Google Pixel 4: The Best Smartphone Camera

Since Google released its first Pixel handset in 2016, the line has quickly become the darling of serious smartphone shutterbugs.

- Steven Winkelman

And while the Google Pixel 4 maintains this tradition, it is reductive to think of it as just a smartphone with an excellent camera. In fact, the Pixel 4 is the most innovative smartphone we’ve seen in some time. In addition to an attractive design overhaul, the Pixel 4 has many thoughtful new features, including Face Unlock, Live Caption, and Motion Sense, that genuinely make your life easier, and for that it earns our Editors’ Choice.

DESIGN, DISPLAY, AND DURABILITY

Sleek has never been a word you would use to describe Google’s Pixel lineup; utilitarian or whimsical, maybe, but certainly not sleek. But that changes with the Pixel 4, which definitely looks sharp enough to turn heads.

From the front, the phone looks nearly identical to its predecessors, but that is where the similarities end. Flip it over and you’ll find a glossy pane of glass in one of three colors: black, orange, or white. The textured finish and fingerprint sensor from the Pixel 3 are gone, replaced by a new square camera stack that sits in the top-left corner. A textured black aluminum frame holds the display and backplate together; on the black unit it is nearly invisible, and on the orange and white models, it adds a handsome contrast.

The Pixel 4 measures 5.7 by 2.7 by 0.3 inches (HWD) and comes in at a svelte 5.1 ounces. The left side of the phone is home to the volume rocker and power button. Both are easy to reach and provide a satisfying click when tapped. The top of the phone is bare; two speakers and a USB-C port sit on the bottom. On the right side is a SIM slot. There’s also a built-in eSIM in case you’re using Google Fi or another carrier that supports it.