and stuff that I don't want to distort at the edges of the frame. I do think the camera's fill light algorithm is a little too heavy handed by default, it often evens out the lighting a bit too much. I know it's preferable for non-photographers but I wish the default could be dialed back.

The radius of the corners of the screen matches the radius of the physical corners of the phone. Most people won't notice but industrial design types will appreciate it!

The new build of the phone is great, it has a matte plastic rim and a matte glass back. Feels great in the hand and looks interesting as well. Sadly, I put a case on it so these improvements are mostly obscured.

The speakers got a little louder. I play music on my phone sometimes when I'm in a hotel room on the road and the extra volume is nice.

Nobody has picked this up in any review or commentary I've seen so far but I think it's huge: You can use BOTH eSim and physical Sim at the same time! I travel a lot and I use Project Fi, Google's phone service, when I'm in the US and on the road, then my Hong Kong sim card when I'm there. Project Fi works by eSim so it's built into the phone. It's like having a reasonably priced roaming partner with you all the time! Also, I occasionally have to take calls on my Hong Kong number for security purposes, e.g. from the bank, thus having the HK sim always active is very convenient.

Things that might be annoying but have been blown out of proportion:

I was really worried about battery life since the battery capacity was reduced slightly from the Pixel 3 to the 4 but actually it's been fine, I haven't noticed a difference in normal day to day use. I charge in the morning, it's getting pretty low but it'll get through to the end of the day with some careful management of how I use it.

The Pixel 4 has a 90hz screen, which means animations have smoother transitions. It is active when the brightness is over a certain level, otherwise it's off. Seems goofy of Google to link it to brightness, but whatever. They're screen transitions?? People are freaking out about the injustice of this feature's weird implementation but for me it's hardly a deal breaker. I would like to try the 90hz screen in conjunction with Google's Daydream VR, that is where it will shine.

Google Photos no longer allows you to have free storage for full size image uploads. I don't mind paying? it's a good service. I pay USD 100 a year for 1 tb of space, which is allocated across Google Photos, GMail, Google Drive, etc. I use about 170 gb of that, of which most are photos generated by my various phones over the years. That seems like a lot of space ... why should I expect that for free ... ?

Lack of an ultrawide camera has been highlighted as an issue which I don't think is fair. An ultrawide lens, such as a 21mm equivalent, has much more limited uses than a 50mm. I don't remember the last time I've ever wished for a wider field of view. Ultrawides distort significantly and generally don't make anything look that nice other than a well framed interior or landscape.

Things that I think are getting kind of ridiculous:

We shouldn't accept 1 day as the "standard" for how long a phone should last. Phones should be built to last 2 days so that you can very comfortably just use your phone an entire, long day without any additional concerns about bringing a battery pack, a charger, etc. It would be great to just charge once at the end of each day, not constantly needing to top off here and there. I think it would be a welcome simplification of how we live with these devices.

These things are getting really expensive. Google didn't include a USB C headphone jack dongle or a pair of headphones. Frankly, I'm thankful for that. Those are bits that I am never going to use and I will feel guilty throwing away. I still have them knocking around in my drawer of things I don't need but don't have the heart to throw away. However, if Google dropped some little items like that, then can't we make the phone a little cheaper?

Should you upgrade from a 3 to a 4?

Should you upgrade from a 3 to 4? Eh, I'm on the fence. I certainly wouldn't return it as I quite like it but I don't think a Pixel 3 user is missing out on that much, either. I like new shiny stuff so I couldn't resist. I don't think you will regret it but I don't think it's an essential upgrade either. If you do decide to get one: I bought through my Project Fi account and got a USD 100 credit. I believe if you buy from Amazon, you can get a USD 100 gift card.

Should you upgrade from 2 to 4?

Yes! The camera alone is worth it.

I would also add, this is a great time to get a Pixel 3. It's really a great phone, especially at the discounted prices they're available at now.