If you got a Pixel 4 for Christmas, you should probably return it - maberrynowely98

The brand-Christmas recall lines are commonly reserved for ill-just sweaters, ugly ties, and maybe smooth a duplicate Xbox game. But this year you might want to consider reverting something a little more valuable: that new Google Pixel 4 Santa Claus brought you. Why? Because whatsoever other phone you exchange it for testament be finer.

I don't say this lightly. In my review of the Picture element 4 XL, I gave IT 3.5 stars and wrote, "IT falls well short of nailing a top-tier phone experience." But after another month with information technology, I'm now thinking I was too charitable. In no uncertain terms, the Pixel 4 is the worst Pixel phone I've used and one of the most frustrating and confounding Android phones ever at any price. It's buggy as hell, its battery lifetime sucks, its update schedule flouts expectations… and those are only some of my objections.

Frankly, you'd be better hit getting a discounted Picture element 3 or the first-rate Pixel 3a and saving a couple of cardinal bucks.

Christopher Hebert/IDG

The discounted Pixel 3 XL (left) is a better choice than the Pixel 4.

Don't get me wrong, there are some good things approximately the Picture element 4. IT even has the first smartphone photographic camera around. Its biometric unlock is the most advanced in an Android phone. And Motion Sensory faculty is truly transformative—under the right circumstances. (And since publishing this article I've detected from numerous Pixel 4 fans who love their phones, so I'll beryllium sure to update this piece is my experiences chance dramatically after the Jan or Feb security updates.) But as a whole, the Pixel 4 has enough nagging flaws, half-burnt ideas, and preventive limitations to realise it a spot near the top of your repay heel.

Pel imperfect

My main problems with the Pixel 4 have got goose egg to come with its design, price, or glasses. I could deal with its small battery, lack of storage options, and giant bezels if it was the call it was supposed to comprise. The primary driver behind any Pixel headphone is to showcase the finest Google and Android have to crack, and the Pixel 4 just doesn't do that.

St. Christopher Hebert/IDG

Mechanical man does not execute well connected the Pixel 4.

It's quite perplexing. The Pixel 4 has all of the hallmarks of a Google sound—the current processor, a great display, the newest variant of Android, a few innovative features—but something astir IT is just sour. I've had more crashes, hangs, and inexplicable issues with my Pixel 4 than some early Humanoid headphone, and it's only gotten more frustrating atomic number 3 clock time A gone on.

In fact, my limited review is the first I've written where I've severely considered going back in and lowering the rack up (alas, PCWorld's policy is to never do that). I experienced occasional lagginess during my testing, but since I promulgated my review, the issues have grown: My dwelling house screen has regularly refused to cargo its wallpaper, the share menu is back to taking several seconds to load, and Mechanical man Machine has a habit of getting stuck in a loop of connecting and disconnecting. Palm rejection is terrible and gesture navigation tranquillize doesn't look natural or visceral.

Even off something as simple as wireless charging is a nuisance. Where I can mindlessly place a phone on a charging pad with any other phone, my Pixel 4 requires faraway Thomas More thought and precision just to make for sure its coil is aligned. At the start, I thinking I was just beingness careless, but IT's more than that. Single times I woke up to a depleted call up before I learned to wage better attention to its placement. That's not an issue I've ever experienced with another phone.

Christopher Hebert/IDG

Any other premium Android earphone will have better battery life than the Pixel 4.

Talking of depleted, the battery life on the Pixel 4—straight-grained the XL theoretical account—is very not good. Premium phones carry an expectation of 10 to 13 hours of battery life (measure always-happening display, rule shield-on time and general employ) with very microscopic worry that you won't make it finished a full day of heavy use. The Pixel 4 doesn't even fulfill the bare minimum of those expectations. I can't remember the last time I made it from morning to night with my Picture element 4.

As I write this, I have 70 pct battery life remaining, which wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't 9 am in the morning. I've been awake since 6:30, so a couple hours of emails, Chitter, news show, and a fewer games of Candy Crush birth zapped 30 percent of my assault and battery before my mean solar day even starts. (And it's non like I was using it the whole time.) Pixels sustain always had smallish battery capacities, merely shelling animation wasn't an issue happening premature Pixel phones. So, I preceptor't really know what the problem is, but later two updates, it hasn't gotten any better.

And you don't bear to look likewise utmost to find other people with the similar problems. Whatever of the worst issues have been fixed with updates, but many remain—or crop up again after a few days. And Google continues to glucinium non-committal about when fixes might arrive, only locution an update bequeath arrive "in the coming weeks" Beaver State "shortly."

Squandered advantages

Let's talk of those updates. If there's same thing that previous Pixel phones have had most especially another Android phones, it's the guarantee that they'll stay firm years after you buy up them. Google promises trey years of security updates and ii old age of Android version updates, and most of the time the Pel genuinely felt like-minded the iPhone of Android when OTA updates would arrive as soon as they were available.

That hasn't been the slip with the Pel 4. Frankincense far, in that respect have been ii monthly updates (November and December), and neither arrived on the first day. Or the tenth daylight. I got the November update intimately troika weeks aft Google released it and the December update on Dec. 13. Aboveboard, that's roughly as long-staple equally it takes for the Galax S10 to nonplus its updates.

Christopher Hebert/IDG

The Beetleweed S10 is receiving updates well-nigh atomic number 3 quickly as the Pixel 4.

And one time once again, there's no account. Updates to the other triad Picture element phones all arrived earliest in the month, but the phone that needs it the just about also waits the longest. The Pixel 4 should be the anteriority, but it's anything but. And then if the OS is wonky and updates don't arrive sooner or later, what's the full stop of keeping the Pel phone when there are any number of phones that are cheaper and better looking?

And that's let alone the launch-day issues that haven't been fixed, such as G Suite accounts blocking the novel Google Assistant and Face unlock's unfitness to agnise when eyes are open. Or the simplex fact that merely a rattling small numerate of apps support face recognition for assay-mark. Outside of password managers, very few developers have signed on to support Face unlock, departure the Pixel 4 without a biometric authentication method and thus, less secure than other phones.

So if you want the best camera but preceptor't mind bumper-to-bumper updates, occasional crashes, poor biostatistics, and horrendous battery life. Otherwise, return it and purchase something else. Anything else.

Source: https://www.pcworld.com/article/398530/if-you-got-a-pixel-4-for-christmas-you-should-probably-return-it.html

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