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And it works really well. While Face unlock on the Pixel 4 requires more precise positioning than Face ID on the iPhone 11, for a first-gen feature, I was impressed. But the new phone has some futuristic tech in the top bezel. In a vacuum, Motion Sense is the first real breakthrough for a smartphone in years. It works without an app or any real instructions, and the learning curve is easy enough to be mastered in seconds.
In a practical sense, however, Motion Sense on the Pixel 4 is nowhere near superhero status. Some of those things are surely coming down the pike, but as it stands, Motion Sense is extremely limited and not very useful—a neat trick in search of a party.
Still, Google deserves points for developing a system that actually works. Where Air Motion on the LG G8 is a finicky experience that requires more precision and patience than most people would be willing to extend, Motion Sense works the first time nearly every time.
Get additional savings on Pixel 4 with eligible phone trade-in. Buy now. Terms apply†. Google's Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL are the exceptions here, as they use a more reliable system similar to Remotely lock and track a lost phone.
Instead of a window that takes over part or all of your screen, Assistant occupies a tiny space at the bottom of the display that will only expand to show you what you need to see. Before that happens, however, a few things will need to be cleared up. For one, the new Assistant only works if you have gesture navigation enabled. All in all, it still needs work. Dark mode, on the other hand, is far more refined, with nearly every Google app and system screen supporting it. But my favorite feature is Live Caption. The same goes for the excellent new Recorder app, which will record and transcribe the words it hears.
Strip away the new features, and the Pixel 4 XL trails its peer a bit on the spec sheet, with the RAM, storage, and battery all on the skimpy side:. Even Apple charges half that.
Somewhat surprisingly, Google shines in its new display game. Pixel phones have had long-standing issues with their screens, from OLED burn-in to flat colors, but the Pixel 4 is the first to get it right. The blacks are deeper and the colors are more vibrant than the Pixel 3, and the oleophobic smudges that plagued earlier models are nowhere to be seen so far, anyway.
And I really liked the new Ambient EQ feature that adjusts the white balance based on the light in the room. The Pixel 4 also introduces Smooth Display, which ups the refresh rate to 90Hz for smoother and speedier scrolling and swiping. Google says it will be updating Smooth Display "in the coming weeks," but for now it's just another feature that looks good on paper but not so much in practice. With all of the bells and whistles on, the Pixel 4 XL has extremely average battery life for a phone in this price range.
While Google basically forced you to buy a Pixel Stand to get fast wireless charging on the Pixel 3, the Pixel 4 delivers 11W charging with any compatible charger. Google built the Pixel name on the strength of its camera, and the fourth version only drives that point home. After telling us for years that a single camera was all you needed, Google has added a second camera to the rear of the phone, marrying a 16MP telephoto lens with the And perhaps Google was right all along. Since previous Pixels have been able to achieve such incredible results with just one lens, the addition of a second lens brings expected rather than exceptional results.
In this image of a rainbow-tinted knife, the Pixel 4 left mutes the colors of both the floor and the blade, while the iPhone 11 center and Pixel 3 XL right handle them properly.
But so did the Pixel 3. And so do the Galaxy S10 and the iPhone In some tests, the Pixel 4 XL bested its competition and in others, it performed on par. In some, it missed the mark. Its malware protection is very good, but it lacks a Wi-Fi network-security scanner. But there's scant third-party lab-test data on Lookout's antivirus efficiency, so we don't know really how well it protects against malware.
We can't really recommend Qihoo Security. It gives free users tons of features, but has so many ads that you'll gladly pay to get rid of them. It slowed our test phone more than any of the best Android antivirus apps, and we don't really know how well it protects against malware.
Sadly, it's terrible at protecting against malware. Use something else.
The best Android antivirus apps offer not only top-notch malware detection and prevention, but also a range of privacy and anti-theft features. They can track your phone or tablet via GPS, snap a picture of a phone thief with the device's camera, and even use your Android Wear smartwatch to locate your phone. For malware protection on other platforms, be sure to visit our pages on the best antivirus software and the best Mac antivirus. Bitdefender's Android security app has nearly flawless malware protection, a very light performance impact, a VPN client, Android Wear watch integration and robust privacy-protection tools, including an app lock, a Wi-Fi scanner and anti-theft features.
There's no freemium option, however, and the separate Bitdefender Antivirus Free for Android app only scans for malware. It's our choice for the best Android antivirus app. Read our full Bitdefender Mobile Security review.
Norton Mobile Security offers the best malware protection of any of the Android antivirus apps, and its malicious-website blocking and excellent anti-theft features are free. The best paid feature is the unique App Advisor, which checks apps in the Google Play store for security and privacy risks even before you install them. Read our full Norton Mobile Security review. But while Avast's malware protection is good, some of its anti-theft functions didn't work for us, its call-blocking feature didn't work at all and the ads in the free version are annoying and intrusive.
Read our full Avast Mobile Security review. Kaspersky's Android app offers very good, if not perfect, malware protection, a small system impact and a call blocker that actually works. There are no ads in the free version, and the paid version is inexpensive.
But it feels stripped-down overall, with fewer features than most of the best Android antivirus apps. Read our full Kaspersky Mobile Antivirus review. Lookout was one of the first, and for a long time the best Android antivirus app, and its ease of use, clean interface and lack of ads explain its continued popularity. But we don't really know how well Lookout protects against malware, and its active scans are slow and heavy.
Like Avast, McAfee offers a ton of features, and a free version full of ads and upsell suggestions. The malware protection is decent, and a useful "Guest" feature lets other people safely use your phone for a short time. You'll get some good stuff without paying, such as anti-theft features and a Wi-Fi security scanner.
Read our full McAfee Mobile Security review.