Got a Pixel 4 XL

[techbeck]

So, finally upgraded from a Nexus 6p.  N6P was a good phone but started to show its age.  Had the phone for about 4yrs and the longest I have ever kept a phone.  It did everything I needed but after 4yrs, started getting sluggish and battery life started to really suck.

 

So I got the Pixel 4xl 128gb as an early Xmas/Bday gift from my GF.  So far, I am liking it really well.   Been messing around with it off and on for about an hour and still at 100 percent.  My N6P would be down 10 or more percent by now.  I have read a lot about battery life issues on the Pixel 4xl but I don't see myself having much of a problem.  And battery life is really dependent on usage.   So experience may vary from user to use.  Also, I have a charger in my car, at home, at at work so again, I don't see this much of a deal.  Of course I turned off a few recommended features, kept on always on display, enabled dark mode, and I always have black/white background images.

 

One thing I am going to miss is no LED notifications.   I don't see this as much of a problem with the always on display but I will still miss the feature.

 

Rooting the device was a little different than normal but took all of maybe 10 minutes to do and is pretty simple.

 

Anyway, all for now.  Still messing around with the device and only got it this evening.  But so far, so good.

[jnelsoninjax]

I have been thinking about getting a pixel eventually, so it is good to hear 'real world' reviews!

[techbeck]

2 minutes ago, jnelsoninjax said:

I have been thinking about getting a pixel eventually, so it is good to hear 'real world' reviews!

Some non clickbaity reviews from people who used the phone for an extended time.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvq1_VoxfFQ

 

and

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkEVTnNSXA0

 

Also, just watched a 20min Youtube video and battery life stayed at 100 percent.

 

Thought I would miss the fingerprint reader, but getting used to the face unlock.  Really quick and works well.

[Phil00]

I almost didn't get it cause I thought I'd miss the fingerprint. Face unlock is amazing. By the time I'm ready to actually use the phone it's already unlocked. I also thought why couldn't it be bezeless, but I use my phonesa ton in bed at night and not having a notch it feels like the phone is actually bezeless. 

 

Love it. 

[Fraud OS 11]

I absolutely miss LED notifications too but Google does not seem to listen to what its customers want. They wanted a notification LED on the Pixel 3/3XL as well then on the 3a/3a XL. Oh well, maybe now that they brought back the bezel at the top for Pixel 4 without any notch or display holes / cutout, maybe Pixel 4a or Pixel 5 will revive the notification LED as well. I would still take the design of Pixel over all other phones with notches, holes, popup cameras etc.

Edited December 9, 2019 by Microsoft BOB™ 10

[techbeck]

Had the phone for a few days and so far, so good.  Take it off the charger at 5am and have 50-60 percent battery life when it goes back on the charger at 11pm.  But then again, I am not a real heavy user and someone who needs to use their phone all the time.  I actually keep my phone in my pocket when I go out to eat....With that said, I use my phone for Teams, work email, personal email, texting, google voice, web browsing...that sort of thing. 

 

But like I said originally, anything better than my old N6P will work for me.  For example, by the time I get to work, my N6P drained 5-6 percent battery life during the 50 minute drive in my pocket.  My P4XL is still at 100 percent when I get to work.  So I have no issues with battery life.

Edited December 9, 2019 by techbeck

[techbeck]

5 hours ago, Phil00 said:

I almost didn't get it cause I thought I'd miss the fingerprint. Face unlock is amazing. By the time I'm ready to actually use the phone it's already unlocked.

 

 

Not really missing fingerprint reader myself either.  I changed the face unlock to not go directly to my home screen so I can see the notifications on the lock screen first.  But it is pretty nice and really fast.

[PGHammer]

On 12/9/2019 at 2:05 AM, Phil00 said:

I almost didn't get it cause I thought I'd miss the fingerprint. Face unlock is amazing. By the time I'm ready to actually use the phone it's already unlocked. I also thought why couldn't it be bezeless, but I use my phonesa ton in bed at night and not having a notch it feels like the phone is actually bezeless. 

 

Love it. 

I refused to consider any Pixel 4 (including the XL) over the fingerprint feature going away (it was a feature of my S7, and is included in all previous Pixels, including my 3a which I got as a birthday prezzie).  Throw in the face-lock security issue (have they patched it yet?), and it is still in the "Do Not Buy" category for that reason (in addition to price).