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awscherb | 5 years ago

I preordered the Pixel 4 XL at launch, upgrading from a 2 XL. I lost the 4 XL in April, when I unknowingly dropped it at some point during a bike ride, so I reverted to the 2 XL. This made me realize what a completely unremarkable phone the 4 XL was, and in some ways, it was actually a step _backwards_ from the 2 XL. I really did miss the fingerprint scanner on the back of the 2 XL, and for me face unlock will always be a gimmick. The camera on the 2 XL is still really good, even by today's standards.

Every smartphone I've had since the gnex days has been Google. I really want Google to make the best Android phones. The appeal of Nexus was that it was so cheap. With Pixel, prices have gone up, and the increase in functionality between generations has gone down. Maybe that's a general smartphone trend, but I think for the first time in a long time, my next Android phone won't be from Google.

discuss

modeless|5 years ago

I couldn't disagree more. The Pixel 4 XL was criminally underrated. The non-XL wasn't good because the battery was too small, sure. But the XL battery was OK, not worse than the 2 XL I upgraded from.

Then there are several big improvements. It's faster with more RAM, of course. I will never go back to a 60 Hz screen. The speakers are a million times better. I use the telephoto camera. The screen to body ratio is better. Face unlock works incredibly well for me; it's significantly more reliable than the fingerprint sensor ever was. Of course the mask thing is unfortunate but I stay at home and need a mask very rarely so it's not an issue for me.

piercebot|5 years ago

I upgraded from a Pixel XL (which itself was a free upgrade after my Nexus 6P ran into the battery shutdown issues) to the 4XL when it came out in November, and while I can't say I _regret_ my purchase, it's just... unremarkable. The camera is fine, but the battery is not any better than my 3yo phone.

I haven't had to downgrade, but I imagine that (like you) I wouldn't miss it :)

bosswipe|5 years ago

Pixel 4a with fingerprint scanner, headphone jack and bigger battery looks nice, but unfortunately they don't have an xl version.

panda-giddiness|5 years ago

Supposedly the 5G variant of the Pixel 4a will have a larger screen [1].

[1] https://9to5google.com/2020/07/10/pixel-4a-4a-5g-pixel-5-exp...

joncrane|5 years ago

This is exactly how I feel. I have the 3a XL and it's a fabulous phone. the a+XL combo is a category killer if they could get their supply chain together.