(A PIN isn’t actually a bad way to go if you can handle the minor inconvenience. There is no other way to unlock this phone, aside from a PIN. Instead of relying on a fingerprint sensor as a backup, Google went the same route as Apple, removing the fingerprint reader and going all-in on face scanning. You raise your phone up to look at the screen, and it unlocks almost instantly.

I’m sure it will.Īside from apparently unlocking when I’m asleep, the Pixel 4’s face-unlocking feature is the best copy of the iPhone’s Face ID I’ve seen. So when problems come up, like reviewers complaining that the phone’s new face-unlock feature works with your eyes closed, Google can just say that it will issue an update to fix the problem. It keeps its device secure and up to date. It’s a low bar, but by simply doing its job, Google wins a lot of points from reviewers like me and tech-savvy people like you.

Security updates often flow to the Pixel handsets earlier as well. Other handsets get it months later, if ever. Google designs a new version of its Android operating system each year, and the Pixels are among a handful of devices that get it as soon as it's released-along with some OnePlus and Nokia models here in the United States. And it has the one thing that really makes a Pixel stand out: While owners of other phones may have to wait for them, you get Android software updates as soon as they're available, directly from Google. It has some great new native apps and (subtle) features. I tried the larger 6.3-inch XL version in Oh So Orange (the standard, non-XL version has a 5.7-inch screen) and came back with a familiar answer for a Pixel review: I like it a lot. That’s why I was excited to get “Googley” with a new Pixel 4 this past week.Īnd so I did.

Its cheaper sibling, the Pixel 3A tops our list of the best Android phones this year. It was our favorite Android phone last year. My colleague Lauren Goode loved the Pixel 3. Google’s Pixel phones always seem to top our lists.

Google pixel 3 xl sd card slot