The Pixel 4 and 4 XL, as the second most powerful devices ever produced by the Google smartphone lineup, deserve support for at least one more Android update – and here’s why.
Given Samsung’s recently increased software update commitment, it’s easy to look down on Google’s own update promises and feel sad. Three full OS updates and another year of security patches were the best Android has had in a while. While it’s easy to complain about, the Pixel 4 series is a classic example of a device losing software support ahead of its time.
Video Google should support the Pixel 4 longer
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One of these things is not like the others)
Here’s the crux of the problem: The Pixel 4 isn’t like Google’s pre-2021 flagships. Despite being released back in 2019, the Pixel series’ step-down and realignment with the Pixel 4a 5G, 5, and 5a means that even if you lose the superfast cellular 5G connectivity, older handsets can deliver more under-the-hood power. Do something without compromise.
In the performance chart, the Pixel 4 sits just below the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro. This leaves it in an awkward position as the second most powerful device in the Made by Google smartphone line. It’s set to receive Android 13, but the fewer Pixel 4a 5G, 5 and 5a come with a longer support window than the Pixel 4 and 4 XL.
Without completely comparing the best of 2019 with the end of 2021, the Pixel 4 series shares more with the Pixel 6 than the devices released in the middle. For starters, there are devices small and large, including the Pixel 4 with an FHD+ screen and the Pixel 4 XL with a QHD+ display. Although the camera systems are not quite directly comparable, there is one major similarity: the pixel neural core. It greatly improves on-device photo and video processing.
This means that all 2020 Pixel device lineups have a technically slower – or lower – camera system, despite using the same Sony IMX363 main sensor and practically the same software-based tuning. It’s easy to argue that the Pixel 4 – especially the 4 XL – was a tad. It was only truly disappointed by the mixed battery longevity. Elsewhere it upgraded the Pixel experience with a 90Hz AMOLED screen, playful design and trademark camera system.
Adding the Soli radar chip was an interesting experiment that ultimately failed on smartphones. It has found more uses in other built in Google hardware like the Nest Hub 2nd Gen, but it does mean you have access to some in true sense Exclusive gesture-based features you won’t find on any other Pixel. From a direct usability and everyday experience standpoint, the Soli doesn’t impress the Pixel 4 much.
Face unlock is also a big difference that was touted to come with the Pixel 6 Pro. It’s not entirely clear whether we’ll ever get 3D face unlock technology back on the Pixel, but it’s faster, more accurate, and much more reliable than the in-display fingerprint scanner on the Pixel 6 series. We haven’t seen any new software introductions to take advantage of radar-powered hardware and that likely won’t change any time soon.
At least on paper, the Pixel 4 series is a more attractive proposition than the Pixel 4a 5G, Pixel 5 and 5a. Skip the 5G connectivity, and you’ll get a premium Pixel with an equally great camera, the most recent Android update, faster face unlock, a nice 90Hz AMOLED screen, and a more capable SoC overall.
That’s a long way to say that the Pixel 4 isn’t quite as flagship by 2022 standards, but there’s no shortage of power when compared to previous generations and all the latest and greatest. If the Pixel 5 – and by extension, the 4a 5G and 5a – will be able to run Android 14, then support for the slightly more powerful Pixel 4 shouldn’t be a problem.
commitment to sustainability
In recent years, we’ve seen Google make conscious efforts and steps to increase the use of recycled and sustainably sourced materials for the Pixel series and first-party hardware. From alternative cases to the heavy metals used within the Pixel line, these are all remarkable and important steps in the right direction given the technology’s ubiquity in our daily lives.
But if Google is serious about sustainability or indeed environmental concerns, expanding the support window current Instead of focusing on new or upcoming hardware, a smartphone like the Pixel 4 is the right place to start.
Increasing the longevity of a device through software updates is also a cheaper and more effective way of having a sustainably operated tech firm. Google’s prior work with Qualcomm to reduce the effort required to bring the latest Android releases to older chips hasn’t affected the Pixel series. So while this work outweighs the ability to provide monthly patches, the special circumstances surrounding the Pixel 4 series mean that, of course, additional support is far more needed.
In truth being serious about sustainability means that shipping new products doesn’t always have to be the number one priority. Naturally, this is easier said than done, but for any real progress in this regard respect should be placed on the brands rather than the consumer.
Why should Google set an example for the Pixel 4?
I’m under no illusions that this request/complaint/annoyance within Google’s broader Pixel and Android teams is likely to fall on deaf ears. That said, with a supposedly growing user base and enthusiastic fan base, good product PR is always a reason to make such positive changes.
With a smaller product pool, if Google intends to deal with Apple in the small number of Pixel sales, increasing Android support length will be a major way to please existing owners and entice potential buyers. My colleague Ben Schoon also confirms the same, but with a recent focus on the Pixel 6 series. If you want the longest lasting phone, you’ll go for the Galaxy.
Although that’s a different matter, bumping support for the Pixel 4 and 4 XL would be a huge PR win and logically makes a lot of sense. Sure, it may have some unintended knock-on effects, but Android OS makers have fewer excuses to push through when it comes to device update windows, especially since Samsung will honor its own four OS update promise. . It’s not a bad thing to look back and correct some confusing mistakes.
Google has in many ways cornered itself courtesy of a messy 2020 lineup. This leaves the Pixel 4 and 4 XL in a support crisis not unlike many Chinese OEM devices that are left high and dry when a new, shiny model is released. Hyperbole aside, it’s not strictly true that Android 13 will mark a pre-approved three OS update schedule for the Pixel 4 and 4 XL. We have seen Android 11, Android 12, Android 12.L and soon Android 13. That commitment was exactly what happened in 2019 when the pair of devices hit store shelves.
Specifications have never really been at the heart of what makes the “pixel experience” special. That said, the internal hardware is above and beyond what you’ll find on the Pixel 4a, 4a 5G, and to a lesser extent the upcoming Pixel 6a. 6GB of RAM and an older flagship processor is a perfect combination to let the lightest flavors of Android truly shine. If Android 14 has a minimum specification requirement, the Pixel 4 and 4 XL will surely exceed it.
Apple’s continued support for older devices over the years has put all Android to shame. Samsung’s increasing efforts to provide an expanded support window for its previous flagship lines prompted Google to act. The Pixel 4 is the perfect place to start.
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