The photography hardware isn’t remarkably different compared to the Pixel 3, but Google has delivered another impressive camera setup here, with shots looking even more detailed than before. We found in our time using the phone that it was speedy, able to load apps and games with ease as well as offering everything we need from a modern smartphone. This all means the Pixel 4 has the same launch price as the Pixel 3 had in the US, while in the UK and Australia the new handsets actually have a lower launch price than their predecessors. It's unclear why it's cheaper in those two markets and not the US, but it's a nice bonus if you’re interested in this phone. A saving grace here is that the Pixel 4 comes with some impressive fast-charging technology, which we found could charge the phone from 0-50% in 38 minutes if you use the USB-C charger included in the box. The display takes up most of the front of the phone, but there's still a bezel above and a smaller, but still noticeable, chin below, with Google once again opting not to use a notch on its standard flagship model (the Pixel 3 XL did sport a notch, but for the Pixel 4 XL Google has reverted to a bezeled design).

Google Pixel 4 review | TechRadar

Google has also brought live HDR+ to the Pixel 4, which gives you a real-time on-screen preview of what your final image will look like, rather than simply applying the enhancements after you've snapped a photo. We've already seen gesture control built into smartphones, with the LG G8 one of the more recent devices to offer it, but instead of using a camera for this, the Pixel 4 comes with a radar chip embedded into the bezel above the screen. Another new feature on the Pixel 4 is Motion Sense. This enables you to use gesture controls to perform simple tasks when touching the screen of your smartphone isn't convenient, such as when you're driving, cooking or working out.There's a new way to activate Assistant too: with a swipe-up gesture from the bottom-right corner of the screen. Alternatively, you can still use the wake word "Hey Google" or squeeze sides of the Pixel 4 – as you can on the Pixel 3 and Pixel 2 – to bring the voice assistant to life. Overall, the Android 10 software itself is easy to use if you’ve used an Android device, and we found it to work smoothly throughout our testing period. All the top Google apps are provided here out of the box, and everything just works well. Motion Sense and gesture control The phone can survive a short submersion in water thanks to its IP68 water resistance rating, which we tested by dunking it in a park fountain without issue.

Google Pixel Mobile Phones | Carphone Warehouse Google Pixel Mobile Phones | Carphone Warehouse

This Pixel 4 also supports wireless charging, which we found useful when sitting at a desk, as we could prop the device up on a wireless charging stand or place it on a charging mat to ensure it was topped up throughout the day.

It's not a 'compact' device – those with smaller palms may still need to employ both hands to comfortably use the Pixel 4 – but it’s certainly easier to use one-handed than its larger sibling. Google likes to keep things simple in terms of hardware though, and there's a 12MP main camera (f/1.7, 77-degree field of view), assisted by the new 16MP telephoto lens (f/2.4, 52-degree field of view), allowing for improved zoom, better low-light shots and enhanced portrait photography. The radar chip provides a wider, 180-degree field of view that allows the Pixel 4 to detect your hand from further away. Google says it's been working on the tech for five years – however, its first public outing is extremely limited.

Google Pixel 4 - Smartphone 64GB, 6GB RAM, Dual Sim, Black

While there's not a whole lot that's new about the Pixel 4 compared to the Pixel 3, the design has been significantly updated. It immediately feels like a different device, especially if you opt for one of the matte finishes. This is a rare frustration, but it’s still something we think you should bear in mind with this device. This sub-par performance is arguably down to the 2,800mAh cell that powers the Pixel 4 – even though this device doesn’t have the biggest screen to power that’s a particularly smaller battery to include. The Pixel 3 didn’t have great battery life either – and that phone had a larger battery at 2,915mAh.We ran benchmarking stats with Geekbench 5 on the device and found it scored on average 2,183. Compared to other top-end phones at the moment that’s good but not great, with the Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus 5G scoring a similar 2,197 but both of these devices being beaten by the OnePlus 7T Pro at 2,584. Battery life is one of the weakest elements of the Pixel 4, and it’s quite a let-down to find such poor performance in this area on a modern flagship phone.

Google Pixel 4 review | TechRadar Google Pixel 4 review | TechRadar

Certain markets can only access some models though – for example, in the UK the orange variant is only available in 64GB, while both 64GB and 128GB are available in the US. This isn’t the best chipset available on the market at the time of writing – that honor goes the Snapdragon 855 Plus chipset that’s designed to be slightly better for gaming – but we found that the Pixel 4 loaded demanding apps and games without any issues. Software and apps The Pixel 4 has stereo speakers, which we found to work well but which don’t offer anything groundbreaking in the world of smartphone audio. Round the front you get an 8MP selfie snapper (f/2.0, 90-degree field of view). It works perfectly well for selfie shots, though it’s missing the wide-angle front camera innovation we saw on the Pixel 3.We’re excited to see what Google can do in the future with its Motion Sense technology, but so far it hasn’t been the game-changing feature the company would like it to be Battery life We often found the Google Pixel 4 wouldn’t last a full day after we took it off charge often at around 7am, with the phone dying by the early evening – and with intensive usage it often didn’t last longer than the early afternoon. It's not an especially stylish implementation, but it has allowed Google to group two cameras (the first time it's included a second snapper on the rear of a phone), the flash and sensors into one area. Two rear cameras is still pretty modest these days though, with most high-end flagships boasting three, four and in some cases even five.