Google Pixel 4 Needs These 6 Things To Beat Samsung Galaxy S10 And iPhone 11

The Google Pixel 4 and Pixel 4L will be officially unveiled on October 15. Google needs to take advantage of this opportunity, especially when Apple has announced its iPhone 11 lineup and Samsung is already selling its Galaxy S10 series and Galaxy Note 10 Plus.

For Google, the Pixel 4 will be its ultimate take on its own Android operating system, the world’s most popular OS, so the smartphone has to stand above its rivals. However, the competition is tense, considering that the iPhone 11 offers a powerful camera set including an ultra-wide-angle lens as well as the Galaxy S10 packed with great features including reverse wireless charging and long battery life.

With all we have known about Samsung’s and Apple’s new flagships, along with what’s released about Google’s upcoming Pixel 4, here are what the phone needs to beat the iPhone 11 and Galaxy S10.

Better Night Sight

Night Sight mode is among the most compelling features of the Pixel 3. The mode, at that time, seems like magic as it could brighten as well as capture clear shots in the dimmest, darkest environment.

This feature is still impressive, but other brands have begun to catch up with Google. For example, the OnePlus 7 Pro offers a dedicated Nightscape mode which takes better low-light photos than the Pixel 3. Besides, Apple has added Night Mode to its iPhone 11 lineup and the feature has done a great job so far.

If Google fails to enhance its Night Sight, it will lose its advantage. Based on officially released images, we know that the upcoming Pixel phone will house multiple cameras on the back, which will hopefully improve that Night Sight.

Better video recording

While the Pixel 3 may have the best all-around camera until now, its video is not so good. During video shootouts conducted by CNET, the iPhone XS and XR beat the Pixel 3.

Google’s device, didn’t maintain focus well in low light conditions, and it didn’t show a smooth transition between different lighting exposures, meaning the iPhones capture better video in the dark. The fused video stabilization system on the Pixel 3 may look drone-like and surreal, which is not too bad, but the Jell-O-like effect may look unnatural whenever the camera moves.

In terms of slo-mo recording, Google Pixel 3 can film at only 720p and record 4K videos at 30fps. However, the iPhones can film slow-motion videos in 1080p and record 4K videos at 60 frames per second. And the iPhones have the fullest and richest sound compared with the other two.

So, if Google wants its Pixel 4 to remain a rival to the iPhone, it has to upgrade its video recording, including low-light recording, audio quality, as well as resolution and frame rate.

More storage

Pixel owners get to enjoy unlimited free storage on Google Photos with original resolution; however, the upcoming Pixel 4 should offer more internal memory. 2018 Pixel smartphones came with only 64GB 128GB storage and no support for external storage. In an era when people are capturing far more photos, videos and playing more games, large storage and expandable memory is a necessity rather than an advantage.

Larger storage will benefit not only Pixel phones but also iPhones. So if Google wants to have an advantage over Apple, and compete with other rivals that's offering more memory, it needs to bump up its phone storage or support external memory.

Secure 'Face ID'

While Google has touted its new facial recognition for the Pixel 4 in a promo advertisement, there's not much known about the feature's capability. However, to compete with Apple's Face ID, Google's candidate has to be secure and private.  The reason is that Face ID can be used to authorize payments, which is not common although a lot of Android devices offer some sort of facial scanning.

Long battery life

This is where Google Pixel 4 will have to go against Samsung Galaxy S10. The Pixel 3 can last for 15 hours and the 3 XL can last for 16 hours and 49 minutes. However, the newly launched Galaxy S10 can survive for 18 hours and the S10 Plus for 21 hours.

Longer battery life is helpful for those who are always on the go or when you need to charge other devices. So, giving the upcoming Pixel phone a bigger battery can help Google compete better.

Lower price or competitive trade-in policies

At launch, Google Pixel 3 was priced at Rs 56,573 while the Pixel 3 XL was priced at Rs 63,654. If the Pixel 4 has similar price, it will be cheaper than the iPhone 11 Pro and Galaxy S10, which are Rs 70,734 and Rs 63,724 respectively. Nevertheless, Samsung and Apple both have more affordable models, the Rs 49,493 iPhone 11 and the Rs 53,103 Galaxy S10E.

This year, Google also released its own midrange smartphones, the Pixel 3A (Rs 28,251) and Pixel 3A XL (Rs 33,915), much cheaper than Samsung's and Apple's affordable phones. But users may not want to wait till next year to get a cheaper version of the {Pixel 4, so Google should make it cheaper now.

If it cannot lower the price, a good trade-in policy is another option. For example, T-Mobile offers 50 percent of the iPhone 11 to existing users, apart from gift card and discounts. Verizon, on the other hand, helps its customers save as much as Rs 49,500 with a trade-in, and Apple offers up to Rs 42,400 for those who trade in an older iPhone.

Google has a trade-in policy for Pixel users too, but only up to Rs 28,300. Worse, Samsung even offer 100 percent money back if customers trade in a Pixel phone for a Galaxy phone.