After many months of leaks, rumors and others, the guys from Mountain View have just officially presented the new range of smartphones for 2019, a range made up of the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL of which we practically already knew all the specifications.
But, like Samsung, Google has focused the presentation on showing what not only the Pixel 4 is capable of, but also the new range of wireless headphones baptized as Pixel Buds and the revamped Pixelbook Go, with which he wants to stand up to both Microsoft and Apple within the range of laptops.
Google Pixel 4
The main novelty offered by the fourth generation of the Pixel range is found in a gesture system to manage the smartphone without having to physically interact with it. As seen in the presentation, the operation is very similar to what we could previously find both in LG and more recently in some Huawei and Xiaomi models.
The Soli radar, as Google has baptized this technology integrates a facial recognition system that allows us to unlock the device using our face and with a very similar operation to that currently offered by Apple on iPhones with Face ID technology.
Being Google, privacy is always something in question. To reassure users who trust this new model, the search giant states that all information stored by this sensor stays on the device And it will never get out of it, following the same Apple policy with Face ID technology.
Gesture technology on a smartphone I just don't see much sense since it is easy to interact with it even with a single finger to skip a song, lower the volume, change applications. However, on a larger screen, such as a tablet (which we do not want or can move) the interaction by gestures does make much more sense.
Another novelty that comes with this new generation of the Pixel range is a function of the recorder application, a function that will be in charge of transcribing the conversations to text, a great feature for journalists and students alike.
The last notable novelty of the Pixel 4 range is found on the screen, a 90 Hz display that adjusts the frequency depending on the type of content that is showing, in order to reduce the battery consumption that this function supposes by working continuously when it is not really necessary.
Google Pixel 4 Specifications
As has been customary since the launch of the first model, Google opts for two sizes: Pixel 4 with a 5,7-inch screen and the Pixel 4 XL with a 6,3-inch screen. This new generation of the Pixel range is managed by Qualcomm's first-generation Snapdragon 855 processor, that is, the processor model that has been available since the beginning of the year and not the revision of this processor that was launched a couple of months ago.
As for RAM, we find inside 6 GB of memory, somewhat scarce if we compare it with the majority of high-end Android terminals on the market, but that can be understood as sufficient if we take into account that it does not have any personalization layer as if we find in most manufacturers and that as a general rule , reduce the performance of the system, hence they bet to add more RAM.
If we talk about internal storage, we see how Google is still pretty racana in this regard, like Apple, and it offers us as a base model only 64 GB of storage. The top model offers us up to 128 GB of storage.
As for the photographic section, Google has included two cameras for the first time but it has not followed the trend of adding a wide angle, as do the majority of high-end terminals on the market, both Android and Apple's iPhone.
Prices and availability of the Google Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL
The Pixel 4 is available in three colors: black, white and orange and will hit the market on October 24 with the following prices depending on the models:
- Google Pixel 4 with 64 GB of storage for 759 euros
- Google Pixel 4 with 128 GB of storage for 859 euros
- Google Pixel 4 XL with 64 GB of storage for 899 euros
- Google Pixel 4 XL with 64 GB of storage for 999 euros
Pixel Buds
Google's commitment to wireless headphones is called Pixel Buds and thus adds to the offer that we can currently find in the market such as Apple AirPods and Samsung Galaxy Buds. Soon they will also be made by the Amazon Echo Buds that the e-commerce giant introduced a few weeks ago.
Like most competitors, Pixel Buds They offer us an autonomy of up to 5 hours and a total of 24 hours through the charging case. As expected, they are compatible with Google Assistant. They do not have a noise cancellation system and will hit the market next spring. The price: $ 179, the same price at which we can currently find Apple AirPods.
Pixelbook Go
In a move that the search giant repeats after the failure of the first-generation Pixelbook, the guys from Mountain View have presented the Pixelbook Go, a laptop that is back managed by ChromeOS, an operating system that is fine for less powerful computers for students and schools, but not a solution for someone who needs a laptop. The problem is none other than lack of applications.
While it is true that this Google operating system has direct access to the Play Store, Many of the applications that we can find, for example, in terms of video editing leave a lot to be desired if we compare them with those that are available in the Apple App Store. Hopefully, just like the first-gen Pixelbook, allow to install a copy of Windows, since otherwise, little or no success will have in the market, like the first generation.
The Pixelbook Go offers us a 13,3-inch touch screen with Full HD resolution and is managed by a Intel Core M3 / i5 / i7 depending on the configuration we need. As for RAM, it offers us two versions: 8 and 16 GB. The storage is type SSD of 64, 128 and 256 GB.
The battery reaches, according to the manufacturer, 12 hours, it has a 2 mpx front camera, it is managed by ChromeOS, it has two USB-C ports and a 3,5mm jack connection. The cheapest model, with an Intel Core M3 processor, 8 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage, is priced at $ 649. At the moment, there is no official release date outside the United States.
Google Nest Mini
Google has taken advantage of this event to present the second generation of the cheapest smart speaker it offers on the market: Google Nest Mini. This second generation, which maintains the price of the first, offers us as the main novelty a new chip that will be in charge of managing requests locally, without having to send them to the cloud to process them, something very similar to what the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL already offer us.
This allows you to be much faster than the first generation in answering our questions. Another novelty that it offers us is found in the back, a back that incorporates a hole to hang the speaker on the wall. With this move, Google wants everyone to have a Google Nest Mini in any room in their home.