Pixel 4 Overall Ease of Use

When it comes to ease of use, Tech.co boils it down to two categories: the simplicity of the software and the feel of the hardware.

First off, transferring data between an old Pixel 2 and the new Pixel 4 was seamless – a short five minute process facilitated by simply plugging the two devices together with a USB-C cable. The entire device was quickly set up with previously installed apps and existing data from our old phone. A few apps were deleted (like a voice memo app) in favor of the newly added features (like the mind-bending Recorder app from Google).

On the software side, navigating the interface is nothing short of seamless. You can opt for gesture control or the three-button navigation option, each providing simple means of accessing the home screen, apps page, or to “go back.” Plus, with dedicated Google Assistant features throughout and the the Pixel Neural Core assisting any machine learning processes, you're never more than a click or two away from what you're trying to access, as the device often predicts which app you need or which email you're looking for.

As for the hardware, Google definitely went for sleek and stylish with the Pixel 4. The decidedly thin body, combined with the smaller frame makes it incredibly comfortable in your hand. As we mentioned, the glass front and back make it pretty slippery, but the matte sides will keep it firmly within your grasp if you opt to go without a case.

Naturally with a device this thin, the Pixel 4 does not have a headphone jack. But hey, you should probably have some Bluetooth headphones by now, Google hopes…

Pixel 4 Battery Life

Considering battery life is one of the most important smartphone features to customers, Google surprisingly dropped the ball on this one. The Pixel 4 boasts a 2,800mAh battery, which is notably smaller than the rest of the industry. The company said it went for a sleeker build and that battery life suffered as a result, but there's not a person on Earth that wouldn't trade a few millimeters of smartphone girth for a couple extra hours of battery life.

In practice, the Pixel 4 will last approximately 14 hours on a full charge with light use, a woeful comparison to other models on the market. To make matters worse, getting rid of battery draining features like Gesture Control and Ambient EQ don't save much time either, so you're likely going to need to keep an eye on the battery more than you'd want.

Like the Pixel 3, the Pixel 4 is equipped with wireless charging, and it's actually not much slower than the fast charging found via the USB-C cable. However, it does heat the phone up a bit, which can be unsettling, although not an inherent problem.