Google unveils the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL with 6GB of RAM, radar sensor, and more

Google has found a comfortable routine in a yearly refresh of its smartphone lineup, so it’s no surprise that the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL are now officially official.

The Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL are the follow-up handsets for the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL from last year, and Google is once again putting a lot of the focus on camera performance. Of course, it’s hard to argue that the rear camera design on the Pixel 4 isn’t reminiscent of the iPhone 11/iPhone 11 Pro. Still, the Pixel smartphones have become synonymous with taking fantastic photos with a smartphone, and that trend will more than likely continue with Google’s newest flagship smartphones.

As is par for the course with Google, its two new handsets share more similarities than differences. The primary separation between the two is screen size, with the Pixel 4 boasting a 5.7-inch P-OLED display, while the Pixel 4 XL has a 6.3-inch Quad HD OLED screen. They both feature a 90Hz refresh rate, though.

On the back of each phone is the rounded square camera bump, which features the standard 12-megapixel “Dual Pixel” camera, which is accompanied by a secondary 16-megapixel telephoto camera. The flash and a microphone is also situated in the camera housing.

Meanwhile, around front, there is a new radar sensor in the Pixel 4 handsets which gives the smartphones similar features to what Apple has in its TrueDepth camera setup. This gives the Pixel 4 lineup full depth detection with the front-facing camera, and also the ability to detect motion.

With Google’s “Motion Sense” feature, the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL will actually activate the display once it detects it has been picked up, and turn off the display when the user puts the phone down or moves out of view of the front-facing camera. It also supports gestures.

Under the hood is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor, which features a “Pixel Neural Core”. This new chip handles heavy loads for image processing after a Pixel 4 owner takes a photo, and will also help out the handset with other machine learning tasks. If this sounds familiar, it’s because it will work similarly to Apple’s own Neural Engine built into the A13 processor found in the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro.

Both handsets have 6GB of RAM tucked inside, and they feature either 64GB or 128GB of built-in storage. There is no microSD card slot for expandable storage. There is a USB-C port for charging, and the battery measures in at 2800mAh for the Pixel 4, while the Pixel 4 XL boasts a 3700mAh battery.

The Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL go up for pre-order today. They start shipping on Thursday, October 24. The Pixel 4 costs $799 for the 64GB model and $899 for the 128GB variant. Meanwhile, the Pixel 4 XL starts at $899 for the 64GB option, and $999 for the 128GB. The Pixel 4 is officially supported on all four major wireless carriers this time around.

What do you think of the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL?